American Notes Woodstock, N.Y.

In 1969 Woodstock, N.Y., became the symbol of the Age of Aquarius when it lent its name to a three-day love-in and rock concert featuring, among others, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Arlo Guthrie. Though the festival was ultimately held 50 miles away, Flower Power devotees and New York City weekenders have since flocked to the once quiet community. But as Woodstock (pop. 6,800) has grown, it has run into some of the fiscal problems facing other towns and cities. Among them: paying off an $8.5 million debt to the local sewer district.

True to its nonconformist heritage, the town board is studying a novel solution: setting aside an acre of land and selling "plots" for $10 a square inch. If the plan is given the go-ahead, which may come as early as August, prospective buyers -- many of them probably nostalgic hippies -- will receive deeds and elaborate ownership certificates. And if all 6,272,640 square-inch parcels contained in the acre are sold, the town stands to reap a huge windfall.