Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Seeking Rural/Ag Cohousing Communities

[Jerry McIntire (jerry.mcintire]

Bill,

I think making connections among rural cohousing communities is a great
idea. Not all may be farming, but the rural location is a defining
characteristic and is quite a different situation from most coho's in urban
or suburban areas.

We are a "forming" group that is pretty well formed, with five members,
four years of organizing under our belts, and property now in hand. We have
twelve acres, and folks in this area wonder out loud how we can possibly
fit 15 houses on it (we are planning 15 - 18 homes). In rural areas, one's
sense of space expands. I think we will put all the housing on 4 acres. We
plan to have gardens and chickens, orchards, and possibly other animals (we
are outside the city limits).

Well water, the question of advanced septic or composting toilets, the
trade-off of a large investment in utility connections or in being off the
grid, these are some of the different questions that rural communities face.

I think of Cobb Hill Cohousing as a likely candidate for your list. Please
add us, Stone's Throw Ecovillage in SW Wisconsin, to it also.

I am starting a separate thread to ask for marketing/recruiting ideas that
worked well for other groups in the drive to fill out membership before
beginning development work.

Thanks,

Jerry McIntire
www.stonesthrowcommunity.wordpress.com