# Land in America



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

I was in South Dakota in June, and I was impressed by many things while I was there: little crime, hard working and prosperous people, honesty!, clean communities, self sufficiency. I could tell several stories and give many examples, but I won't. I will tell you that people have lots of grain bins, unlike I had ever seen before, and hay is stacked up in farm yards. People are working the land, creating lots of shelter belts, damning mostly dry creeks and creating ponds (with government knowledge). There is an effort to return land to wild prairie grass. I hadn't seen any white tailed deer in a very long time, but I saw my share along with wild turkey, pheasants and other animals and birds.

Since I am back from my trip, I have been looking at real estate possibilities in various parts of the state. I have lots of relatives there, in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Aberdeen, Huron, Brookings, Mitchell, and many small towns. I know where I would like to live, but I am not limiting myself.

I have been looking at real estate that is for sale, but I have been for years. I have noticed for quite a while that buying any amount of land for a small or larger homestead is very difficult. I understand that people are almost fighting to acquire land.

Then in one of the real estate web sites, I saw this:



> If you or someone you know is looking to sell land, homes, or properties that match these criteria, please contact our office at (605) *******.
> 
> * Many Farmers and Ranchers looking for land purchase and/or rental.
> * Several buyers looking for Commercial Property in Sioux Falls, South Dakota area.
> ...


No wonder it is not easy to find land. I think we are getting ready to turn a corner on land ownership, if we haven't already. Where some own more than one section (640 acres), some of us may be lucky to ever find land to buy, even a quarter, a 40 acre field, of less.

Another thing that I heard this summer from a former colleague who lives almost 2 hours from Denver: while he has been doing a different job, driving the back roads of a mountainous community, he has realized that the land has mostly been subdivided into 5 acre plots, with homes or vacation cabins on most of the plots. Is this to be what much of the land in America will become?

Bug out location? Be glad if you have one or the land for one.


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

My "B-O-L" is 6 acres in a "subdivision" way out from the city.

It sure isn't any kind of "yuppie" or 'burb type subdivision - - it's entire population is ******** (50/50 doublewides and regular houses) and everyone has a pistol range in their backyard. I feel pretty safe out there.


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

LincTex said:


> My "B-O-L" is 6 acres in a "subdivision" way out from the city.
> 
> It sure isn't any kind of "yuppie" or 'burb type subdivision - - it's entire population is ******** (50/50 doublewides and regular houses) and everyone has a pistol range in their backyard. I feel pretty safe out there.


I'll tell you what, I would much rather live in a place like that, than in the city where so many think the government should take care of them.

It occurred to me that in a place where there are so many hunting lodges all over the state, having a "hunting lodge" would be a great way to develop a BOL. Of course there are guns. Of course they have target practice. Of course they plant shelter belts and plant food plots to attract deer and pheasants. Of course they go there several weekends a year to work on projects to develop the property and to hunt. By collecting all the rock all over the property and using them to dam a creek area, soon many could have a water source for game birds, deer and other animals, even involving government agencies to help develop it and to dig it out. It has happened, and I have seen it.

What I also think is that in the way land is being so sought after, it will be another "who you know" and have relationships with to acquire it. One of my cousins who has a few sections died this spring. His wife was a h.s. classmate of mine and while I was at my class reunion this summer, I said I would love to have 40 acres to play with. She told me she would sell me 40. She is about 30 miles from any small town, and all alone in the country. Of course, if I bought 40 acres in the country, there would not be a home, water or electricity, and while that is not all bad, it surely would present some difficulties to get started.


----------



## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

weedygarden said:


> .......I said I would love to have 40 acres to play with. She told me she would sell me 40. She is about 30 miles from any small town, and all alone in the country. Of course, if I bought 40 acres in the country, there would not be a home, water or electricity, and while that is not all bad, it surely would present some difficulties to get started.


There is a finite amount of land and it's not going to get cheaper so the starting point is the acquisition of the land. All the rest is time, effort, and some money. However, if you don't have the land, everything else is moot. IMHO.


----------



## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Have you checked with the Bureau of Land Management?

They sometimes sell public land. Mainly in the western states.
http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/lands/selling_public_land.html


----------



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

South Dakota. You _LOVE_ winter weather?


----------



## crabapple (Jan 1, 2012)

I & DW have 24 acres, we would like to have a Lot in TENN. hills.
But other then that we are land poor.


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

TheLazyL said:


> South Dakota. You _LOVE_ winter weather?


I grew up in South Dakota and have lived in North Dakota. I have some experience with cold and snow. I also know that cold weather keeps the riff raff out!


----------



## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

TheLazyL said:


> South Dakota. You _LOVE_ winter weather?


I sure do!!!

:2thumb: :2thumb: :2thumb:


----------



## Tweto (Nov 26, 2011)

weedygarden said:


> I grew up in South Dakota and have lived in North Dakota. I have some experience with cold and snow. I also know that cold weather keeps the riff raff out!


Most people don't know that Rapid City and the towns on the East side of the Black Hills get the chinook winds that come up the Rocky Mountain range and warm the whole area in the winter. Yes, they get a lot of snow but in 1 or 2 days after a front passes its 60 degrees there.

Where I live in Eastern Nebraska, my winters are much worse then Rapid City. I was planning on retiring there and have been watching the weather in that area for 20 years.

The winters in Central and Eastern South Dakota can be very bad compared to Rapid City.

BTW I'm looking forward to the cooler winter weather.


----------



## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

weedygarden said:


> I grew up in South Dakota and have lived in North Dakota. I have some experience with cold and snow. I also know that cold weather keeps the riff raff out!


I agree on winter keeping the riff raff out.

I also have experience with cold and snow.

And it takes several hot summer days to thaw me out from the previous winter.

North & South Dakota, beautiful land. I just couldn't take the winter


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

That is why we love it here in the S.W. corner of Oregon, mild winters, mountains, streams, lakes and still a lot of wildlife. Our neighbors on either side of us are selling, about 10 acres on the East and over 16 acres on the West, the West side has gravity fed water systems and on the East there is a well and springs. Actually this is a good area for survival, the problem is that there is not many jobs to be had and so the turn over time for property to be sold averages three or more years. This area is also very gun friendly, Sheriffs in this county and surrounding counties are very pro 2nd Amendment and are happy to have people with CCW.


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

TheLazyL said:


> I agree on winter keeping the riff raff out.
> 
> I also have experience with cold and snow.
> 
> ...


The last place we lived at in Colorado was at 8,100 ft elevation so we basically had enough of the cold stuff, I'll hunt in it, that's altogether another thing, cold doesn't seem to matter under that situation, but driving and working in that cold, had enough of that, where we are now is paradise in comparison. We get some cold winters but it's rare to be colder than the mid thirties. We ofter hear frogs croaking in the middle of winter. We generally only burn about one cord of wood for winter heating and often times have to open windows because that warms us too much


----------



## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

weedygarden said:


> Of course, if I bought 40 acres in the country, there would not be a home, water or electricity, and while that is not all bad, it surely would present some difficulties to get started.


I've seen some people around here live in tents or travel trailers, sometimes for years, while clearing land & building their house. That was our plan until we got another kid. . It ain't glamorous but it gets it done.


----------



## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

tsrwivey said:


> I've seen some people around here live in tents or travel trailers, sometimes for years, while clearing land & building their house. That was our plan until we got another kid. . It ain't glamorous but it gets it done.


My wife, 6 year old son and I lived in a 19' travel trailer with an added shed of same size for 17 years while building our home, went through some tough times in the process but we have a wonderful, solid home, we learned a lot about delayed gratification. We still have some work to do in getting a family type room finished but we feel extremely blessed in what we have, especially considering everything is paid for with no debt hanging over our heads.


----------



## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Viking said:


> We still have some work...but we feel extremely blessed in what we have, especially considering everything is paid for with no debt hanging over our heads.


That's a HUGE accomplishment! :2Thumbsup:


----------



## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

Tweto said:


> Most people don't know that Rapid City and the towns on the East side of the Black Hills get the chinook winds that come up the Rocky Mountain range and warm the whole area in the winter. Yes, they get a lot of snow but in 1 or 2 days after a front passes its 60 degrees there.
> 
> Where I live in Eastern Nebraska, my winters are much worse then Rapid City. I was planning on retiring there and have been watching the weather in that area for 20 years.
> 
> ...


The Black Hills has always been a banana belt. It is a beautiful place to live, except it is more and more densely populated and is a huge tourist area. It is not necessarily easy to navigate around the Hills during certain times in the summer. I love the look there, but feel it is has its drawbacks. The pine beetle has done some serious damage there, and the forest service has been good about clearing out the dead timber. There has been talk that there may not be any pine trees there by 2020. I have not seen that in writing, or the research behind that.

On the other hand, Aberdeen has some of the worst winters in comparison. I went to college there and I have memories of never being able to dress warmly enough. Of course, those were the days when I looked almost anorexic, and had little body fat.

I have driven around eastern Nebraska several times, on my genealogy hunts. It might be colder, but it is also much more humid and productive, as is true in South Dakota, eastern part of state is much better for crop productions.

I know that central South Dakota can be bad, but I have been there in the winter a few times in the past decade. Maybe it was me as a very thin girl walking 7 blocks to school everyday of the school year that thought winters were so cold. That has not been my experience in my travels there lately. Like anywhere, they have storms, and fronts, but it is not like when I lived in Williston where it seemed to -20 for weeks on end, and sometimes worse. Warming up to zero there is a heat wave.

The one thing is that the wind blows and blows in those places. I think that has been known to make people crazy.


----------

