Following the failure of the 1896 campaign in Delaware, some followers of George wanted to establish a single tax community at the village level. In 1900, Frank Stephens - a sculptor, Will Price - an architect, and Joseph Fels - a soap manufacturer, bought 162 acres of land in north Wilmington, Delaware, and created the Village of Arden. The village was intentionally designed to demonstrate George's theories in practice. It was named for the "Forest of Arden" in William Shakespeare's As You Like It. There was no private ownership of land. More than 50% of the land was held in common for general use, while on the remaining land, leaseholds for private use were set up with 99-year leases, which could be transferred as well as renewed. These land-use conditions in the village are little changed since its founding.
In 1922, a second village, Ardentown, was created. And in 1950, the third, Ardencroft, came into being. All three villages are based on the single tax, but as communities offer much more to their residents. Each village is governed by a Deed of Trust - the original founding document, by the leasehold system, and by the Act of Incorporation, which incorporates each in New Castle County. Three trustees are nominated and confirmed in each village. They are responsible for the administering the Deed of Trust, and collecting the taxes. A town assembly runs the day-to-day affairs of each village. Every resident over the age of 18 has a vote in the town assembly. There is a town chairman, town secretary, and town treasurer. In addition, many committees are mandated, to help in the operation of the village. They include: Advisory Committee, Archives Committee, Audit Committee, Budget Committee, Civic Committee, Community Planning Committee, Playground Committee, Registration Committee, Safety Committee, and the Assessors, each with a unique role in civic affairs.
The founders of Arden also wanted to include cultural activities in the daily life of Ardenites. Organizations, such as the Arden Community Recreation Association and the Arden Club were started. The Arden Club is an association of gilds, each involved in some aspect of cultural life. They include Ardensingers, Dinner Gild, Folk Gild, Gardeners Gild, Georgist Gild, Library Gild, Shakespeare Gild, and Swim Gild. In addition, other activities include arts and crafts - a major source of income, a (former) community public school - the Arden School, a monthly newspaper - the Arden Page, as well as the annual Arden Fair. Life in the three villages of this single tax community is one of activity, togetherness, and value.