My name is Jonathan Yunatanov, and I started Community Lands 3 years ago. To me, land is nature; the nostalgic moments I spent getting to know my father. My relationship with my father came with difficulty. He was always a hard worker. 

My father is an immigrant who came to this beautiful country in 1973 at just 16. As an immigrant, he worked himself to the bone to provide for the generations before and after him. With his parents’ retirement, he ended up working to support them by selling jewelry seven days a week.

My father has never come to a school event, father/son breakfast, a ball game, or has made it for many formative moments beside my wedding. Though, every year, I was guaranteed to spend quality time with my father in Lake George, NY. 

The experience started in our house in Queens, followed by a long, grueling 5.5 hours to make it to the lake. We would stop at two places before arriving. Those stops were a restroom two hours in and a local farmers market that sold honey sticks.

I still remember the stories.

When we got to the lake, the air smelled fresher than back home. It was almost as if you could smell the grass in the air with a mix of mountainous air. We would stay in a bungalow run by a Russian couple and their one son. It shared a swimming pool with a motel across the street, right on Lake George.

The lake allowed my father and I to fish together. It was as if the lake was overflowing with sunfish. We shared a love for fishing and the moments we spent as a family. Joe, my father, would tell me about his childhood in the old country and what life was like for him before emigrating. I still remember the stories about the joy of summer camp in Ukraine and Tashkent’s fresh fruits and vegetables.

At the end of our week-long journey through bonding in the outdoors, he would return home to the typical grind of work. Those moments on the lake made me realize the essence of life: moments with loved ones. Nature helps bring us closer.

Community Lands started with the intention of helping others create memories with their loved ones in nature. Our goal as a company is to make land available and affordable to all. We have carefully curated our pricing and created flexible payment plans to fit everyone’s wallet. 

With age, we realize more and more that our time on this planet is short. All we take with us are our memories. Our time is best spent in the healing essence of nature.

Start your journey into nature with Community Lands today!