Allegheny Crest Intentional Village is a unique approach to combining social change, personal growth, rural revitalization, and ecological sensitivity. Located in the West Virginia Potomac Highlands, 100 miles west of Washington DC, with spectacular mountain settings and crisp, clean air, our land currently includes a retreat center with 20 acres of lush, pristine river valley, and 3 acres of mountaintop with four houses, a 24-unit motel, and a general store.
Like many other intentional communities, Allegheny Crest is based in humanistic values, equality of opportunity, social action, personal growth, and compassionate service. What makes us a village, and not only a community, is active outreach, local integration, radical acceptance, and porous membership:
Active Outreach: We regularly have events that bring in a wide range of people, and these events change lives! Participants have said: “‘normal’ is not normal anymore”; “opening doors that I didn’t even know existed”; “truly people who accepted me unconditionally”; “I fell in love with myself!” (We jokingly say that we measure success by how many people go home and quit their jobs.) Whatever skills you have can be used to help create these amazing spaces. They make magic!
Local Integration: We reach out to those who already live nearby, providing services, working with them, playing with them, building connections in whatever ways work best, and becoming an integral part of the local people’s lives.
Radical Acceptance. People who would never think of discriminating on skin color or gender often unconsciously discriminate against people with different verbal styles, work patterns, thought processes, or priorities. Discovering these blind spots and creating a welcoming environment for *all* people is a core part of our work in the world.
Porous Membership. Many communities have a strong line between members and non-members, have strict limits on visitors, and a structured membership process—all within the context of defined property lines. Membership at Allegheny Crest can take any form that human relationships can take, from client or casual acquaintance to event participant to short-term volunteer to full residential membership—and individuals can shift their relationship as their own needs and growth require. Because we practice Radical Acceptance, this includes accepting that an individual’s relation to the community can change however it needs to without breaking that connection. Porous membership allows people to connect in many ways that allow for mutual benefit for the person and the community. This also spreads the community’s influence and connections much more widely.
We are also distinctive in our approach to governance and to abundance:
Compassionate Anarchy. Rather than needing group approval for every initiative, each person has full authority to act on their own—and the responsibility to discern who will be affected and how to incorporate their concerns. Compassionate anarchy fosters individual initiative, allows greater personal freedom, and replaces centralized control with a dynamic negotiation process.
Abundance. Subsistence living is often seen as a value or necessity in community living. We value and support abundance in every aspect of life: emotions, economics, energetics, social connections, personal freedom, and time.
If you are an independent-minded and energetic person who wants an intimate community while contributing to cutting-edge social change, you may find your home with us.
Many of us have connected through New Culture experiences: workshops, open houses, weekend events, and ten-day summer camps. There are intentional communities and businesses across the country and beyond that have been built on New Culture insights; here, we are taking it to a new level.
Our existing businesses form the economic base for the village. The work is quite varied, and includes every aspect of producing, managing, maintaining, and improving these businesses, properties, events, activism, and educational programs.
Play and connection are also core and conscious activities; *balance* is a primary goal.
Members can select a living environment that best suits their needs: resident on one of our properties, member of a group house, or living in a separate house or apartment that they rent or own. Residents who choose to be part of the core economic base are provided with room and board (and medical care in many cases), as well as assistance in creating independent income opportunities.
Because there are no zoning restrictions and no building code restrictions, Allegheny Crest is an ideal location for using alternative construction techniques, land use, energy generation and management, sustainable design, and much more. We already have a geothermal heating and cooling system for the motel, and geodesic domes for large group meeting spaces; we are excited about exploring other projects that move us more towards sustainability.
Integrating community with the larger world; creating change *in* people that leads to critical social change.
The process is flexible, generally starting with email exchange, phone calls, and a visit to explore if we have a good match. Our Covid-19 policies change as new research and guidance from health organizations is released, we’ll keep you in the loop through email and phone conversations before you visit in person.
Please send us an email giving telling us about your path up until now, how you want to grow, and what you would like to help us create. Also include a phone number and best times to reach you, or call us a day or two after you send your email.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Little to no formal governance structure.
Leadership is a function, not an identity.
Each member is invited to participate in leadership and structural decision making to whatever degree feels right for them. This could mean taking an active role in all aspects, or just in specific areas that interest you, or none at all. Right now as we are a relatively small group we all participate in decision making conversations.
Otherwise, decision-making is primarily “compassionate anarchy”. Each person has substantial authority to make their own decisions, with due consideration to the rights, property, and needs of others. *Very* little time is spent in decision-making meetings. We spend time together in ways that strengthen our connections or get things done!
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Labor: Yes (25 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
People are free to create whatever structures work for them.
We would not take on that debt, but would help them figure out ways to deal with it.
Our work arrangements are highly flexible: people can work, pay money, or a combination of the two. The arrangement for work alone is 25 hours a week.
Contributions are more a matter of *wanting* to contribute, rather than being *required* to contribute.
Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Outdoor Kitchen, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Waterfront access, Internet
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
kitchens, dining, and social areas.
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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