Blueberry

Blueberry is an urban farming collective house within an organic cohousing community in Portland, Oregon. Four sets of friends bought houses on the same block, three in a row and one across the street. Other “intentional neighbors” have taken their fences down. We love the unintentional community of our neighborhood, friendly, diverse, and mostly low-income, with small houses on large lots and a “country” feel. We have work parties, neighborhood potlucks, parties, classes and tours for the larger community.
Some of us have lived rurally before and maintain as much of the rural life as we can, but an urban life allows us to be less car-dependent, and some of us are completely car-free.
We share passion for our land, our neighborhood, social justice, and sustainability. All of us grow enough vegetables to eat well and still give some away. At Blueberry we heat with wood, generate almost no trash or recycling, eat primarily local, organic whole foods, have no TV, and commute by bicycle. All of us have jobs and lives “off the farm”—we are musicians, teachers, bike mechanics, activists, etc. A few of us embrace spirit and ritual, others choose not to. We value tolerance, diversity, and listening.
Each household has its own internal structure. Blueberry has set a clear intention to transition to cooperative ownership.
As we are an urban community, we are not able to house dogs – they tend to dig up garden beds and scare the ducks. Guide dogs will be considered. Cats not allowed in indoor common spaces due to allergies. Outdoor cats allowed, or indoor-outdoor cats that go in and out through a bedroom window.