LIVING IN THE ALLEGHENY CREST INTENTIONAL VILLAGE

If you’d like to live in a rural setting with abundant natural beauty, with natural foods and housing provided, as part of a growing extended community with economic opportunities, personal independence, affordable land, moderate climate, and humane values, read on! 

This is an update on the Allegheny Crest Intentional Village in Mt. Storm, WV.  (See also http://www.abramscreekcenter.com/Intentional_Village)

An intentional village is an area where people live consciously with and near one another, building a life based on personal enterprise and freedom, economic independence, and a web of social interconnectedness.  Allegheny Crest Intentional Village includes all those who live in the Mount Storm, WV area or regularly participate with them in the conscious creation of a new way of working, living, relating, and cooperating.

We are looking for people who want to live in this extended community environment.   We want to help create a compassionate world based in personal freedom and individual responsibility. This is more than just a lovely idea; we have been exploring how to do this for more than 20 years in workshops, multi-week events, intentional communities, and businesses.

We have immediate openings that provide room and board, as well as assistance in creating other income opportunities for yourself. The work is quite varied, and includes every aspect of managing, maintaining, and improving our properties and businesses. 

We can also accommodate those who already have a stable financial situation, and wish to rent a residence, either on a long-term basis or as a temporary measure to see if they want to invest further in this area.

There are opportunities to develop your own businesses as well, and to rent, purchase, or build your own homestead on your own land, in a cooperative and resource-rich environment. 

Currently, Allegheny Crest consists of two locations totaling over 22 acres of land, a whitewater stream, and two established businesses: Abrams Creek Campground and Retreat Center (www.abramscreek.com) and the Mountaineer Motel (www.mountaineer-motel.com).  There are already four full-time community residents, three part-time residents, and a number of people from our extended community who regularly come to Allegheny Crest to work, play, and enjoy both the warmth of the community and the magical energy of the land.  We can now accommodate up to three more full-time work-exchange residents, as well as offering short-term internships for those who would like to explore the Allegheny Crest experience, and accommodations for those who are already financially secure!

Abrams Creek Center’s 20 acres of forested land includes a 4000 sq ft, 8 bedroom lodge house, a two bedroom cottage, 10 rustic cabins, 35 campsites, and a beautiful creek.  The center hosts walk-in customers and long-term guests as well as special events and weekend and longer retreats.  We would like to see this business move towards hosting a steady series of classes, workshops, and retreats that support New Culture principles – similar to Omega Institute (for example) on a smaller and much more affordable scale.

After extensive renovations, the Mountaineer Motel, on 2 acres in central Mt. Storm, is now open with 7 rooms.  There is a second building still under renovation with 16 more rooms, plus a two bedroom cottage, a two bedroom apartment, and a laundromat onsite.  The motel has high-speed internet … and no zoning restrictions!  So any part of the property can be used for any legal purpose:  residence, workshop, office space, retail store, and more.

It is an ideal space for incubating small businesses such as: a computer repair shop, an eBay drop-off center, an internet café to serve the local population, a tutoring center, a thrift store, a coffee shop, etc.  Your ideas are welcome—and essential!

These businesses are intended to form an economic base for a viable, flexible "intentional village”.  From the start, economic sustainability is built in; we are starting with viable businesses, and we want to create an entrepreneurial “incubator”, so that new businesses are created regularly as well. Also, no one is expected to make long-term commitments to a larger entity, so that we can live out the practice of “being in the moment”, and creating an environment that works on insights similar to Open Space technology—in particular, that people are there because they *want* to be there.  Individuals will live near each other, but not necessarily on the same property, and the culture will focus on encouraging each person to achieve personal responsibility for themselves to the highest practical degree in all aspects of their lives.  Since Allegheny Crest has grown from insights and skills developed over 20 years, the tools for creating intimacy and cooperation are already in place, *before* people come together for a particular project.

If this description has intrigued you, contact us at:

acivinfo [at] abramscreekcenter.com

Please include in your email:

1. Your general background in terms of skills, work, school, relationships, etc. Also mention any particular financial issues that affect your ability to participate in the community.

2. What it is about our community that particularly interests you.

3. Whether you are interested in becoming a long-term member, a short-term internship, or just visiting for a few days.

4. A brief discussion of what is important to you, what your most central values are, and what you hope to gain from joining or visiting a community.

5. A phone number and best times to call you.

If you are interested in visiting Allegheny Crest Intentional Village, plan spend at least 3 days living and working with us on one or more of our projects or businesses. Contact us as described above, and we will make arrangements for visiting during our phone call.