Seattle has been a hotbed of activity in Cohousing development since the early 1990s and has a number of Cohousing Communities in the greater Seattle Area. Cohousing is a type of Intentional Community in which family units (with kitchens) are owned individually with shared common facilities, such as a large dining room, kitchen, and guest bedrooms. NICA, the NW Intentional Communities Association maintains a page of links to Cohousing communities in the state of Washington (NW Intentional Communities).