STOWE FARM COMMUNITY. We are a multi-generational rural co-housing community in Colrain, Massachusetts tucked into the beautiful hills of western Mass. All lots have been purchased, completing our maximum capacity of eleven households. The last 2 houses are currently being built. We also have neighbors who are ‘social’ members (participate in gatherings, play dates, and other social activities).
Stowe Farm Community is rural with urban & university centers nearby. We have single family homes, which afford privacy within a supportive community. We are neighbors working together to improve the quality of our lives. Helping each other succeed makes our community thrive.
We help each other with child, pet, and farm animal care. Some of us work from home and some drive to our jobs. We currently raise chickens, ducks, pigs, and goats. Many of us are enthusiastic about baking, cooking, brining, smoking, and fermenting food, especially food we grow and raise ourselves. We make bread, cheese, and charcuterie (specialty meats), and have plans to grow some ingredients to support our neighbor’s brewery.
We have a community truck, greenhouse, tractor, tree house, gardens, orchards, outbuildings, and other shared equipment and tools. Our common structure plans are evolving. We own individual lots in a 10 acre village, build our own homes and share the rest of the 80 acres which include play areas, arable farmland, a sparkling clean brook & river for swimming, pasture to raise animals, and conserved forest.
Stowe Farm Community provides a magnificent view down the North River valley to the Catamount Mountains. The views are spectacularly beautiful year round. Houses are clustered on a south-facing slope overlooking the West Branch of the North River and Stone Mountain.
We are 15 minutes from Shelburne Falls, MA; 20 minutes from Greenfield, MA; 45 minutes from Amherst and Northampton, MA as well as Brattleboro, VT. We are 20 minutes from Rte. 91; 3.5 hours from NYC. Small organic farms are taken seriously in western Mass, as well as music, art, social activism, and academics.
We are a cooperative community of families who want to improve our lives by living in an ecovillage based on the principles and values of cooperation.
We share land, equipment, and other resources and creatively navigate future challenges and opportunities together.
Our small community has embarked on a long term journey toward sustainable living. We feel that a small scale is necessary for learning, building on our diverse strengths, and practicing the skills of cooperation, tolerance, and respect.
When a home becomes available, we will have a phone visit with you first, then schedule a visit or Zoom. Then you will attend work parties, meetings, and potlucks to meet each other.
Send your contact info to Nancy at in**@*******rm.org. She will place you on our waiting list, and contact you when a house becomes available.
A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.
Decisions proceed unless someone has a reasoned objection.
Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.
We use modified Sociocracy in our monthly meetings. We are setup as a homeowners association.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Regular fees: $190
Labor: Yes
Membership includes house lot price, common land, pickup truck, tractor and other equipment, and infrastructure
Monthly/annual maintenance fee
Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
interaction while maintaining independence.
Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.
Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace
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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We’re introducing new Plus features — including community reviews, Profile Match, and unlimited Needs & Offers posts — while keeping most of FIC free for everyone. Membership costs less than two coffees a month.
