Hey Permies,
For anyone interested in being in a community, I wanted to let others know there is one that formed in Southeastern Arizona near Rodeo, NM. It's called Caballos De Las Estrellas. We just bought 80 acres there. It's away from everything and the stars are so bright that people nearby have their own private observatories in their homes! It's not as hot as the other areas of Arizona since the elevation is 4,100'. There are summer monsoons and can sometimes break 100 degrees in summer then cool off in the evening. There is a giant aquifer so having a well is a must or I guess you can catch your own water though there wasn't much rain this summer. The mountain views are gorgeous and snowcapped in the summer. It can snow a few times in the winter but melts the same day. We had the water and soil tested. Alluvial soil the first 4' then a mixture of alluvial and clay lower. Different striata and different layers the deeper you go, but there is definately a good mixture for adobe and cob. The soil pH is a bit on the alkaline side at 8 and the well water pH is 7.6. No heavy minerals and good minerals. We were really happy about that. The cost for the well is approx. $12,000.
The community: You can rent a space for a tiny house or you can buy 10+acre lots which is what we did on the Arizona side. There are other lots on the New Mexico side. 10 acre lots start at $35,000. The community is focused around horses and large animals as there is an equestrian facility on the community property and living in harmony with nature. Everyone will have each others backs. Lots of owners are still in process of selling their homes around the country and transitioning to the community and building their houses. There will be a pool, community building for arts and lectures, etc and a gym. Zhenna is the one who bought the 1,000 acres and has developed it. She is awesome. A few permies are moving to the location as well as ourselves over the next few years. It's a work in process.
Anyways, we would love some awesome neighbors. If you are looking for like minded individuals but still want your own autonomy this would be a good choice. BTW, we will be splitting up our land and will sell off (2) 10 acre parcels in the near future, message me if interested. Otherwise check out the community website at www.caballosdelasestrellas.com which has much more information and photos.
Ciao!
https://nebula.wsimg.com/e7ddd390cad8799baca8b9ccd23a379e?
