Homestead friendly criteria

[geo in mi]

Forbes Magazine just listed the top 25 'most desireable' small cities in the US in which to live. This listing consisted of cities of around 100,000 population, and some of the 'desireable' qualities were: easy commute, restaurants and entertainment, number of young, college-educated people living there, number, and ease of start-up, entreprenual businesses, proximity to a univesity, and so forth.

What would be some of the qualities that would make an area of the US, or Canada, friendly and attractive for homesteading? Is there any such thing? Or, is it a just a homestead friendly quality, regardless of area?

[rambler]

I can't relate to 1/2 the stuff you mention - why would those things be be important?

That size is also a big city to me; small town is under 5,000 here, 15,000 - 30,000 is the big town, with a large city over 50,000 a drive away.

Hate the traffic & congestion a city of 100,000 brings. Just crowded.

And I'm not really a homesteader, just a small farmer type.

--->Paul

[ErinP]

did you read the actual questions in geo's post, Paul?

My answers:
No zoning/permitting and good ground water.

[rambler]

I guess I was trying to answer, but came out in a backwards fashion. About anything in a city of 100,000 seems wrong to me for peaceful happy living.... Living a short drive from a city of 10,000 or so offers all the features I'd need, and a town of 30,000 or so less than an hour away offers the extras that a person wants every once in a long while. Small towns of 5,000 or less are cool, but tend to be clicky 'here' so you can feel like an outsider even if you grew up there, and sometimes are too small to offer good grociery store, stable downtown businesses so wouldn't want to be miles & miles and miles from something a little bigger.

Homesteading (or small farming, I think?) is about doing a lot of things yourself, just being able to get to the supplies you need. A good groicery, a good lumber yard, a good farm supply store. Universities, young people, fancy resteraunts - don't seem to relate to anything I do. 'Easy commute' and a city of 100,000 is downright humorous to me.....

Don't know if this is any better, sorry for participating.

--->Paul

[Tricky Grama]

Many things would be factors...weather for a big one. Growing season. Price of land. Proximity to grocery stores, even tho homesteaders tend to supply much of their own food...I'm not sure what elsle-no way to measure friendliness??

Patty

[ErinP]

Originally Posted by rambler

Don't know if this is any better, sorry for participating.
--->Paul

Oh heavens! I wasn't suggesting you shouldn't participate, just that I didn't think you understood the point of geo's post.

The Forbes list was just given as an example of criteria used to judge (cities, in that case).
Not that that list has anything to do with homesteading...

[ronbre]

well the top criteria for me are why I have stayed in Michigan for 58 years.
Good land, the best water in the nation (according to the news our town has the best..can you believe that ??)..we don't have town water but our own well though.
Enough land to do what I need to produce as much of my own food as possible.
Quiet neighborhood where people don't bother you and let you do what you want, don't steal your stuff or trespass on your land. Where the deer and bear and critters roam free and birds sing. Plenty of water for the crops and animals and just to look at, including enough rain to keep things growing but not flooding enough to ruin your home.
Not having enough severe weather to destroy on a regular basis (did lose our house from lightening, but we don't have hurricanes and very few tornados or earthquakes)
Not too hot, not too cold..just right.

[MushCreek]

To me, one of the big factors would be 'homestead friendly' laws, such as the legal right to have livestock, and not have to keep your lawn mowed to 2.75" on alternating Tuesdays, or whatever other carp cities and towns make up so everybody is in comformance. When we looked for our property in rural SC, I was surprised how many properties out in the boonies had deed restrictions, spelling out everything from how many (if any) animals you could have, to the minimize size house you HAVE to build. I really, really hate that stuff!

[DWIGHT DUNCAN]

From were I'm standing, a good homesteading area has to have adequate rain. We won't see any more of any real measure around here (Southern CA) til winter comes around again.

And my ag water usage was cut back 30% this past year as the drought is getting worse. I cut down 20% of the avocado grove and tore out the lawn. So I say enough rain (20+ inches a year) should be on the list.

[Windy in Kansas]

According to Forbes apparently Kansas only has 5 cities because we only have 5 of 100,000 or larger. The rest that are smaller must be towns, villages, communities, and simply grease spots on the roadway. "Small" is relative and in Kansas 100,000 is not small, neither is 20,000, 10,000 or even 5,000.

As to homesteading--to me climate is the top priority. That means a long growing season with a decent amount of rainfall without excessive humidity to inhibit ones comfort to a great extent.

Soil and available water would be very important even if soil can be amended to be made quite usable.

Trade centers of sufficient size in order to purchase supplies, lumber, have a night out once in a while, etc.

Close to an abattoir.

And of course about everything else said by others.

[ErinP]

Close to an abattoir.

I'm sure I'm not the only one...
I had to look this up! lol

Out of curiosity, is this a problem very often? That is, the lack of one?
Everywhere we've ever lived, if a town is big enough to support a gas station, they have a small packer...

[MariaAZ]

Originally Posted by DWIGHT DUNCAN

From were I'm standing, a good homesteading area has to have adequate rain. We won't see any more of any real measure around here (Southern CA) til winter comes around again.

Same here. After over 13 years of drought, if I move it will have to be somewhere there is more than 7" rainfall a year

[Wags]

Price, climate, water availability, soil type - all are important. Employment, if needed, is also very important. And having services within what you personally would consider a "reasonable distance" is also important.

[uncle Will in In.]

TWO THINGS MAKE A GOOD HOMESTEAD <> First is a local job that includes health insurance. Two is a good water supply. Without either of these you might as well throw up your hands and travel on. <> UNK

[MariaAZ]

Originally Posted by uncle Will in In.

TWO THINGS MAKE A GOOD HOMESTEAD <> First is a local job that includes health insurance. Two is a good water supply. Without either of these you might as well throw up your hands and travel on. <> UNK

Funny you mention these... the MOST important feature for us is proximity to a city where DH's company operates in, THEN good water supply. I think I could deal with most anything else but those two things would be deal-breakers for us at this point in our lives.

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by ErinP

I'm sure I'm not the only one...
I had to look this up! lol

Out of curiosity, is this a problem very often? That is, the lack of one?
Everywhere we've ever lived, if a town is big enough to support a gas station, they have a small packer...

Most of the counties in Kansas do not have an abattoir. The Kansas Department of Agriculture Web site shows only 31 custom slaughter and processing plants for the entire state of Kansas which as you know has 105 counties.

As a homesteader if I'm raising my own beef it would be nice to be able to get it butchered and processed without driving half way across the state.

[Callieslamb]

I think cheaper land would also be necessary.
good water supply/ woods/ good soil
No laws to prevent you from selling what you grow/raise from those that want to buy it
self-sufficient-ish neighbors
Close to enough stores to keep the prices competitive