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

Alaska has excellent schools, and is people-friendly in a way I have never seen anywhere else. You can choose your weather, to some extent: Southeast is mostly warmer, with only a few weeks of below-zero weather, but not a lot of flat space for farming. Fairbanks is just plain cold, with time spent at -50*, but between Fairbanks and Anchorage there are farms and ranches that produce prodigiously. Around Anchorage is warmer than Fairbanks, colder than Juneau & Homer/Kenai Peninsula, but costs more to buy land. Homer is as warm as Southeastern, grows well, but no where in Alaska is "cheap." And yes, the standard comment about what things cost is: "It's the shipping!"
However, if you like being on your own, fishing and hunting, and want to pit yourself against Mother Nature, Alaska is by far the most beautiful, rawest, amazing country ever.
I lived all over Alaska for 25 years, and it's almost an addiction - nothing down here resembles it, but boy, do I every appreciate being warm!!
Kit

I have a friend who used to live in eastern Colorado (not even as cold as the Dakotas or Nebraska, btw), but moved back to Kenai because she wanted to go back where the winters were mild! lol

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

I have lived in Alaska for almost 11 years now. I love it here but if I had to do it again I would probably have built my place elsewhere. It is very expensive here to get established. My husband and I bought raw land and started building out of pocket 5 1/2 years ago. We have been living in our cabin for 3 1/2 years now. Just got electricity this fall. Still don't have running water. Most people in the sticks don't have wells and can't get one. Have to have water hauled or have to haul it yourself. Sometimes from the river. An outhouse at any temp below zero sucks. I cooked on a wood heating stove for 2 1/2 years. Just got cabinets and a refrigerator. House is getting close to done but just had a baby so only one of us can work now. Nearest daycare is 50 some miles away. Nearest lumber yard that won't rape you as much as the one 50 miles away is in the opposite direction 100 miles. As well as the grocery stores. Oh but you say " I'm going to grow my own food!" That depends on if you are smart enough to buy land somewhere that that is possible. I made the mistake of buying property at around 2500 ft. very short growing season, very acid soil. My garden froze on August 3rd this year. I would like to clear our back 5 acres for livestock. I could do that by hand which would take forever or I can hire it to be done for $100 an hour per piece of equipment. Plus drive time of 2 hours each way at $100 an hour to get that equipment here. Trust me thats what it costs to have gravel work done. Plus the permit fee for gravel. Tried hiring a local guy. He still charged to move the equipment and then left with it before the job was done. Would like to get a few pigs to raise this summer but the going rate is $150 for a weaned baby pig. Some people will cut you a deal if you buy two. Which you should anyway. Pig starter feed at Walmart in Wasilla which is over 2 hours away is $18.57 . I just priced it 2 days ago. Broiler grower for chickens was $28.47. The cheapest chick starter was $19.98, $27.97 for unmedicated. Closest propane was $4.50 a gallon the last time I bought it and that was the local price. Well you get the idea. Check craigslist out for the areas you would like to move. See how much people want for farm animals. Next time you get a catalog check and see how much extra shipping is and if they even ship here. Lots of places consider us a different country it seems. You need a passport to drive in and out of the state. If you have ever had a felony conviction then you can't drive out at all because Canada doesn't allow felons to enter the country. As much as you think friends and family will come to visit because it is super cool here, that doesn't really happen either. Most will come once if you are lucky. 6 hours or more on the flight in and out is enough to cure anybody from wanting to come back. BUT......Don't get me wrong I love it here!!!!!! Oh yes i almost forgot..... When I was about to have the baby my Dr made me go stay in town 3 hours away for over a month before the baby was born in case I couldn't make it to town on time or got stuck in a snow storm or God forbid couldn't get the generator started to plug in the car for 2-4 hours at -20 below or colder so we could drive out of here. one day in town sucks after living out here for so long. Try a month!!

One word: Fukushima.

It will get us all soon enough but while my lifelong dream is to visit Alaska, I'm certain I never will now.

Check out Rehoboth,MA. It is a perfect farming town that is not far from civilization. I saw a great house for sale on Mason street. Google it I believe the number is 164 Mason street. I bought a house a year ago so I still get updates on listings. I saw this one and for the money it looks great. It's on 4 acres has pre-existing barns and greenhouse. Taxes in the town are fair as well. Schools department is great. It's a stones through from Rhode Island. It's good real estate as taxes in Rhode Island are almost double what they are in Mass. A lot of people such as myself work and do business in RI, but live just over the border. Rehoboth, Massachusetts check it out.

PrettyPaisley, give it time. As Tom Lehrer said, dilution is the solution to pollution.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

Advantage of Rehoboth, Mass is that there is a very good slaughterhouse and butcher shop just up the road: Adams Farm in Athol, Mass.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

And it is cold right now..... real cold. -33

I would also believe that there are a lot more challenges out there. Hey, I only spend a couple months there per year.

There is also a lot of local farm auctions. One is every monday in the next town over, Swansea MA. It's called Camara's barn auction I believe. You can buy or sell any type of farm animal. I picked up a couple Muscovy ducks full grown for 6$ each. I also sold some of my fully grown pekins for $15 each. If you like season changes I can't think of any better place that here. If your more into gardening and easy living you need to go farther south, Virginia, Carolina's,

If you were creative, you'd use this statement to your advantage! Part of the fact that no one cares about you means you are off the radar, and you can more a less do what you want.

I'd suggest you start your search in the state you are all ready living in. There are parts of upstate New York that are as different from NYC as night is from day. I'm sure you can find some glacial scrape up in the Adironacks that can't be commercially farmed, or maybe something west of Elmita along the Pennsylvania border. For that matter, why not North Central Pennsylvania?

My own homestead is within 3 hours of downtown Los Angeles, but my nearest homestead neighbor needs to be visited by motor vehicle. There is certainly no sign of human habitation outside my cabin looking in any direction for 360 degrees. Once you are out of sight of the masses, code inforcement becomes non-existant. I'm pretty much free to do as I please on my property as long as I'm not doing anything illegal like making meth.

Honestly, if you need to be told where to live, you're not a very likely candidate for living a self-sufficient lifestyle.

Not nice, MichaelK!. Luke asked for people's opinions. No need to be nasty.

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

Wisconsin is another viable choice for a cold-clime environment.

If you decide to raise stuff instead of grow stuff, look at MO. AK, OK.

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Pezzo Novante Ranch
Atoka County, Oklahoma

I think this was a great question. There are all types of pros and cons to each state/town/area. As complex and diverse America is we really are just a more sophisticated bunch of tribes and villages each with there own quirks. The enforcement of rules and regulations, tax rates, etc.

I lived in Alaska for years and know several homesteaders up there. They do quite well, not to mention excellent hunting and fishing. My freezers were always full of fish and game. We've actually discussed moving back to Alaska because the lower 48 has lost all sense of community. If you want to get to know your neighbors, you're sorta out of luck down here. Not to mention, Alaskans are still pretty good for bartering. Don't have any experience with Maine, but AK is perfect.

Someone else mentioned the price up there, it can be costly... especially if you want to live near town. I did not and my property really wasn't all that expensive. I see great deals on large amounts of land with smallish cabins for cheap, unsure about electricity or water on those properties but it's never been a huge issue for me. Yeah, the convenience is nice but I don't mind. We had ways not to visit the outhouse at 40 below (or at night) if we wanted to. I suppose it is what you make of it though. I was actually happier without the modern conveniences (I just didn't realize it until I gave it up). I am not sure where you are looking though, I lived outside of north pole and another time way out on Chena Hot springs, that was the cheaper property (and the most exciting!) Have tons of great stories from that time!

Sitting in one of the outside springs a while back, on my left is a native elder who just finished up as the harpoon man on a whaling expedition. As in, old school, hand made boats, the whole nine yards. Kid on the right is in his early 20s and a professional dog racer, who lives right down the road. Tells me his name and to make sure to watch the next Yukon Quest on TV, and root for him! A few years before that, I have the whole family standing at the front desk of the hotel on the property, as we pay for our admission to the springs. A native lady gets on the walkie talkie, and shouts that she just left a room she was cleaning, and scared a bear out of her cleaning cart in the hall. She says it headed for the door and she was off to change her undies. The desk clerk chuckles, and as he hands our passes to us, he points to the left and says the bear is that way, you should be safe if you head the other way...........

There are places that you can homestead up here very well. But you need to do your homework really really well before you buy property. Keep in mind each summer can be way different up here. Some are super cold and wet and some are really dry and hot. we get more cold and wet than anything it seems like.

I think your experience must be pretty limited.
I've lived in a dozen communities in five states and never had any trouble getting to know my neighbors.

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~*~Erin~*~
SAHM, ranch wife, sub and quilt shop proprietress
the Back Gate Country Quilt Shop

And you don't know what winter will bring either. A couple years ago all it did was snow..... like chest deep. Now there isn't enough snow on the lake to groom. Rough riding and hard on hyfax. 6 foot tall pressure ridges.

I've seen pictures from out at the lake. I can't believe all this snow has been passing them by. I'm sick of shoveling the driveway already. We have over 3 feet so far here at the house. I wonder how far that is as the crow flies. Can't be more than 40 miles cross country I wouldn't think. Crazy what just a few miles can do up here for the weather. My husband and his friend found a great burbot spot on the north lake a few weekends ago. Didn't catch a single laker though.