Not sure where to homestead. Any suggestions?

Home is where you make it. Each and every state has good and bad. I would suggest to make a list of what is needed and wanted by both of you. The answer can only come from you. as a example ne kansas is rolling hills and trees..sw kansas is well lets just say a dog would run himself to death trying to find a tree to....

Look for a state with a long growing season and 40+ inches of rain per year.
I'm partial to east Texas.

LOL 120 acres house and buildings taxes of $250. Great view. a mile of water front ,a pond ,80 tillable acres 60 flat deep black soil. Mixed hardwoods and VERY few building restrictions or oversight. The laws are in place just no one to enforce them.

wow... so what town are you close to? I've got a friend outside Marine with 1/4 your space and his taxes are almost triple yours...

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Never let your fear decide your fate!
Kein Mitleid für die Mehrheit

Well there are lots of things to consider such as climate and culture.

Sounds like to me you want to live in a county outside of city limits with no home owners ass. I would then think about the laws of that particular state.

The location you are looking for is probably at least an hour from a major metro area.

I am very happy with my location. Great access to civilization and far enough away they do not bother me.

Well I live just a mere 1/4 mile from a high tax county. Cross the county line and real estate is much different in price and taxes. Yep a 1/4 mile makes a hugh difference.

Yeah, but you are still in the Democratik Peoples Republic of Chicago.

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Bought a 3 acre lot in a tax sale, 5 years of, but yeah taxes are 5 times as much, though we do have schools here. St Louis isn't nearly as cheap as rural Missouri.

Sounds like you want a big garden and raise some rabbits and chickens. you can do that in any state. I would suggest you sit down together and come up with some prioritized criteria. Hot humid summers? Cold snowy winters? Liberal or conservative leaning state? Get a big picture then start to narrow it down.

LOL you mean Saint Louis lite!
I am 100 miles from the popular street bridge and It makes a LOT of difference.
In Il you can generally figger the smaller the largest town and total population of the county the more freedom.
Taxes are calculated on ag soils based on their perceived productivity. That makes a lot of difference, Woodland can be even cheaper. And the key to building taxes is how the assessor perceives your place. I barn that looks tumbledown on the outside can have a palace inside and the taxes will be nil.

ACTUALLY Central Il might be a good place for the OP. Buy in a small town within commuting distance of The Uof I the capital Saint Louis and chicago.
If the new Highspeed rail happens it could make all those places within a couple hour commute.

When you say clinical psychiatry do you mean your wife has graduated medical school or completed her residency? If she is just finishing her residency as a new doc she may have to take a job where they will have her. I am a psych NP and work with psychiatrists and new grads don't have the same opportunities as experienced docs.

Also if she works in a hospital setting often the requirement is that when "on-call" (and that can be very often for the newby) she may be required to live within 10 minutes of the facility. If she gets a job in a private practice that may be different.

Docs that work in more rural areas (that sounds like where you may want to live) don't get paid as well as docs that live and work in bigger cities. It sounds like you and your wife have a lot of things to dicuss. You may have to look at what job opportunities she is presented with and then make a decision based on that. You may want to live in the south with a long growing season but she is only offered a position in the heart of Seattle. Or she may be offered a position that pays back all those (huge) student loans but it may not be where you can homestead and you will have to decide what is most important.

Good luck!

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When you were born you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die the world will cry and you will rejoice. --An American Indian Proverb

That is a tough one! I did take a cooking class with a guy who gardened, greenhoused, and beehived off of his condo's rooftop...permission of other tennants ofcourse!

I live in a rural area. I live about 20 minutes away from the city. There are no laws out here compared to the city...its awesome!

I woudl stay away from developments if you are concerned with HOA and housing codes. Unfortunatly, with housing codes everyone has to abide by the same rules or you may run into saftey issues and problems reselling your home. No one wants to have to make hefty repairs in order to sell their home.

I hope that was helpful.

Easy question- Montana is dying for lack of Psychiatrists! Head for southwest MT and have a wonderful life!

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www.MontanaSticksAndStones.com at Goshen Farm

Have you considered TN? Nashville area has a lot of homesteading potential. Constitution taken seriously. As someone who has moved a few times and lived in several states, I highly rec TN.

Something weird to seriously consider in your situation.
I have lived inside downtown industrial areas several times. Its almost like being out in the wilderness since few visit there and yet its close to everything you might need.

Welcome to HT.
If you are not both on exactly the same page for your homestead plans just yet, why not rent a small rural or suburban place for a year or two and practise some of the skills you will need. If you lay down a good size vege garden and get some chickens you are off to a start and can see how you like/cope with homesteading before you jump in the deep end. DH and I did that before we married and loved it so much we moved to a small town 5hrs drive from the nearest city.

As your DW may have to commute in order to 'live the dream', she'll need a lot of commitment and be prepared to travel forher work. There's also nothing to say you cant compromise and do an urban homestead - theres a thread on here about a 3/4 acre section with lots of good ideas.

I found work in a local bank when we got here, and we relocated an old house and lived rough while we fixed it up. Leaving friends, family and city conveniences behind, accepting lower pay, smashing our old car over rutted gravel roads twice a day, learning to mortar roof tiles, plaster, paint and build chicken coops, coming home to a couple of hours of homestead chores and a house that looked like a demolition site took a bit of getting used to! But after 5yrs we are now in some comfort and have got well set up, whew!

A good tip we took is also to travel and look at properties. You;ll get some good photos. Dress down and go to the local pub and try and find a local who will talk to townies (standing your round helps) about the area and what they love and hate about it. We even camped on some properties for sale (with permission from the sellers) so we could explore the property and think about how to homestead on it if we bought it. And books, websites like this and youtube to learn all abouthow to implement your homesteading dream are a must.
If you want it badly enough, you'll make it happen. If you dont, forget it because when it gets tough only the strong survive!

Good luck - planning is lots of fun. I wish you the best in finding a place that will meet your needs.

Waters always my first concern in Location.
Followed By Climate.

Whatever you are looking for, you can find it in New Mexico. Elevation varies wildly, as do county population, property values, taxes, nature, wages.

Once during a lull, it was said that "Sante Fe waitresses are dropping out and going back to their elite new york law practices" but in the southwestern sector, there are hardly even any burgers to flip. Make a living online or pedal your wares long distance or starve.

Conversely, practically no laws and what little law enforcement there is will be manning speed traps out on the hyway, because that's what pays their wages. Build your house as and where you like, and the assesor will drop by in a few months and ask you how big it is and it will show up on your tax bill the next year. My total taxes for 30 acres, house and outbuildings around $275.

My doctor (GP) lives down the road. Her husband raises chickens and sells eggs, raises hogs and sells them and piglets. No doubt makes more than he would "flipping burgers". Doctors tend to "cycle through" Hidalgo county as a pennance, I suppose, for something or other, but she seems to be here to stay.

On the other hand, they are bulldozing Flint Michigan, so maybe a lot of empty land there.....Joe

sounds like you would do well in our area of Michigan..my husband saw a psychologist in Traverse City Michigan at one time and I believe he has retired..the area here is beautiful for a photographer as we have water falls, unspoiled woods, pictured rocks, dunes, etc..

most areas that are at all rural have no restrictions about what you can plant or grow and have very low housing requirements such as permits..etc.

the real estate prices are extremely low in our area as well, there are a few beautiful homes with acerage on our road that have been for sale for a long time, just cause the housing market is so bad right now..you can find houses anywhere from $30 to $40K up to $200K anywhere and then there are of course the pricer ones in the higher priced areas, but those would have more restrictions on use of land.

I love it here..see Northern Michigan area of Craigslist.com

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/