Considering Cohousing

The number of cohousing communities is increasing impressively. This map is based on the data from a recent census conducted by Betsy Morris, Ph.D., Coho/U.S.'s research director. As shown, built cohousing communities in the U.S. numbered 113 at mid-year. Other results of that census can be found in the Research Topic Room. (Registration as a member is required, although it is free.)

If you’d like to join an already-built cohousing community, each of your visits, whether sitting in on meetings or participating in common house dinners, is a rich and fertile cross-pollination point. The residents are most likely seeking people who will help build their community culture and physical infrastructure: you might have exactly the right energy, physical skills and social skills they’re looking for. And you’ll probably be asking yourself, “Will I feel at home here?” “Are these my kind of people?” These unspoken issues may hang potently in the air during your visits and can involve some ambivalence and anxiety. In some ways, visiting your prospective new home is like going on a blind date, applying for a job, or being a new kid in school.

Mark your calendars for June 12 – 15, 2008, for the national conference to be held at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. Twelve miles from all that downtown Boston has to offer, charming Waltham itself boasts restaurants for every taste, as well as galleries, shops and an independent movie theater. A quick shuttle ride to Harvard Square connects you with the T – Boston’s mass transit system – to take you anywhere you want to go in the greater Boston area. The rolling hills of Bentley’s small, private campus are a picturesque setting for modern conference conveniences, from wireless Internet and projection-ready rooms to great dining options and apartment-style accommodations.

The date and location of the 2008 National Cohousing Conference has been determined: June 12 – 15, 2008, at Bentley College in Waltham, MA, 15 minutes west of Boston.

Two areas are targeted for regional gatherings in Fall 2007. Coho/US hopes to see one event taking place in Massachusetts (Boston area) on Saturday, September 15, and one in Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area) at an early September date still to be announced.
We are seeking three or four people in each area to plan these events.

One of the best introductions to cohousing is visiting existing communities. The easiest way is through one of the cohousing bus tours that take place with some regularity in Northern California, the Seattle Area, Massachusetts, Colorado and in and around Washington D.C. – the places that have six or more completed communities reasonably close to one another.

But many folks cannot practically participate for one reason or another. So here are guidelines for visiting a cohousing community on your own.

Cohousing isn’t for everyone, so how do you determine if it’s a good place for you? Here are a dozen questions to help you explore aspects of that decision. The questions are intended to make your determination easier and, just as important, the underlying issues they probe might prevent an ill-fated mismatch of your expectations with the realities of life in cohousing.