# where to live off grid? more questions!



## stubborn4ever (Jun 27, 2013)

Hi! I am going to be graduating HS soon and I really want to move to off grid living..

so I was wondering, WHAT state(s) is the best for this? 
I was thinking Tennessee or Kentucky? Also, any good small towns to live NEAR to? I want a town that doesn't think it's strange to see a horse/buggy drive through on a regular basis... so I guess sorta amish country type????

here's what I'm looking for:
-- about 5 acres
-- good land for gardens
-- good grazing for animals
-- a house/barn already built( not wired is great )

I want to have a garden almost all year around too... I live in north dakota right now and anything has gotta be better then the 5 months of winter here! 

also, where would one go about looking for land? Does anyone suggest any good websites?

I have more questions but that will do for now  lol
hope you can help 

thanks!


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

www.valleymls.com
covers N. AL and some of mid south TN

land and farms is usually good


And I hope you get it figured out.

What about buying land and putting a small house on it, (could be a storage shed, that you convert) 

Just to get you started, and welcome to Homesteading Today


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

Are you independently wealthy, or will you need a job?

There are many good places to homestead...but they need to be near your job, if you need to make money to live.


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## stubborn4ever (Jun 27, 2013)

well I houseclean and their is a need for that anywhere! lol


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Year round veggie gardening is farther south. I can do that in south central Texas, but not in southern Missouri.


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## Raymond James (Apr 15, 2013)

I suggest you take a look at Crofton in Christian County Ky. 

I see lots of buggies, wagons and people on horseback in rural small towns in Kentucky, Tn, Ohio, Indiana , Ill, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Here in Windsor MO I had a lady ask me if I thought anyone would mind her driving her horse in town as she was having trouble finding time to work with him thought if she used him to make trips he would get a work out and she would get here errands done. Of course I said ye use your horse when ever you can it is easy as there are several hitching post in town a public trough and some areas with shade trees to picket horses. We get a lot of riders coming up the Katy Trail as well as the local Amish.


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

stubborn4ever said:


> well I houseclean and their is a need for that anywhere! lol


Land is very inexpensive and taxes are very low where my Missouri place is (Ozark County), but relatively few people around there will pay someone to clean their house. And houses are few and far between.

In Houston, there are probably a thousand homes who hire outside cleaning help within a mile of my house....but land and taxes are much more expensive!

So the dilemma is this; where the earning is good, the cost of living is higher (in general).

So, your trick will be to find the place in the "sweet spot" where there is enough money to be made to suit your needs, but not so much that you are priced out of the market.


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## I_don't_know (Sep 28, 2012)

http://nationalatlas.gov/mapmaker 

This is a great source of info about any place in the USA. You can go in and ask all kinds of questions. crime, crops, weather, climate the list goes on and on.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

Living off grid is commendable. Do your homework. The direction the land slopes, what side of a mountain the land is on, whether there is water that is potable or how much a well may cost, the quality of the soil, building codes and deed restrictions, amount of rain per year, amount of sun a year, usda plant hardiness zone, availability of firewood, cost of hay... these are off the top of my head since I am also searching for something like this. More tahn likely you will not be able to get everything on your list but be sure you don't trade off something you really want. I really want a water source on the land for instance and that keeps me level-headed about a lot of too good to be true properties. If you need to work, it would be good to stay within a horse's distance from town. There are probably some mid-sized towns where you can little by little build a customer base. It may be a while but you can do it with hard work, determination, creativity and common sense.... Best wishes.


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## stubborn4ever (Jun 27, 2013)

thanks for all your guys' posts! Will check out the national atlas


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## defenestrate (Aug 23, 2005)

We have a couple of acres near a major park near the NC/TN border. steep driveway to the property. Fiancee has a friend who builds sheds and small cabins and we will be putting one up there, parts trucked to bottom and hauled up on a Mule (the ATV thingy). Supposedly there is a spring we can use for water - will probably do solar/wind unless the spring is large enough for hydro. Not a ton of space but enough to put up a building, wire for power later, set up a cistern for water, etc. Had just about enough of the regular on-grid life though my profession is IT so will be commuting to and from work.


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## Reboopie (Sep 12, 2013)

Look near Middlefield, Ohio making sure you look in Ashtabula or Trumbull County (much lower taxes than Geauga). Large Amish community and support for off the grid living. People in the area do pay for house cleaning. If you find something your interested in I am in the area a great deal and could check it out or answer some questions. 


Sent from my iPhone using Homesteading Today


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## phrogpharmer (Apr 25, 2005)

Hey Stubborn,
You're young. Get yourself some real training in something useful and profitable. Then use your skills and work hard to build up some cash to purchase your off grid homestead. With the right kind of marketable skills, you can live almost anywhere you want. I think it would be tough to support yourself by cleaning houses in most rural areas, especially if you are just out of HS and new to the area. This advice is based on the premise that you are not independently wealthy, if you are then pay no attention to this post.


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## The_rpp (Oct 19, 2013)

phrogpharmer said:


> Hey Stubborn,
> You're young. Get yourself some real training in something useful and profitable. Then use your skills and work hard to build up some cash to purchase your off grid homestead. With the right kind of marketable skills, you can live almost anywhere you want. I think it would be tough to support yourself by cleaning houses in most rural areas, especially if you are just out of HS and new to the area. This advice is based on the premise that you are not independently wealthy, if you are then pay no attention to this post.


This is the best post on this thread.

Get some skills like woodworking, carpentry, mechanical/engines, etc. Know how to farm and build before you try being a farmer. Sell your skills as a hand or laborer to build skills, money and a (presumably good) reputation.


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## BlueRose (Mar 7, 2013)

Go to college/tech school to learn a trade that will be needed any where you decide to live. Nursing, Lab tech, resi (sp is bad tonight) anything to do with the medical field is always in demand 

Good Luck and welcome to HT


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## Grumpy old man (Aug 6, 2013)

She hasn't graduated high school yet and "might" still be a minor ,So it might be prudent not to advise on her moving out of her current state to off the grid homestead while cleaning houses for a living and using a horse and buggy for transportation . her parents may have other plans for her . Just my opinion as a father .


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