Hundreds of women want to live in the Bird’s Nest in Texas

It’s a tiny home community with a big following — and a big number of women trying to call it home.

In Cumby, Texas — 65 miles northeast of Dallas — 11 women reside in tiny homes in the Bird’s Nest, according to SWNS, where the secret to harmony is “no men and no drama.”

Mostly single and retired women, whose ages span 33 to 78, pay $450 a month in rent for 10-by-30-foot concrete pads — inclusive of water and the perks of living in a “little utopia,” as its founder describes it.

Indeed, as Realtor.com recently reported, the Bird’s Nest fosters a tight-knit community — specifically, an affordable, safe and empowering space for those who reside there. It also provides financial independence and freedom. As of August, there was one opening — and 500 people want to claim it.

Seventy-year-old Robyn Yerian founded it in 2022. The former radiology technologist used funds from her retirement account to purchase 5 acres of land in Cumby for $35,000. Yerian, a divorced mother of two, realized she would struggle to support herself. She had previously lived in a $57,000 two-bedroom tiny home for five years and was searching for ways to create passive income to supplement her retirement.

So she spent $150,000 to develop the Bird’s Nest and moved her own tiny home to the land. Yerian had it all zoned as an RV park; developing the property also meant installing electric, water, septic and road paving.

Beyond the 11 women, there are nine dogs. They all live in secure settings. The tiny homes have decks and flower gardens.

“It really is paradise for us, it is completely gated – nobody can just drive in,” Yerian told SWNS.

It also all comes thoroughly vetted. For those interested in living there, Yerian will schedule a phone call, then have them come visit for several days. The interview process is rigorous, Realtor.com notes, in order to make sure new residents are a good fit for the community. After all, they all cook and eat meals together in the shared outdoor kitchen. And if a home needs any maintenance, there’s always someone around to help out.

“We drive each other to doctor’s appointments if needed,” Yerian told Realtor.com. “We look in on each other if someone has the flu or surgery. We are each other’s therapists and sounding board.”

The community didn’t start out as one for women, but evolved into that over time as Yerian realized how many women were struggling in their retirements, according to Realtor.com.

She hopes her model can inspire others to create their own communities like her own.

“I have encouraged others to just go for it,” she told Realtor.com. “Quit saving that little bit of money and invest in a community. You will not get rich doing this, but it is a nice little cushion and the sense of community is everything.”