Spring landscape with blooming pink and purple trees and a small house in the distance.

Hickory Ridge

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1975

What we do

Hickory Ridge Land Trust comprises 72 acres of ridge-top land and the wooded coves below, located in central West Virginia near Spencer, a town of 2400. The ridge-top land is divided into four leaseholds and a common area. All four leaseholds are already taken, . There is no cost for, or possibility of selling, the land, because this is a land trust. And property taxes are low here.
While we exist as separate households, it’s our intention to share some resources and trade produce. Reducing the use of fossil fuels, living in harmony with the Earth, and working for peace and social justice are values we share.
Our land has great views and nice woods, but we don’t have a year-round stream. We do have wells, and average annual rainfall here is about 40 inches. We have four seasons, with a few small snowfalls in a typical winter, a long hot, humid summer, a colorful fall, and as for the Appalachian Spring, it inspired a symphony. The local area could never be described as progressive, unfortunately, and jobs are scarce. However, taxes and the cost of living are low, and building codes (mostly) don’t apply here.

Our Mission

sustainable living in Appalachia

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Ecovillage

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1975
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 1975
  • Started living together
  • 6 Total members
  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
10

How to join

A period of email exchanges, followed by at least one visit, then a six-month trial period before signing a lifetime lease agreement if mutually agreeable. The board, consisting mostly of current leaseholders, makes the decision.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Please contact by email.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Decision-making process

  • Full Consensus

Everyone must agree before moving forward.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

Conflict resolution approach

Because we live as separate households who make their own decisions, we have just one meeting a year. We don’t have to agree on every project.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • 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

Regular fees: Yes
Road work, occasional group projects
your share of property tax and road gravel, calculated yearly, around $400/year per household

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

Vehicle Share, Tractor & Farm Equipment

Frequency of communal meals

  • Rarely

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure
  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Religions
  • Wiccan, Paganism, or Earth Religions

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By a Community Land Trust or some other kind of nonprofit

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.

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • 33 - 66%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%
  • Land area size
    72 acres

Guest Book

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Location

  • West Virginia, United States

Promoted Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Housing For Rent + Shared
4 weeks ago

Cohousing Home for Rent in Snohomish WA

Beautifully maintained and spacious home in the woods! The first floor features an open-concept kitchen with granite countertops and island off the great room, which includes a river rock wood fireplace in the living room. Large windows and skylights let the light shine in year round. Walk out the French doors onto a covered patio and pavered area for outdoor living. A bonus room is included on this floor in addition to the single-car garage. A large laundry room with lots of storage and a 3/4 bathroom complete the first floor. Solid oak flooring is throughout the home. The second floor includes 3 nicely sized bedrooms and a bathroom with a large soaker tub, dual sinks, and newly remodeled shower enclosure. Walk out the second floor to a large grassy area that is part of the shared community space. The top floor is a spacious room with skylights and a full bathroom. Total rooms is 3-4 bedrooms + office and 2-3/4 bathrooms. This home is part of the Sharingwood Cohousing community. The neighborhood incudes 23 acres of greenbelt where a stream flows during fall and winter. The common areas include a common house, play structures, a greenhouse, and community garden. Get to know your neighbors in this community of 29 single-family homes. Residents join teams and volunteer a few hours a month as participants in the community. Applications are subject to qualification requirements. Additional terms and conditions apply. Reach out to request a viewing! Owner pays HOA fees. Renter pays all utilities including water, garbage, electric, gas, and internet/cable. Renter maintains plants and gardens around home. Renters are expected to sign a cohousing agreement that outlines community expectations (available in advance upon request). Rent is $4500 per month, deposit $4500. Pets negotiable for additional damage deposit fee.
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 months ago

Do you feel called to help co-create a small, newly forming eco-spiritual community?

Old structures are crumbling. New ways of living are calling. We are answering that call. Wild Grace is an eco-spiritual community located in the Sierra foothills 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California. We recently completed new homes for those who feel called to our vision. Currently there are four of us living on this sacred 80 acres of land although we are a hub for an expanded neighborhood community. Many join us weekly for potlucks, expressive dance, Qi Gong, monthly musical gatherings, and seasonal celebrations in our temple, as well as tending to our orchard. We are excited to welcome others to join us on the land who are dedicating their lives to spiritual growth and ready to live in a more focused and intimate heart-centered lifestyle. Might that be you or someone you know? The fundamentals are simple. Spirit. We listen personally and collectively together most mornings, usually starting with a musical offering, a prayer, or a short reading, followed by about 40 minutes of what we call “sacred silence.” Heart Circles. About once a week we gather to share and listen. We are informed by authentic and compassionate communication practices. Nature. The land itself—an 80-acre oasis of field and forest perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River—calls for our stewardship in the gardens, orchard, greenhouses, and general care. In turn, nature feeds us abundantly, both literally and spiritually. Interbeing. We join with others to share inspiration and connection as we host monthly gatherings of song, story and prayer that draws from the larger community in addition to other events we share with our closer neighbors. As we attend to these fundamentals, Grace flows to and through us—often in “Wild” or unexpected ways. Grace catalyzes through us, but is not something we possess. Because we all are connected, we feel that Grace actively transforms n

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Communities

A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

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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