Community gathering outside Elderberry Cohousing Village homes at sunset.

Elderberry Cohousing Village

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Home-sharing
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2008

What we do

Elderberry is situated on a 10 acres in scenic, rural Rougemont, North Carolina, approximately 30 minutes north of downtown Durham. Durham, the home of Duke University, provides many cultural and learning experiences. Durham is also known for its many outstanding restaurants, arts and festivals.
Elderberry provides a unique model for adults living simply and supporting one another as we grow older, continuing to enjoy the activities we love, with close neighbors and friends.
A cozy community of 18 individually-owned, energy-efficient, universally-designed homes (duplexes and quadraplexes) where members may interact, work on projects, eat and play together, as we choose, and pursue our unique interests and spiritual paths. A large common house for cooking, group meals, exercise, music, dance, crafts, special events, guests and other activities is situated in the center of the community surrounded by a courtyard with paths connecting homes.
As a rural community would imply, we have created community vegetable gardens and areas for animals with the intention of being mindful of protecting the ecological integrity of the land, with the goal of becoming an ecovillage, and as self reliant as possible.
Elderberry is a self-managed, consensus-based community where all members have equal voice in decisions. The community was founded by three members of a nearby intentional community and is self developed.

Our Mission

To provide a comfortable and affordable home in the country for adults, where we can make independent life choices, pursue activities of interest, follow our spiritual paths, enjoy the benefits of a rural lifestyle (organic gardens, food production, animals) form close and caring relationships, contribute to others, and enjoy life as we age and help one another.

  • Purpose
  • Home-sharing
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Sustainability practices
  • Renewable energy systems
  • Activities
  • Property management

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2008
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2014
  • Started living together
  • 26 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
26

How to join

Membership is required of everyone who lives at Elderberry. The full process is on the website at
https://www.elderberrycohousing.com/uploads/1/0/4/0/104044246/membership_process_20180811.pdf
The process begins with a visit and meeting with the Membership Committee. Prospective members must attend AT LEAST one plenary meeting (the second Saturday afternoon of each month) and work day (second Saturday and fourth Sunday of each month) and at least one social event where many members are present.
Another required step is to become an Associate Member ($300/year) which allows access to internal e-mails and the members-only website. When the Membership Committee and the prospective member agree, a community circle is held where the prospect and community members can learn more about each other.
If everyone is confident with proceeding, there is one final meeting of the prospect with the Membership Committee where prospective members sign that they have read and agree to Elderberry’s policies and covenants.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

We encourage visitors on the second Saturday and/or fourth Sunday of each month which are scheduled for community work days.
Monthly plenary meetings are also on the second Saturday.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Modified Consensus

Generally seek agreement, but have backup methods when consensus isn’t reached.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

Some of our members have trained as facilitators and they facilitate the plenary meetings.

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
  • There is a labor obligation
  • 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: $300
Regular fees: $228
Labor: Yes (3 hrs/week)
We share electricity based on size of home to keep electricity costs low. We have a solar array, two wells and two septic systems. We try to do as much ourselves as we can.

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

Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Hot tub or hot springs, Large Scale Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Recreational vehicles, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use is prohibited in the community

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a single individual, couple, or Family Trust

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Cohousing

    Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
    interaction while maintaining independence.

Sustainability approach

  • Renewable energy systems

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden

Wastewater management

  • Septic system
  • Land area size
    10 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • North Carolina, United States

Elderberry Cohousing Village

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
  • Events
3 weeks ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Need
Need
  • Forming Communities
2 weeks ago

Forest Community Starting

Description: Willits, CA, Pacific Northwest rainforest system. Forest Haven is seeking forest lovers who value solitude. We have several areas in the main compound and a few tucked away in private. Space is designed for your RV / Tiny Home / +++. We will add power and water for each new Steward’s space. Land: 40 acres(17 hectares), 3ac for humans. Year-round creek at base of parcel. Heavy trees, 40 meter-ish high. Conifer mix. With a large south-facing common garden.   New forest stewards have agreed to prioritize tree health. This means each person here will have a say in whether we cut any single tree. We never cut for wood or sale.  Stewards agree to walk the forest daily as our one required 20-minute group activity.    Limit the number of dwellings to 3-5 Total. There are 8 common buildings, with 3 having flush toilets and one with a hot shower, washer and dryer. We are 100% off-grid.  We have a natural spring and solar. The full-size common kitchen is large enough to process the garden harvest and more. Remote workers and retirees’ welcome. Full online and cell service available.    Forest Haven is currently a private forest reserve.   If 2 households sign on, it will become a 501(c)(3). Each person’s “donation/rent” will be tax-deductible. This is a private forest reserve going public as a nonprofit.    Please inquire if you want to help in a small way using basic permaculture methods to improve our forest’s health, message me to learn more.
Need
  • Communities with Openings
2 weeks ago

Seeking Partner/Co-Founder for a Cooperative Community in Western NC

Co-Founder / Project Partner Needed: Coweeta Heritage Center The Coweeta Heritage Center / Talking Rock Farm in Otto, North Carolina, is seeking a dedicated co-founder and long-term project partner to help manage, expand, and transition our community land project. As the primary founder is balancing physical limitations (including a bad back) and a demanding workload, we are looking for a capable partner to share the operational reins and help shape the next phase of this intentional community. What We Are Looking For Organizational & Administrative Skills: Ability to streamline systems, manage outreach, and organize community data. Social Media & Digital Presence: Skills to revitalize our online reach, update public directory listings (such as ic.org), and manage applicant communications. Practical & Technical Capabilities: Hands-on familiarity with or strong interest in sustainable forestry, organic agriculture, and alternative energy infrastructure. Strong Communication: A commitment to Non-Violent Communication (NVC), transparency, and collaborative governance. What We Offer On-Site Housing: Dedicated housing is provided on-site in Otto to facilitate close coordination, daily collaboration, and deep integration into the land. Established Foundation: Step into an active project with existing infrastructure, clear community onboarding frameworks, an established legal LLC structure, and an estate succession blueprint. Strategic Input: Full partnership in vetting future interns, managing the phased onboarding pipeline, and executing land-clearing and sustainable infrastructure projects.

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