Intentional Community Start-up in the Mountains of Western NC

Hey folks!  I'm looking for folks to help start up an Intentional community in the mountains of Western NC.  I've been hosting folks for 20 years on the property and would like to establish a permanent community to help protect the land in the future.  Would be an excellent site for a retreat/healing center as it is off-grid, wooded in )except for the garden.  Much work has been done over those 20 years to improve the property.  There are decent roads (almost a mile), a trout pond (no trout right now), a beyond organic garden (1/4 acre raised beds) that has been supplying the local community with food, a saw mill and timber to build with, heavy equipment (trak hoe, tractor, trailers), temporary housing in trailers, and more that I have probably forgotten.  This could be the right opportunity for folks willing to do some work.  The land and all infrastructure is held in trust by the community.  Members have a minimum yearly/monthly contribution to make to the community financially (work, money, or combination) based on family size.  The community will help build permanent housing for members.  Power is supplied by hydroelectric and solar.  Serious inquiries only please; I'm busy running the garden/farm etc.  You are welcome to visit and ck things out for yourself! Contact me (Paul) here on Permies or email at www.coweeta@gmail.com.  Thanks!

If only it wasn't in North Carolina... The homeschool laws in NC are onerous, and my guess is that most people who are looking to 'community homestead' today will be wanting to be some where that has better homeschool laws...If you don't get many responses, that would be one big reason why. And if you have received lot's of responses via your email, I would be curious what demographic they are from- it is; younger w/no children, older with no children, retired, middle aged with children that are public school advocates, etc...

Steve Rowe wrote:If only it wasn't in North Carolina... The homeschool laws in NC are onerous, and my guess is that most people who are looking to 'community homestead' today will be wanting to be some where that has better homeschool laws...If you don't get many responses, that would be one big reason why. And if you have received lot's of responses via your email, I would be curious what demographic they are from- it is; younger w/no children, older with no children, retired, middle aged with children that are public school advocates, etc...

Hi Steve,  Thanks for your comments.  I wasn't aware of any homeschooling laws in NC that might keep folks from wanting to come here.  I will research that.  The climate is great here; I garden year around here outside with the help of row cover.   I know locally, there are lots of homeschool students.  I teach a woodworking class at the library and most of the kids are homeschooled.  I haven't received any emails from folks either.  This is very mysterious to me as I feel that I (Coweeta) has a lot to offer folks interested in Intentional Community Living.  With so much of the groundwork already done, it would seem like a no-brainer for folks interested in starting up an Intentional Community to join.  I would love to hear comments about why there seems to be some hesitancy.  I have posted over the past few years, spent a lot of money on advertising on IC.org, etc.  Best regards,  Paul Chew

Hi Paul,

So if you google 'homeschool laws in North Carolina' a website called HSLDA.org will pop up. Go to their website and they have a map of the states that shows the homeschool rating. You'll see where NC sits and if you click on the state it will bring up the regulations.If you compare NC with say Idaho, Texas or MIssouri, you'll see things like reporting requirements, assessments, and a few other things that most homesteader/homeschooler people today(especially Christians like us) don't want to have to deal with. Many feel it is not the states business how we raise our children or what methods we use to teach them, so we are avoiding those states.  Anyway, that's just one obstacle you may have, and another I can see is maybe whether or not your plan for the property fits what others want to do (many may not want to have a retreat/healing center etc) so the long term strategy could be an issue.. Building codes and other restrictions in your area may be another issue (I haven't checked them so I don't know for sure). Anyway, hope that sheds a little light on things for you! And my perspective may not be of the majority opinion, so take it with a grain of salt as they say.

Sincerely,
Steve  

Hello And good morning .i think you email address is not working i sent over an email and it was sent back. I am very interested in this opportunity i am a 39 year old male no kids from Mississippi. i currently and the director of cultivation for a large indoor cultivation facility. i have been in this field for 13 years and love to grow everything. before this i was a trained chef for 12 years. i really would like to get out of the main stream life style and live off the land. i have a truck and a slide in camper i take out on the weekend just to get away but i seem to life that life better then the 9 to 5. please feel free to email me at eric.gunter@possumtownfarms.com i really think this would be a great fit for both of us as i love to farm with like minded people
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I'd love to hear back from you!  I emailed you.

eric gunter wrote:Hello And good morning .i think you email address is not working i sent over an email and it was sent back. I am very interested in this opportunity i am a 39 year old male no kids from Mississippi. i currently and the director of cultivation for a large indoor cultivation facility. i have been in this field for 13 years and love to grow everything. before this i was a trained chef for 12 years. i really would like to get out of the main stream life style and live off the land. i have a truck and a slide in camper i take out on the weekend just to get away but i seem to life that life better then the 9 to 5. please feel free to email me at eric.gunter@possumtownfarms.com i really think this would be a great fit for both of us as i love to farm with like minded people
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Still waiting to hear back from you.  Yes, my email works; not sure why I it didn't work for you.  sorry!  paul chew

Paul Chew wrote:I'd love to hear back from you!  I emailed you.

eric gunter wrote:Hello And good morning .i think you email address is not working i sent over an email and it was sent back. I am very interested in this opportunity i am a 39 year old male no kids from Mississippi. i currently and the director of cultivation for a large indoor cultivation facility. i have been in this field for 13 years and love to grow everything. before this i was a trained chef for 12 years. i really would like to get out of the main stream life style and live off the land. i have a truck and a slide in camper i take out on the weekend just to get away but i seem to life that life better then the 9 to 5. please feel free to email me at eric.gunter@possumtownfarms.com i really think this would be a great fit for both of us as i love to farm with like minded people
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Eric,  my  email is www.coweeta@gmail.com