No, I'm not being nosy (at least, that's not my intention :-), but looking at the map from the Where Are You Living? thread, I see a heavy concentration in the mid-west, and am wondering how many of you ended up where you are for reasons mostly unrelated to homesteading, and how many of you deliberately picked your spot for homesteading? And if you picked the spot, why That Spot? What criteria or attraction drew you there? I know some of you heartily recommend the area where you live to homesteaders, but I'd also like to know if you see any serious drawbacks?

We didn't pick our spot for homesteading; came here for family reasons, but someone with a higher income or more cash up front would probably do okay here. Good markets nearby, which does count for a lot, and the weather isn't too bad. And for someone who wanted to be in the country but near a big city like Boston, it would be hard to beat our location. Disadvantages, of course, are high land costs, high property taxes, closely regulated by neighbors and building departments, and a lot of summer people/tourists (that's also the good market, so it's both good and bad). Oh, yes, how could I forget the legendary best crop of New England!! Rocks!! Not just little ones, either! There are some the size of a car in our garden -- my husband dug out what he could, and stacked rocks on top of the ones that were too big, so he could see them when he was tilling!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 18, 2000

Answers

Kathleen-My soil here in Maine grows better rocks than anything too! I just got in from digging a raised bed and it seemed like all I did was throw rocks out. Here on the island we live on granite is everywhere. Its a business for some folks. Semi trucks hauling flatbeds go by our house everyday with huge chunks of granite. Some monuments in Washington, DC were built with our granite, which is great but not when its in your garden!

To answer your question about why we live where we do-my husband and I grew up here and he is a lobsterfisherman and I doubt he can catch many lobsters anywhere else. Its in his blood. Though I have a secret wish to live in Missouri where I have friends. I just love the smell of the air-very earthy. Everyone says they like the smell of our salt air and it is refreshing but I like the smell of the earth.

-- Susan Hutchinson (shutch@midmaine.com), April 18, 2000.

We looked at many states and farms .There was a list 1] to be close enough to family to visit often 2]jobs avaible 3] good schools 4]land prices 5]climate 'heat and humity make me sick' 6]not allot of town rules . 7] to be in a farming town 'we thought no one would notice us much then' We found most of what we wanted in N. New York .We have several big plants ,we never pulled a building permit ,schools are good and college is fairly cheap ,most people have been great .It took a while for hubby to get a job , but now has a good one and the company loves him .If you are skilled labor its much easier .I like are local hospital "had a baby there" DR. are a little tougher at times .If anyone wishes more info e-mail me .There is still lots of land here 100 a from 20,000 and up .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 18, 2000.

Just thought I'd let you know about this one 85A wood lot, apple trees ,stream ,sugar bush ,berries , stream ,owner financing 35,000 .Any takers ?

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 18, 2000.

You will notice from my last post that I dont think too highly of where we live in Central Oregon. Its ugly, too expensive, never rains, property taxes are the highest in the state (probably the US), the weather is hatefull, and whine whine whine. I moved here as a child and my husband has been here his whole life and now has a great job, so he wont leave. All of our families are here. Land prices have soared, we have been renting for a year and are ready to buy again. For $150,000 we can get a 30 year old double wide on 2 acres of sagebrush, property taxes 2,000 a year. Yipee.

If I could move, it would be to someplace beautiful, with lots of trees that had leaves, unlike our smelly junipers. The Ozarks are beautiful but the humidity and bugs got to me when I spent a year there in my teens. I think southern Oregon is beautiful, so if I can ever get my husband to think outside of the box he might consider there. Of course, Alaska is my ultimate goal, mosquitoes and all!

-- Julie (juliecapasso@aol.com), April 18, 2000.

Julie, Alaska is also high priced, not only for land, but for everything else, and jobs are harder to come by there than anywhere in the USA. Anyplace in Oregon is high-priced now, but there are worse areas in Eastern Oregon, as far as the property (maybe with better prices). My mother and step-father lived in Christmas Valley for a while, would have had to sink a well over six hundred feet to get water that wasn't alkaline, so they hauled water -- while living in a camp trailer, which is what they are still doing, in a more remote area of Eastern Oregon. Personally I like the junipers and their smell (my youngest daughter is named Juniper), and the sage brush, and the wide-open spaces. But because of the cost factors you mentioned, plus over-regulation, we won't move back to Oregon. It took me a while to get used to New Hampshire (I was really predjudiced against it for reasons we won't go into right now), but finally have come to appreciate some aspects of it. If it wasn't for the costs, we could be just fine where we are. And it is family holding us here right now, more than anything -- my husband's family. All I can say is you have to work with your husband, or risk breaking up your marriage -- and you take a lot of your problems with you, no matter where you go. Maybe it will help to be in touch with other folks? Anyway, you can e-mail me anytime you want to. I like getting mail :-)

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 18, 2000.

we will be moving to Northeast Alabama the end of May...We picked it because of the low taxes,no snow (yet cold Winter), small town, rural land available with no zoning resrictions, and a ministry that we have been affiliated with for the past year.We looked at Missouri, but could not find anything that we could pay cash for that was the type of housing that we like.Either there was great land, but you would have to build (not us), or there was a great home and crummy land, or the homes were too small or too large...nothing suited our needs (the older you get, the more picky you become)..I think if a person is looking for land to build on, you cannot beat Missouri.Twenty years younger, and we would be going there now.NE Alabama has everything we want/like.Weather and taxes were probably the biggest factors for us.We could not see ourselves shoveling snow in our 70's (done it all of our lives), and we are sick of Northeast taxes..yuck!!!! Our home that we just sold is on a half acre in a beautiful PA tourist town and our taxes are nearly $4000/year..we're trading traffic, congestion, and snow for $179/year taxes...cool!

-- Lesley Chasko (martchas@gateway.net), April 18, 2000.

So...got a couple of hours??? I love where I live (Western Washington) for a number of reasons. I was blessed to have been born here. I grew up east of, and then later in, Seattle, which used to be a cool, small city. We were close to nowhere quickly and I grew up camping and eating "off the land" at an early age..fish, oysters, clams, rabbits, frogs! We were often in a boat. The climate here is mild, the soils fertile, the location outstanding: protected inland salt water, snow capped and glacier capped peaks all around, lakes, rivers and streams and thick forests... skiing, kayaking, canoeing, climbing, whatever...it's all here. And now so is everyone else. Which is also why I am starting to hate it here. Not that I won't share, but sheesh, how many people is enough??????

I am so torn, as I see my beloved homeland inundated with thousands and thousands of new folk arriving every month. The impact is tremendous, and is choking us both figuratively, and literally. There is a lot of editorializing by us locals (mostly Seattle folk, but it impacts us as much out here in the adjacent hinterlands) regarding how we have lost our soul.

I don't know whether to stick it out, or move. We have hedged our bets and bought property elsewhere. Maybe Eastern Washington can hold out for a while. I love Arizona, and Colorado, but they are growing too, and I would have to adjust to drier, colder climates. brrr. Summers would be ok. Alaska may be an option (after all, lots of our friends have moved up there...many staying) but that would be a wetter, colder climate! (unless we moved somewhere in the Matanuska Valley, which is sort of an option).

I guess I am here still because my family and friends are all here. And I know it and love Puget Sound, although it's like watching a loved one with a degenerative disease...you know it's just a matter of time. I guess when we can't afford the taxes, we will have to move on. Thanks Microsoft...***sigh***

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), April 18, 2000.

Howdy all from the beautiful hill country of Texas! We live about 90 miles west of San Antonio. The why we are here is simple. My husband found this spot about 22 years ago and bought it because he loved it. I didn't join the equation until 15 years ago and a lot has transpired since then. However as much as we have loved it and put MUCH blood sweat and tears into this place we are now putting it up for sale and as of the first of May heading to Wisconsin. Elderly parents need some assistance and if we are ever going to make a major change like this now is the time. With me hitting the big 5 0 this year and DH reaching double nickel we really need to do things like fencing, orchard planting, barn and house building while the body is still in shape to do it. LOL

Anyone interested in 13.5 acres with a windmill, 17x35 ft pole barn, secure open air chicken coop, pens, outbuilding (currently my kitchen), 25 tree producing orchard, 3000 square foot of organic garden area, lots of fencing - we have goats don't cha know. Lots of trees - mostly varieties of Oaks and Juniper, lots of wild life i.e. Axis and white tail deer, turkey, rabbits, and of course Armadillos! The house is nothing to write home about but is livable and there are some lovely home sites we were always going to build on. All this for $35,000.

On another thread they were wondering about taxes. We have a homestead exemption and and agriculture exemption on this property and our 1999 taxes were $20.19..... Not bad huh!

And they say you can't take a Texan out of Texas! LOL

Kerry and Prisca

-- Kerry Wooster (kerryw@hctc.net), April 18, 2000.

Ok, Kerry, I'm ready to move, when can you be out? Just kidding. We live in Eastern Colorado, on the plains, and why? I ask myself that often! No, we moved here because my husband was born and raised in Colorado, and had a brother living nearby. Also close to several military facilities, and we would be able to get medical care and buy groceries from the commissary, etc. Now, that is eroding quickly, so our only reason to stay is family. Otherwise, it is peaceful, but very dry and cold in the winters. Would love to find a nice, green, reasonable area to move to and sell this place, even though we have a lot of sweat equity in it. Jan B

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), April 19, 2000.

East Texas picked me, husband from Houston, I cried leaving San Diego. The homestead was picked because I couldn't stand or breath in Pasadena (stinkadena). I love my farm, hate the humidity, love my little niche in the goat world, hate the ants. We picked the county for the low taxes, homestead excemptions, farm excemption, and we have no building codes. That also works for folks who have pigs running loose, and instead of a septic tank they run their sewers into the streams. Texas has no state income tax. We have built our dream here, are planning this year to look and purchase near Kerrville Tx, (though that Hill Country place sounded nice, the girls (Nubains and LaMancha's) would love the fruit trees!!) and start on our next project, retirement in 25 years there. Whether it is building a house or putting up fence, my husband and I are always happier with projects, are the rest of you folks like that? Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 19, 2000.

When we had our second child, my husband's parents said "you need a bigger place, go pick one." We couldn't leave the area, so we had to compromise. We now have 3/4 acre in the city. The only things I can't have are pigs and cows (no room and the city won't allow it, don't want goats, sorry!) So I discovered I do have the little farm I want. I have berries, fruit trees, vegetable garden, wood heat supplemented by propane, and now chickens! I might even be given 6 laying hens by someone who has to get rid of hers. This will give me eggs while I wait for our chicks to grow up. I'm close to my family, far (400 miles) away from his, and I can grow food and meat for my family. Because I don't want to sell what I grow, this is turning out to be an ok comprimise. The only things I really don't like about where we are at is: taxes, four plex dump next door, no milking animals, no pigs, no privacy. good enough for now. annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), April 21, 2000.

I live in Louisiana. I was born here and so were my parents, grandparents some of my greatgrandparents-well you get the picture. I stay because this farm has been in my family for 50 years, the climate is great in winter and abominable in summer, we have homestead exemption, you can grow just about anything year round, my family is a reasonable distance away, its beautiful, it doesnt snow, I like the rain, I'm a Cajun and cant live without Cajun food and seafood for too long, there are nearby markets for our animals and produce, I am far enough in the country to not have neighbors too close or too far and I can still afford electricity and running water, I love it here.

-- Susie Stretton (nightsong@beci.net), April 22, 2000.