# Advice on location for homestead



## ajcunning (Jul 20, 2012)

Hi all,

Brand new here. I'm Aiden  32 years of age, lived in England throughout my life, and my parents own a small family farm where they raised livestock and farmed enough to feed the family.

I want to give off-the-grid living a shot. I've got enough saved up to do it now, and I've wanted to do it for an extremely long time. 

I was hoping you guys could give me your input on where would be the best place to set up.

What I want to do is
- Find somewhere really, really remote. The less likely I am to see other people, the better. The harder it is to get to the area, the better.
- I'm going to live off the land as exclusively as possible, which means making a log cabin with my hands out of trees that I find. So, trees are a must.
- Hunt. Deer and rabbit mostly. Somewhere with lots of those.
- I'm an avid hiker. I did the Appalachian trail in my 20's. I'd very much like my land to be somewhere hike-able, reasonably pretty etc.
- Enough rain and fertile enough soil for edible plants to grow without an extreme amount of effort on my part to keep them alive. 
- Water within an hour's walking distance to fish in. Lakes/rivers are a major plus.

SO. Internet. What do you think would be the best state for these purposes? Whose housing/land market is depressed enough at the moment that I could purchase an obscene area of land there at a lower-than-average cost?

Any ideas?

(PS - I've already looked into Alaska. I seriously like the look of Alaska, but by all means, tell me if there's somewhere similar/cheaper/better in any way.)


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## ajcunning (Jul 20, 2012)

Oh, and somewhere that I could reasonably expect to be able to keep a domestic pig or cow or horse alive. 

Also, I would actually like there to be no water/electricity/plumbing previously set up. The challenge of surviving with just my hands and brain is the primary appeal of this endeavor.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I think one of the cheapest and most remote places to live would be in Montana. This isn't exactly what you're looking for but it's 3 acres for $5,999:

http://www.landsofmontana.com/land-for-sale/3-acres-in-Lincoln-County-Montana/id/1096938

There are a lot of other properties there too.


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## goatlady (Nov 7, 2011)

If you seriously want to keep a cow or horse alive, you must have enough land to harvest enough hay to be able to feed that animal through winter which means you must be in an area that has a long growing season in which to grow and harvest that winter feed - by hand, from the sounds of what you post. That harvesting and storing of winter fodder for a horse or cow will take a LOT of your time in the summer/early fall when you also need to have the time to harvest and store food for yourself for the winter. Plus in Alaska you must have excellent protection for your animals of any kind from the predators that abound in that state, i.e. big cats, wolves, in the spring and Fall BIG bears. How do you propose to safely store the deer/moose/caribou you harvest for winter food? How do you propose to safely store the necessary veggies and grains you will need for winter foods? You do realize you can become very ill and die on a diet of primarily rabbit? Did you work year round on your parent's farm so as to have the basic skills necessary to feed yourself and any livestock you may acquire? Good basic idea, but you are not really giving us much of an idea, in your post, of YOUR skills and experiences living rural much less self-sufficiently alone. Got any idea how much wood needs to be cut, split, and stacked protectected to get even a small home through the winter warmly? Just a few questions to consider in your plans.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I don't think Alaska would be practical for you. Places with a lot of lakes would include northern Wisconsin and middle to northern Minnesota. There are thousands of lakes in Minnesota. Land on lakes is expensive but you could find some land that would be within a mile of a small lake.


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

also in all the northern states you would have to spend alot of your time cutting wood for the long winter. head south.


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## ONEOLDCHIEF (Jan 5, 2012)

North West Florida, South East Alabama, Southern parts of Mississippi, mild winters, inexpensive land. Will you be using any motorized farm equipment, or will you be doing that old school, (horse or mule)?


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

BillS said:


> I think one of the cheapest and most remote places to live would be in Montana. This isn't exactly what you're looking for but it's 3 acres for $5,999:
> 
> http://www.landsofmontana.com/land-for-sale/3-acres-in-Lincoln-County-Montana/id/1096938
> 
> There are a lot of other properties there too.


No. Big mistake.

Growing enough food here to sustain yourself is extremely difficult in this climate.

Unless you plan to poach, you'll never legally feed yourself adequately with game animals.

Being self-sufficient with domestic animals is pretty much impossible because you can't grow/raise enough of your own food for them.

And, land is expensive in Montana, and especially in Lincoln County (the county promotoed in the link above). I know. I LIVE in Lincoln county and I've helped other people look for land... the ones with the silly fantasy of Montana as some kind of survival wonderland.

Pick a better climate. Even Alaska is a tough, tough place to make it as a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Look at places like Missouri and Arkansas, or farther east at the southern end of the Appalachians. Those are the paradise places, and the people are great. We used to live in SE Kentucky and I'd throw my lot in with those people any day.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Oh, and BillS, that real estate listing you posted is from 2008. Land has skyrocketed, not dropped in price, with the recession and housing bust. Any of you can search out real estate for NW Montana (or any other place).

I looked at the map and I know where that property is. We've camped in that area. For one thing, the property is right along the major east-west railroad line through this part of the state. There is heavy train traffic day and night. 

Also, notice it says it's the "perfect place to park your RV while on vacation"? Permanant homes and Septics aren't allowed along there.

Make sure you do your homework thoroughly and never buy property without going there in person before you buy.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

ajcunning said:


> Hi all,
> 
> Brand new here. I'm Aiden  32 years of age, lived in England throughout my life, and my parents own a small family farm where they raised livestock and farmed enough to feed the family.
> 
> ...


Uhmm ... We (gypsysue and I) live in NW Montana and we'd like to find someplace like you describe too!! Let us know when you find it!

This is not the first place I'd recommend to someone wanting to live a self-sufficient lifestyle. It can be done here but there are lots of other places where it's much easier.

Cheers

Steve


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

When I buy my land I hope to buy myself a piece of the southern Appalachians. Arkansas or Missouri is also good. Love the Ozarks through there. Current River good fishing. Southern Apps still my dream though. Everyones going to have their own opinion. I suggest a couple of exploratory vacation weekends.


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