Heartland

Heartland is a land cooperative of 10 leaseholds on 800 acres in northern California. We have been here for over 40 years. Our purpose is to create and maintain a place for us to live in harmony with each other and the land, most of which is to be left wild.   We are located in Mendocino County, CA, three miles west of Hwy 101, two hours north of San Francisco, and about 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Our elevation ranges mostly between 1000 to 1700 feet and we are in zone 8B – 9B. There are panoramic views of the Ukiah Valley to the east, and more hills to the west. The vegetation includes native and introduced grasses, oak and madrone trees, and some patches of fir forest and chaparral. Many animal species share this land. There are a number of seasonal creeks and we have developed several ponds and perennial springs.   We are off-grid and committed to minimizing our fossil fuel consumption, using renewable energy – mostly sun, but also wind and micro-hydro. Some of us are engaged in permaculture design.   Legally, we are Heartland, Inc., a California S-corporation with ten shares- one share per leasehold. Each of the ten shares/leaseholds is represented on the Board of Directors (BOD), which meets at least twice per year. Other community meetings and activities occur more frequently. Most of the work necessary to develop and maintain both the land and the corporation is done by us. We have paid off the land in full, developed the roads, water systems, and built the homes on the land. We prefer to make decisions by consensus, resorting to democratic voting when the former is unachievable.   Each leasehold is comprised of 10 acres for development by the shareholder/lessee and their household within the guidelines we have collectively established. Some of us have lived here for over 30 years and some do not yet live on the land. These leaseholds are scattered across the 800 acres, leaving 700 acres of land which is to be left wild, though used for hiking and horseback riding.   We currently have no shares/leaseholds for sale. Sorry, but we have no work-trade or overnight accommodations. Contact us for more information: [email protected].