# What area am I looking for?



## MidwestMatthew (Mar 12, 2016)

My wife and I are actively trying to find a place in the country to start homesteading on "for real." We can pretty well go anywhere, but we have a few preferences and I'm not sure what geographic areas match them. So I'd be really grateful for some advice.

Here's our list:


Climate similar to Zone 5b (where we are now). We'd rather it be warmer than cooler, but again, "similar" is what we're after and we could go either way.
Humidity similar to, or lower than, our current location (our June daily average around 70%)
Little or no trouble (or, better, little or no _risk_ of trouble) from feral hogs
Hopefully a good distance from any known CWD-infected areas
Lenient (or no) building codes
Good wells
Reasonably close to a decent hospital
Good land prices
Large predatory animals make me nervous (we have young kids) so I'd like to avoid areas where bears, wildcats, or wolves have a strong presence. But we could probably learn to deal with them if necessary.
Our family background tends more north than south, so going too far south could come with a bit of culture shock. But we could adjust to that, too. 

Our ideal place would be 20+ acres of rolling terrain, with fertile soil and about a 50/50 mix between woods and pasture.

Am I looking for what doesn't exist? If not, where are some areas I should be checking?


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## bertneru (Jun 29, 2009)

Howell County Missouri...around West Plains. Fits your description to a T


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## MoBookworm1957 (Aug 24, 2015)

Yep, pretty much the area you want. Good luck.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

I'd say anywhere in Illinois or Indiana 100 miles or more south of Chicago. 
Most of Iowa or Ohio


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

Try West Virginia, Ilove it over there..


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

Rolling terrain...it seems that the suggestions offered so far range from tabletop flat to nearly vertical.


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## Oregon1986 (Apr 25, 2017)

Definitely not where I live,lol


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## hunter63 (Jan 4, 2005)

AmericanStand said:


> I'd say anywhere in Illinois or Indiana 100 miles or more south of Chicago.
> Most of Iowa or Ohio


Anywhere in the midwest .....except Illinois...real funky gun laws there.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

Ever consider Kentucky?


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## Teej (Jan 14, 2012)

IndyDave said:


> Rolling terrain...it seems that the suggestions offered so far range from tabletop flat to nearly vertical.


Don't you ever visit the southern part of your state? These are mainly pictures taken of something else but it gives you an idea of the terrain. Wells are hard to come by though so even out here in the country we are on city water. Nor are we close to anything so my area flunked 2 of the ops the criteria.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

Teej said:


> Don't you ever visit the southern part of your state? These are mainly pictures taken of something else but it gives you an idea of the terrain. Wells are hard to come by though so even out here in the country we are on city water. Nor are we close to anything so my area flunked 2 of the ops the criteria.


Yes, I do make it down that way. I lived in Evansville for a while, traveled 64 frequently, and on occasion took my grandmother to visit her original home in Hanover. It is some truly beautiful country with a lot more 'roll' than the more glaciated area I call home.

What I was trying to address is that with the suggestions which had been previously offered, one would find ground ranging anywhere from perfectly flat to something a goat would have a hard time climbing, so I thought I would shift focus to that 'rolling terrain' idea, starting with some idea of what the OP had in mind. After all, it is one of those questions that when you ask five different people what it is you are going to get six different answers.


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## MidwestMatthew (Mar 12, 2016)

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. The main problem we're having right now (well, other than money to actually make a move!) is that it's hard to find a good deal within acceptable range of a 24-hour emergency room. We have some physical issues to take into account, so that's a pretty important consideration for us.


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## Back2Basix (Dec 24, 2015)

SW Mich is zone 5, sometimes 6. Lax gun and building codes outside city limits. Acreage can be found for <$2k acre as long as it's not agricultural. ***CWD free still, fingers crossed***. No large predators other than that pesky black bear they had to cull that was 250 miles from it's home range a couple years ago. 5 airports with 1.5hr drive. 1 24hr ER about 4 miles from me and another 3+ within a 30min drive. Pretty lax homestead ordinances, i think I'm allowed 80+ heads of cattle on my 40ac (dont ever plan on having more than 3 or 4). No feral hogs have been taken near this area but they are in the state. My 5" artesian well tastes amazing and pumps around 15gpm last tested. I enjoy my area because it's still heavily "red" outside city limits. I'm surrounded by like minded, respectable, community driven & trusting neighbors. 

Only downfall some people don't like is the lake effect snow.

What did i miss???


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

Vermont pretty much suits your bill. Few big predators, especially outside of the Northeast Kingdom (and even then, only black bear). No hogs. Not called the Green Mountain State for nothing.  Building codes will vary town to town. There is zoning in the town I live, but no zoning in the town I work. Water can be hard in some places, but I've seen land for sale with natural springs.

Small/hobby farms are very common. The maple industry is pretty big if you want to dabble with sugarbush.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

IndyDave said:


> Rolling terrain...it seems that the suggestions offered so far range from tabletop flat to nearly vertical.


Lol I'd like to know. Where ya thought table top flat was suggested ?


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