For most people in America, access to running water, sewage treatment, and electricity are a given. But for those who can’t afford a home, want to live outside modern society, or just need an escape from the snow every winter, Slab City might be an attractive place to call home. Located about 190 miles southeast of Los Angeles and built on an abandoned military base, Slab City has become a tourist destination and a residential community.

Far from being one of the most beautiful cities in the world or even the United States, Slab City has its own unique appeal for those who live there and call themselves Slabbers. It takes a certain kind of person to be willing to endure 120-degree days in summer, live miles from the nearest grocery store, and get by without running water. People do it, however, and many of them are proud of their self-reliance and endurance. What’s it like to live there? Many have ventured to find out, from journalists like LA Weekly's Paul Rogers to curious travelers looking to see if the community's unique charms are what they're looking for. According to those visitors and the residents themselves, one's impression of Slab City all depends on how you approach calling it home.