Life Inside Slab City: America’s Last Free Place In The Desert

Описание: There’s a place in the California desert where people live with no rent and no grid. They call it Slab City—“the last free place.”
In this film, we meet the people who stay, the art that blooms in the sand, and the truth behind the “lawless city” myth.

We explore Salvation Mountain and East Jesus, talk survival in 120°F summers, and ask: what happens next to this community as the Salton Sea/Lithium Valley projects reshape Imperial County?

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Chapters
00:00 Intro — Why Slab City still fascinates
00:52 The road from Niland & first look at Salvation Mountain
02:30 Who lives here? (snowbirds vs. year-rounders)
04:05 “Lawless”? What the sheriff actually does here
05:18 Water, power, and staying alive off-grid
07:10 The Range, the library & how neighbors help neighbors
08:45 East Jesus — art in a place that breaks everything down
10:02 Heat, fires, floods: the risks residents face
11:20 What’s next: land, restoration & Lithium Valley
12:30 Final thoughts — freedom, cost, and community

Quick facts :
• Slab City is unincorporated public land in Imperial County, CA; county sheriff patrols and state/federal laws still apply.
• Population is seasonal: thousands in winter, ~150 in peak summer.
• Nearby landmarks: Salvation Mountain (folk-art hill) and East Jesus (experimental art garden).
• Region news in 2024–25 includes restoration efforts after a partial collapse at Salvation Mountain and major lithium development around the Salton Sea.


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Credits & Respect
We filmed with care and asked consent. If you plan a visit, read Salvation Mountain’s site rules and pack out everything you pack in.

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