When I first told our friends we were thinking about moving to a cohousing community, the reactions I got were a mixed bag of enthusiasm and skepticism. Some had questions about the effectiveness of the consensus model, others worried about lack of privacy, others about whether we would have enough freedom to design a house to our liking. And let’s face it: when you tell your friends and family that you’re moving to a “cohousing community” or an “intentional community” the first thing that runs through their heads is, “so you’re moving to a commune.”
Obviously, this isn’t the case. Having been raised in the Pacific Northwest, I’m no stranger to Left Coast, hippie culture, and while I’m all for Birkenstocks, composting, and eating organic, a commune is a bit much, even for me. That said, in an age when I and my peers—the much maligned millennials— are increasingly isolated due to social media and social mobility as we move away to find jobs or to be near family, the idea of being part of a close-knit community that functions more like an old fashioned village than a modern suburban neighborhood is more appealing to me than upgrading to the iPhone 8.
But let’s back up. As of May 2017, I had never heard of Liberty Village or cohousing. In May I graduated with a PHD in English after nine long years of grad school and suddenly realized that we could start thinking about what to do with the rest of our lives now that school didn’t have to be the focus. However, we weren’t interested in living in one of the big cities nearby, nor were we interested in continuing to invest in our lovely, but in-need-of-repairs 1949 ranch home. We were interested in the idea of “intentional community,” but didn’t know if there was such a thing in Maryland near where we both work.
Enter Google.
But let’s back up. As of May 2017, I had never heard of Liberty Village or cohousing. In May I graduated with a PHD in English after nine long years of grad school and suddenly realized that we could start thinking about what to do with the rest of our lives now that school didn’t have to be the focus. However, we weren’t interested in living in one of the big cities nearby, nor were we interested in continuing to invest in our lovely, but in-need-of-repairs 1949 ranch home. We were interested in the idea of “intentional community,” but didn’t know if there was such a thing in Maryland near where we both work.
Enter Google.
I started googling “intentional communities in Maryland,” which led me to the term “cohousing,” which led me straight to Liberty Village. After poring over the website for days, I broached the subject with my husband, Mike. While he was skeptical at first, like me, his interest was peaked by the concept of intentional community building as well as Liberty Village’s focus on sustainability and eco-friendly living.
We decided to take the plunge and contact the village for more information. I sent an email introducing my husband and myself and explaining our interest in the village. I also had about a million questions. I was promptly answered with an email that addressed about 999,999 of my questions, and Mike and I were invited to visit the village and take part in one of the community dinners where residents come together to share a weekday meal.
This would be one of several ensuing visits to the village. We were greeted by many friendly residents, got to tour the “back 40,” 15 acres of beautifully wild conservation land, and even got to meet the chickens, which, frankly, remains the highlight of these visits. Don’t get me wrong, the people in the Village are wonderful. But guys, there are free range chickens that lay free range, farm fresh eggs. And sometimes, there are baby chicks. Baby.Chicks. Enough said. Moving on from the chickens.
We decided to take the plunge and contact the village for more information. I sent an email introducing my husband and myself and explaining our interest in the village. I also had about a million questions. I was promptly answered with an email that addressed about 999,999 of my questions, and Mike and I were invited to visit the village and take part in one of the community dinners where residents come together to share a weekday meal.
This would be one of several ensuing visits to the village. We were greeted by many friendly residents, got to tour the “back 40,” 15 acres of beautifully wild conservation land, and even got to meet the chickens, which, frankly, remains the highlight of these visits. Don’t get me wrong, the people in the Village are wonderful. But guys, there are free range chickens that lay free range, farm fresh eggs. And sometimes, there are baby chicks. Baby.Chicks. Enough said. Moving on from the chickens.
Aside from the wonderful people, the community meals, and the chickens, Liberty Village is a quick 20-30 minutes away from Frederick, MD, a charming little foodie town that I can’t wait to explore. The community is also within close access to several trail systems including the Appalachian Trail, which I also can’t wait to explore. One of our favorite hikes in the area is up on Sugar Loaf Mountain, which provided a solid day’s worth of hiking, and on the way back, a conveniently located vineyard to quench our thirst after a long day’s hike.
There’s a lot more I could say about Liberty Village: how they encouraged us to attend business meetings before we made any decisions, how beautiful the community gardens are, how excited I am to be a part of a community that supports values like non-violent communication and eco-friendly sustainability practices. For now, however, I’ll just say this: Liberty Village is on to something. It’s a symptom of the modern age to yearn for a “simpler time,” but I’m not convinced that any time was necessarily “simpler.” I do think, however, that people used to be more connected; people knew their neighbors’ names; borrowing a cup of sugar from the neighbor next door wasn’t weird or even dangerous. As my husband and I complete the design for our new house in the village and sign a contract with Lancaster Builders, I look forward to learning my new neighbors’ names, borrowing that cup of sugar, and maybe, just maybe, helping to raise a few chickens along the way.
-- Ashley
There’s a lot more I could say about Liberty Village: how they encouraged us to attend business meetings before we made any decisions, how beautiful the community gardens are, how excited I am to be a part of a community that supports values like non-violent communication and eco-friendly sustainability practices. For now, however, I’ll just say this: Liberty Village is on to something. It’s a symptom of the modern age to yearn for a “simpler time,” but I’m not convinced that any time was necessarily “simpler.” I do think, however, that people used to be more connected; people knew their neighbors’ names; borrowing a cup of sugar from the neighbor next door wasn’t weird or even dangerous. As my husband and I complete the design for our new house in the village and sign a contract with Lancaster Builders, I look forward to learning my new neighbors’ names, borrowing that cup of sugar, and maybe, just maybe, helping to raise a few chickens along the way.
-- Ashley
