I'm looking to move to either Alaska or maine to set up a homest

Luke1127 · #1 12/16/13, 02:06 PM

I was hoping some people would be able to help me find out info about moving to either Alaska or Maine to start my homestead. I know there are 2 very different environments but im finding it hard to get a lot of info on either one when it comes to land and a better place to set up. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Luke

topofmountain · #2 12/16/13, 02:32 PM

To Be real honest, the best way is to make trips to the places. People can tell you a lot but from my experience a person has to get the feel & much more detail from talking to the locals.
Over my many years I have seen so many move to a place they have little or no experience with & it goes down hill from there.
We just bought our homestead. But we bought in the State we live in. Why????
Because we have always liked the area. We know the State laws, we know how the police are, we were excepted by the locals, we knew we were in a code county (which most of Arizona is. One of the pluses is it keeps property & house prices better.)
we knew the political climate of the area. We looked at cost to build, suppliers, contractors who could install septic systems correctly, the need to get rock as a road base, & the list goes on. It is no different if you buy a fixer upper. Now if your wealthy & have lots of cash available then disregard my post.
Just my two cents.

Luke1127 · #3 12/16/13, 02:57 PM

No that makes sense. I wish I was wealthy tho.
I have a trip planned to alaska next year to check it out. I wish the state I live in made it easy to set up a homestead, but I live in New York state and I feel like they just try and get every penny from you when you work for a living. Honestly New York state only cares if you live in NYC and I dont.

But thank you for your reply

Pack Rat · #4 12/16/13, 03:26 PM

Luke, I've spent time in Alaska, and in NY, and a lot of other places, and while AK has some tax advantages, NY has weather advantages over most of AK, the southern coast excepted. Even with that, most of AK is a LOT more seismically active than NY. If you're living in an RV, or a structure built like an 800 year old Japanese pagoda, that may be less of a problem.

While NY is tax heavy, there are ways to legally reduce your burden, and you should take full advantage of them - if you buy a place, you can pay part or all in PM's, and legally claim the sale at coin face value, or pay part in FRN's and include some barter (at practically no value); the result is lower property taxes.

As Top points out, there is also the 'home field advantage' - you probably have connections where you are, you know where to get a good deal, and who to avoid when you need, say, a bunch of plumbing parts. Moving can be a costly learning curve. And what about family? You may want to be further away ATM, but at some point you may need to 'come home', and last minute tickets out of Alaska aren't cheap.

Just my few cents.

wharton · #5 12/16/13, 03:46 PM

I have spent some time in AK. If you get real serious about moving there, I would plan on finding a cabin to rent for a year. AK. is a tough place to live, it can also be extremely expensive and unless you are real close to the two big cities, nothing is easy. A year of cabin living, dealing with cabin fever, skeeter season, and all the other hardships is either gonna' make you want it so bad it hurts, or have you driving to the library to get online, and find the cheapest flight out. Once you see how bad you really want it, buy some ground and fight the good fight. Dad was a wild Pilot who flew in Vietnam, he always said some things "yer' better off renting". Now some of the saltier folks know the whole quote, but that's another story, LOL. Good luck.

TedH71 · #6 12/16/13, 05:45 PM

Maine is considered the poor man's Alaska. More affordable. I would take Maine over Alaska any day plus if someone in your family dies or whatnot, it's cheaper to travel from Maine than from Alaska.

bigjon · #7 12/16/13, 06:16 PM

luke,heres my 2 cents-i've lived in ny all my life.homestead is here in cny.warmer than ak,longer growing season than maine-been there,loved it(during the summer)too ----ed cold rest of year.lots of ny other than nyc.like woods?-adirondacks!some snow?cny!lots of snow?pulaski.u dont have to move 3000 miles....

travisn · #8 12/16/13, 06:34 PM

I'm with ya, Out of NYS in a little more than a year. I don't really care where, but this state does not do anything right most of the time;taxes, laws, etc etc.

I'm thinking Minnesota or Indiana (possible job opportunities), even PA would be better than NY. The main thing besides a job is the price and availability of land. I want at least 50 acres, more towards 100.

Everyone always says 'oh but what about your family?' well I'll be the reason for them to leave this ---- state.

**highlands** · #9 12/16/13, 06:37 PM

Of those two I would suggest Maine.

I have lived in both. Along the coast the climate is not hugely different but because Alaska is further north the days are far darker in the winter three quarters of the year.

Go to the light, Luke.

Another advantage of Maine is that the shipping costs are lower. To Alaska everything from the states is more expensive to ship. This increases the cost of life and adds up over the years.

Cheers,

-Walter Jeffries
Sugar Mountain Farm
Pastured Pigs, Sheep & Kids
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/

topofmountain · #10 12/16/13, 08:24 PM

Some great posts.

I really liked the go live there for a year. But there are a lot of States in the lower 49 that in my opinion would be better than Alaska. I'm just not that fond of the cold of Alaska. The 24 hour days & nights.

We like being isolated but we also have a need to be around people from time to time. we like variety also. Sometime we like to go have dinner out, or see a car show, or just get away to a motel for a few days & just do nothing. That is from us knowing ourselves & that played into our location also. We can drive 50 miles & have all the box store shopping, mall, etc. All the dining from fast food to very nice diners. In an hour we are home. My wife still chooses works & is a school teacher so work almost anywhere is pretty easy.

elkhound · #11 12/16/13, 08:30 PM

find area you are interested in and get local newspapers and read whats going on especially the small hometown papers.

Bellyman · #12 12/17/13, 04:35 AM

From NY, you can drive there in a day and not have to cross an international border. Can't say that for AK.

Nothing beats spending some time where you think you want to be. We've looked at numerous places that sounded good on paper, even in pictures, but once we got there, decided that it just wasn't quite the right place for us.

With your proximity to ME, you can go spend some weekends exploring without disrupting your currently location.

Whisperwindkat · #13 12/17/13, 05:28 AM

If it was me I would choose Maine. My sis lives in the southern portion of Maine between Portland and Bath. It is great up there, very farm friendly, small family run businesses, but the city is near for entertainment and other such stuff. One of her neighbors raises chickens and a large garden and the other one has a large garden cows, chickens, pigs, etc. Longer growing season than AK, winters are milder in comparison although still cold (at least for me), cost of living is not as much, and daily life is only as physically hard as you want it to be. Haven't been to AK, but from reading threads here over the years unless you can afford to live close to one of the major pop. areas (expensive) then daily life can be pretty tough and there simply isn't much down time at all. I like to know that if I take a break here and there I will still live through the winter and have food to eat. Still cold in Maine and still long winters, but she does talk about her winter storms are not nearly like northern Maine. Even she says northern Maine is "cold". Blessings, Kat

Tango · #14 12/17/13, 06:18 AM

You can do a lot on the Internet before you visit. Landwatch.com, zillow.com, city data, spencer's and other sites can give you an idea about land costs, rain and snow fall, cost of living, crime, taxes... I had wanted to move to Maine before buying here and I 'm still wanting to move to Maine though their growing season is very short. Study online and then visit. I agree with everyone who says it is better to make an instate move and to stay near friends but the reality of the matter is sometimes, you just need to break out of a situtaion and enter new territory. It ain't easy. Bets wishes.

geo in mi · #15 12/17/13, 07:04 AM

Alaska's just too darn cold, so many huge mosquitoes, bears, dark nights, permafrost. Maine's too far away, too darn cold, too rocky soil, too many people who talk funny.

Come to Michigan, all we have here is bare sandy soil, lake effect snow, bad roads, unemployment, and blackflies.....

Welcome to the forum.

geo

woodsy · #16 12/17/13, 08:21 AM

Maine quick facts:

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/23000.html

ErinP · #17 12/17/13, 08:55 AM

My take: They both have way too many trees.

How can a body get a full view of the sky with all them trees???

Luke1127 · #18 12/17/13, 08:57 AM

Thanks everyone for your input. Everyone makes good points, the best thing maybe for me to visit both places and see what place maybe a better fit. Who know there maybe a better place to set up a homestead. The one thing I do know is I have a lot of research to do and im glad there are a lot of cool people on this site to help

ET1 SS · #19 12/17/13, 09:51 AM

We thought a lot about Alaska when we were shopping for a place to homestead.

We ended up in Maine.

Six years into it, and we are very happy with our decision.

We had no idea of just how small farm friendly Maine is.

Pokletu · #20 12/17/13, 01:32 PM

I'm still paying the land off, so I'm only a little ahead of you. I chose Maine.

There's a lot of wisdom in this thread. Be nearish to cities. In-state moves are best informed...

I would have purchased in upstate PA, since I'm in Philadelphia, currently. I've been told several times, however, that I'm 'Unmortgageable'. Maine was, for me, the best choice to EVER own land in my lifetime, via OWNER FINANCING. It's beautiful, farm-, kid- friendly...

Neither I nor my wife have family ties; so that consideration didn't hold us back. Though I'm a loner, my wife needs community, and obviously my young daughter would. Alaska couldn't provide that for them. Furthermore, homesteading pretty much equates to subsistence farming. Farming takes sun.

Be my neighbor in Maine!