Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
^Northwest Arkansas and southern MO are a good choice. I have long been intrigued by the Ozark region. Land is cheap enough and you should be able to find some sort of employment in NWA. I have driven through the are a few times (although never lived there) and there are plenty of out of the way places within reasonable driving distance by western U.S. Standards. I sometimes browse the affordable land within an hour or so of fayetteville and Springfield. Plus there is much more water than in the west.
Montana is pretty nice and fits most of your criteria. I didn't recommend it in my first post because land is at a premium right now due to the influx of people moving in.
Real estate in NWA isn't cheap if you get too close to the Wal-Mart headquarters...
Check out Carrington North Dakota, they have a pasta factory for employment and lots of acreage outside of town. Small town living. I have family that live there. My sister bought a farm and her husband drives trucks for the farms.
Ohio is not bad for what you want. It is has affordabke rural land and well developed road networks, as well as good mix of towns and rural areas, so it takes reasonable amount of time to get to a town job.
Another place to consider is Perry County, TN. The county is ~423 sq miles and had a total population of ~7,800 in the 2013 census.
While it is in Middle Tennessee, it is one of the last Middle TN counties before the West TN counties begin.
From what I have been told, they have barely grown in population since the Civil War. Their biggest employer was Johnson Controls, who moved out several years ago and the area is trying to rebuild itself.
You would enjoy four seasons. Humidity can be harsh in the summer but winters in Middle Tennessee are mild. What keeps folks home more than snow are the serious ice storms we sometimes get.
I've generally been avoiding states like Montana, Oregon, and Washington because so many people are moving there, driving up prices, and I hear they aren't big on Californians.
They aren't big on THOSE Californians, if you know what I mean, but you would fit right in.
Really? "A large acreage?" Don't most westerners who grow up out in the boonies refer to their large acreages as ranches or farms?
So, if you think it's "pointless", why are you pursuing it? If you want to be a janitor, why are you wasting money on college?
Before you make up a fake internet personna supposedly pursuing a college degree, you should at least know what kind of work a person with that major is likely to be doing. Most fine arts majors don't anticipate becoming "paper pushers"; they want to become artists!!!
Sorry if I upset you, I was just trying to be as specific as possible about my actual situation while keeping it brief. I included the parts essential to knowing where I'd like to move.
I called my parents property a large acreage because it isn't a farm or a ranch. We don't grow anything outside of a few vegetables and we don't own livestock. It would be silly to call it a farm just because they own a decent chunk of land.
My degree isn't pointless, it's just not employable. I picked it because I was young and naive, and couldn't see myself doing anything else. I love what I'm studying, but I have no desire to make a living as an artist. However, I'm much too far along, and it would make much more sense to just finish it off than to drop out.
My last point was to establish that I have no intention of working an office job for the rest of my life. I don't want to be an artist but I would much sooner become a plumber or an electrician (or yes, even a janitor) than to work with spreadsheets all day and wear a tie.
I would say you should check out areas in KY that are within a doable driving distance to more populated cities like Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green, Frankfort, and Greater Cincinnati for work. Land is decently priced here, however there is a HUGE heroin problem here so be aware of that and exercise common sense even in rural areas. Its beautiful here also note winter hits more Dec for ice and January for snow-February is the worse of it but, this state handles it pretty good from my experience. Cost of living is way cheaper than out west, especially real estate. There is a car tax here you have to pay every year based on the value of your vehicle, and out of state vehicles must be inspected and you must carry insurance. Its a misdemeanor here if you don't have it and if you get pulled over they will impound the vehicle. I would research areas of interest and see what fits your needs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you want to be a janitor, why are you wasting money on college? 
