Living with Livestock and Liberal Freethinkers

[PapaGrande]

If you can stomach the winters, I'd 2nd the areas around Ithaca NY. Upstate NY real estate isn't very expensive at all and rainfall is no problem. Cool weather grasses grow really well, but the growing season is short. You'll need to feed hay or grain in the winter.

[dragon_fly_12]

Some rural areas in the Midwest will also work if you can stomach a little bit of winter. Great rainfall, good hay, reasonable cost of living and plenty of countryside. The metro areas (Toledo, Ann Arbor, etc) have churches, but if you don't attend you're not black listed by the community. I've lived in Mid-MI, NE Ohio and NW Ohio with horses and am not a church goer. Everyone is friendly despite the lack of interest in attending church.

[balisomeday]

Hayfork, CA is beautiful. I have family that lives there and visit quite frequently. I wouldn't say that it is necessarily 'liberal' or 'free thinking' however; a good portion of the population is pretty conservative. However, there is a small arts culture & aging hippie culture there as well. They host the "Tribal Stomp" at the fairgrounds there every summer.

I would suggest the northern coast of California - Arcata or Blue Lake CA or Garberville, CA.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Upstate NY (particularly the Mid-Hudson Valley), New England