Is Community Living Right for You?

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Unsurprisingly, we've received a lot of inquiries from curious folks in the past year. Having been isolated due to the pandemic, people from all over are reaching out, seeking more rural living and more connection and community.

What does it mean to live in a cohousing or intentional community?

Well, it means a lot of things, and means different things to different people! Here on the Hill and at many other intentional communities nation- and worldwide, it might mean:

  • Receiving multiple offers when you put out a request to borrow something, even if it is the most obscure item

  • Doing any number of kind favors for your neighbors

  • Disagreeing over the right way to handle pandemic precautions (and any number of other things)

  • Honing and using your best communication skills...or sometimes your worst, and regretting it later

  • Cooking a community meal or organizing a BBQ

  • Being part of resolved or unresolved conflict and tension

  • Finding "your people" with shared interests, values, vision, goals, hobbies, and making life-long friends

  • Using consensus decision-making and coming together on a final decision everyone can get behind after lots of discussion in a long meeting with fellow community members

  • Organizing a community celebration of some kind (holiday cookie swap, karaoke, birthday party, for example)

  • Being part of a committee working toward shared goals

  • Bringing all of your baggage with you, for better or worse (it doesn't just go away)

  • Playing various community roles in addition to your day job and household needs

  • Learning new skills and maybe stretching outside of your comfort zone

  • Taking on too much because you want to be involved with everything or you have a problem saying "no" or you feel obligated

  • Facilitating a difficult discussion with support from others

  • Stepping up to do something because no one else is doing it

  • Realizing that life doesn't slow down here, it's just busy in different ways than you may be used to

  • Leaning in because this place is only as good as we all make it

  • Trusting that the agreed upon process benefits the greater good

  • Working to change a policy that isn't working or writing a proposal to introduce a new project

  • Keeping a growth mindset

  • Learning how to live lighter together on the earth

Thinking about community living and want to learn more? We are part of a larger movement.

"People choose to join intentional community for many reasons – better quality of life, sense of purpose, connection with people, opportunities to make a difference. The process starts with learning as much as you can about communal living and the various kinds of community models." (ic.org)