Cerro Gordo community sign with nature background and colorful artwork.

Cerro Gordo Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Social
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1970

What we do

We are a small community founded on ecological values, including organic land care & gardening. We are surrounded by two conservation easements. One is 400+ acres of forested land that is in the Healthy Forests Reserve Program, practicing sustainable forestry. The other is 500+ acres that is largely oaks & meadows. Our houses are clustered into two neighborhoods, surrounded by these forests and meadows, with many seasonal streams. We operate as a Cooperative, sharing maintenance of the water systems, trails, & roads.
Please note: in accordance with agreements made in order to get our residential zoning approved, dogs cannot live here (with the exception of verified service dogs).
Note: Our contact email and phone number go to two different people here.

Our Mission

We seek to live together in harmony with the land and one another. As stewards of this land, and members of our Cerro Gordo Cooperative, we share responsibility for fostering a community which is both life-enhancing and creates healthy, nurturing relationships with our natural surroundings.

  • Purpose
  • Social
  • Sustainability practices
  • Permaculture design
  • Activities
  • Property management

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1970
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1974
  • Started living together
  • 13 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Not open to visitors
Total
26

How to join

Homeowners join immediately. Renters can join after one month living here, and must join after one year living here. One-time join fee for each adult, plus annual ongoing fees for all adult members and residents.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

If you’re interested in renting a house/duplex for at least a year, or interested in buying or building a house here, please contact us.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Join fee: $500
Regular fees: $33
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Garden(s)

Frequency of communal meals

  • Rarely

Community activities and engagement

  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a single individual, couple, or Family Trust

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Sustainability approach

  • Permaculture design

Land practices in our community

  • The community practices permaculture

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Biomass (from wood or other organic materials)

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Up to 33%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    1165 acres

Guest Book

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Location

  • Oregon, United States

Promoted Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 weeks ago

Still Point House Manager

Still Point House Manager (Northampton) Windhorse Integrative Mental Health, Inc Are you interested in working where you live? Do you want to make a difference in the lives of others? Do you have experience with running a household, and do you appreciate community-based environments? Windhorse is seeking a manager of a hosted home environment for individuals working with extreme mind states who are arriving to our step-down program. When a Windhorse client first arrives, they are received at our Still Point house, an established home environment where they can land, orient, and meet their clinical team. Each client remains at our Still Point house for two to twelve weeks, at which point they then move to an apartment, which they share with a housemate. Windhorse is seeking a Still Point Manager who will live ongoingly in a house in Northampton and help with these transitions as well as other uses for the house. This individual should be skilled at running an uplifted home (including typical home cleaning and maintenance), cooking, and shopping for the home. They also need to be emotionally regulated, welcoming, compassionate, organized, and patient. While the Still Point Manager has extensive clinical support, the job itself is not clinical. In addition, the Still Point Manager is anticipated to hold outside employment and may do so for up to 20 hours per week. During periods of vacancy when there is no client in residence, the Still Point Manager may also be asked to host guests in the home, either other housemates when they are on respite from their households, or friends and family members from the Windhorse community. In addition, during vacancy periods the Still Point Manager is responsible for providing short periods of respite coverage during housemate time off. This may involve staying with the client in their apartment while the housemate is away (typically for 3 nights) or hosting the client at the Still Point ho
Offer
  • Professional Services
4 years ago

Sociocracy consulting and facilitation services offered by Sociocracy for All

Sociocracy consulting services offered by Sociocracy for All To learn more about our our consulting services, please visit our Consultant Services webpage. We offer just the level of hand-holding you want. By working with a coach, you can benefit from the experience and feedback of someone who has seen dozens of implementations and governance changes. We never forget that you’re the expert on your organization and culture, and you remain in the driving seat at all times. What does a consultant or coach do for you? Your consultant identifies with you what stage of implementation you’re on. Implementations follow a series of steps, and understanding what’s next for you might even be all you need. The consultant also assesses with you what kind of support might be useful to make your next steps effective and successful. Services that are typically part of an implementation: assessing training needs forming, coaching, and strategizing with the implementation circle/transformation team observing and facilitating meetings 1:1. or small-group conversations with stakeholders (the board, leadership, or people with concerns) and open Q&A sessions (e.g. for the whole membership or staff) Holding and facilitating “kick-off” events – we help you set up the first circles and the General Circle. This can be, for example, a two-day event with deeper training, formal adoption, and “flipping the switch” into your new governance system. Designing your circle structure and key roles, as well as documenting your governance system (see our samples and templates) Aligning your documents and bylaws with sociocracy Sociocracy facilitation services offered by Sociocracy for All To learn more about our our consulting services,
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
2 weeks ago

3000sf House+Apartment, Rosewind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA

We are a retired couple who are downsizing, still living within the community. We are selling our large, flexible, comfortably rustic house, perfect for a multigenerational household, a family with kids or for 2 separate households. It’s 3000 square feet on 3 levels. The house is on a slope, with 2 main entrances. At one time it housed a large blended family. The current setup is a 2250 square foot, 2 bath main house with a 700 square foot rental apartment, also called an auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU). There is a staircase between the main and lower floor, with a lockable door. If desired, the ADU kitchen can be removed. The main floor has a very large kitchen/dining area, large living room, two small bedrooms, a bathroom with 2 sinks and a shower, a laundry room and a large mudroom. The non-bearing wall between the 2 bedrooms can be removed to turn it back to a single primary bedroom. The top floor has two bedrooms, one of which is primary with a large bright sitting area, and a large open middle area between them (game room, TV room, kids sleeping area, etc.). There is a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, no shower. The lower floor is the ADU, a finished storage area and a stand-up “crawl space“ which is used as a second pantry and storage. Attached to the house there is also a 150 sq ft wood paneled office/hobby space with its own electric and propane lines. Features: – straw bale construction, which is energy-efficient, great sound insulation, and provides a warm, soft, feeling. -very large functional kitchen with a long granite countertop. The dining area fits 10 people. -natural construction, with solid maple floors in the middle and upper level, marmoleum floor in kitchen and oak floor in the lower level. The two small bedrooms have painted wood floors. The doors are all solid wood. -large, functional, low maintenance patio area. Room for a table for eight and an additional sitting area. Propane hook ups for grills and smokers. -min

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