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TheOtherDave comments on Positive Thinking - Less Wrong
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Its origins are complicated, but yes, online communities were importantly involved, and it would not have become what it did without them.
But neither would it have become what it did had it been an exclusively online community.
Striking a balance between the convenience of online communities and the stability of geographic ones is something I suspect we (that is, humans) will be experimenting with for several decades to come.
You are, of course, entitled to value whatever communities you wish for whatever properties you wish.
And, like you, I value online communities for the opportunity to encounter new minds.
That said, when a single parent needs a friend to look after their kid for an afternoon, or someone with a broken leg needs a friend to help them get groceries into their third-floor walkup, or someone delerious in an ICU needs a friend to sit with them for an evening, or someone who has just been dumped needs a friend to hold them for a few hours, or someone who just lost their home needs a spare bed to sleep on for a couple of weeks, or any of a million other similar situations arise, words on a screen aren't terribly helpful.
I value geographical communities for all of those services and more.
But sure, for a community where nobody needs those kinds of services, physical proximity may not be a big deal.