Allegheny Crest Intentional Village :: Communities Directory

Formed: 2011 Established: 2011

This page last updated:4/24/2011

Allegheny Crest Intentional Village

Grant County, West Virginia,

United States

An Intentional village is a new model that expands on the usual understandings of intentional community. Some of our members have founded and lived in intentional communities for more than 40 years, and we are exploring ways to extend those skills and experiences. There is a core emphasis on empowering the individual and fostering self-determination while building strong interpersonal relationships and a collective sense of participation in a larger society.

Our intention is to have our own lands and businesses, while integrating with the current residents in the area. We intend to have multiple locations within a few miles of each other, some commercial, some residential, some mixed. Each person will connect with the village in the ways that work for them, ranging from full-time social change activism to focused community building and coordination to simply being good neighbors, and everything in between. Some folks will live on their own property, others may form group houses, or create more full-scale intentional community *within* the larger village. We want to be inclusive wherever possible.

Currently, there is a retreat and conference center which includes a 4000 sq ft, 8 bedroom lodge house, a two bedroom cottage, 10 rustic cabins, 35 campsites, and a whitewater stream, all on 20 acres. We have also just acquired a nearby motel, another 2 bedroom cottage, a 2 bedroom apartment and a small laundromat. The county we live in has no zoning restrictions, so the motel property can be used for a variety of other purposes as well. Some of the ideas we have can be found at: tinyurl.com/Motel-Enterprise-Center

We are creating an environment that works on insights similar to open space technology—in particular, that people are there because they *want* to be there, in the moment. Plus, the tools for creating intimacy and cooperation are in place *before* people come together for a particular project. We have reasonable expectations that this can work well because we have done many successful projects using these same insights and principles. These have grown primarily from our experiments with the Network for a New Culture (www.nfnc.org).

There are many ways to become involved with our intentional village; if this vision excites or intrigues you, please contact us. We are just taking this to a new level, so there are many ways to participate and to help create the directions and details of how this unfolds.

Status: Existing community, growing & *changing*

Website: http://michaelrios.com/Intentional_Village

Contact:

Michael Rios
PO Box 7651
Arlington, Virginia 22207-0651 United States
Phone: 703-536-9190

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This page last updated:4/24/2011

Visitors Accepted

Visitor Process: Please send us an email giving telling us about your path up until now, how you want to grow, and what you would like to help us create. Also include a phone number and best times to reach you, or call us a day or two after you send your email.

Affiliations: Network for a New Culture

Statement of Housing Non-discrimination:

Our community does not discriminate in regards to housing based on race/color, national origin, religion, sex/gender, family status (i.e. having children, not having children, or being pregnant), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, ancestry, source of income, age, creed, personal appearance, political affiliation, HIV infection, military/veteran status, unfavorable military discharge, gender identity or expression, receiving public assistance, or being the victim of domestic abuse.

Population Members(adults and children): 6 (Not a precise number, and growing quickly.) Open to new members: Yes (Lots of possible ways to connect with our community!)	Government Decision Making: Other (Highly varied and responsive to the individual circumstance.) Identified Leader: No (Leadership is a function, not an identity.) Leadership Core Group: Yes (The core is not a closed group; it is mostly reflective of who is putting in significant effort.)	Labor and Money Financial Style: Members have independent finances (People are free to create whatever structures work for them.) Open to Members with Pre-existing Debt: Yes (We would not take on that debt, but would help them figure out ways to deal with it.) Labor Contribution: Expected (Highly flexible; more a matter of wanting to contribute, rather than being required to contribute.) Join Fee: No Regular Fees: No
Land and Buildings Rural (Rural and very small town. We also have a sister community near Washington DC) Area: 22 acres (8.9 hectares) (more than one location.) Land Owned By: Individual community member(s) (various possibilties, and we encourage more individual owners.) Number of Residences: 15 (Hard to count, actually. Many of the buildings can be used in a variety of ways.) Cohousing: No	Food, etc. Percentage of Food Grown: 1-5% (We are expanding this.) Share Community Meals: 1 time/week (Highly variable.) Dietary Choice or Restrictions: Diet is up to each individual Dietary Practice: Other (Support and respect for all dietary choices. Sustainable eating choices are valued in particular.) Alcohol Use: Seldom used (Varies by individual. Frequent usage would not be compatible with our model.) Tobacco Use: Seldom used (Varies by individual. Frequent usage would not be compatible with our model)	Social Factors Common Spiritual Practices: No (Lots of folks have spiritual practices. All are respected; none are endorsed.) Which Spiritual Traditions(s): Eclectic (integrates pieces from many religions) (All (or none) are welcome here!) Educational Style(s): Other (Individual choice.)

Become an Editor Current editor(s): mikerios

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