I found a brand new community SMP that just opened last weekend and it feels like a clean start with real people.

It is whitelist only and 18+ only. There are no ranks and no donor perks. There is no server shop and the economy is diamond based so players drive it.

There are no teleport shortcuts so traveling matters. Changes are based on community feedback and polls.

It has deeper progression with ValhallaMMO and ValhallaTrinkets. The world uses Terralith generation. Players can run shops with Shopkeepers and rent market space with AdvancedRegionMarket.

You can view the world with Bluemap and claim land with Bell Claims. Phantoms are turned off. The Ender Dragon comes back weekly and it is reworked into a multi phase raid boss fight.