About Us
A welcoming and vibrant Cohousing community in Shepherdstown, WV, where we thrive together in beauty and simplicity.
Shepherd Village is a beautifully-designed, close-knit neighborhood that aims to support aging in place, staying actively engaged in life and enjoying deep friendships.
Shepherd Village is the first (and so far, only!) cohousing community in the state of West Virginia.
We have no homes currently for sale or rent, but homes do open up occasionally, so if you think you might be interested in joining our village community, come to one of our online open houses to learn more! We announce open houses in our monthly newsletter, the Shepherd Village Voice, which you can view and subscribe to here.
Click Shepherd Village Voice,
to see our latest newsletter.
Who we are
We have 30 homes where singles and couples, working and retired, volunteers and activists enjoy full and rich lives. Some of us have lived and traveled around the world; some of us enjoy the quiet of home. We all value community, share our diverse skills and interests, and offer mutual support to each other. Environmental sustainability is important to us, and together we have created simple and beautiful housing that honors the earth and preserves open spaces.
The people of Shepherd Village represent a wide range of faiths and beliefs. Among us are those who follow traditions of Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, combinations of many or none at all. We value diversity and look forward to expanding and enriching our world as we learn from one another.
How we are organized
Our members serve on Teams, where most of the work of the community is done. Each Team reports on its work and recommends actions to be taken. They include:
Architectural Review Team
Buildings and Grounds Team
Care Team
Common House Care Team
Community Life Team
Community Meals Team
HOA Coordinating Team
Finance Team
Legal Team
Permaculture Team
Conservation Team
Ecological Landscaping Team
Chicken Team
Outreach Team
Social Enrichment Team
Technology Team
Workshop Team
How we got started
There are many ways to tell our evolving story! Here's one:
Some of us have known each other for a long time; many are newly made friends. Some of our early members were part of other intentional communities, starting as early as the 1970s. Around 2010, they began to have conversations about how to continue to enjoy the precious gifts of community through the years ahead. At that point, some were living in the DC metro area, and others closer to Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown. In 2011, five of them visited an intentional residential community in Abingdon, VA, and came back excited about the possibility of creating something similar in this area.
Shepherdstown seemed to be a perfect place to nestle such a community. Surprisingly, they discovered an available 19-acre tract of undeveloped land within the town. Project conversations then broadened to include more people in the Shepherdstown area. What would become "Shepherd Village" was launched when original members were joined by local folks at an exploratory meeting in January 2013. The 15 participants shared their hopes for the future, and one of the local leaders introduced the concept of "cohousing."
The project took off! By March 2013, an emerging group of 11 households had become an LLC (limited liability corporation), and in November of 2013, one of the households purchased the 19-acre tract on behalf of the group. And so the journey began...