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Hi I am looking to move to a place with cool summer temps (20 days or less > 90F), but the cost of living is VERY important. I am not a survivalist, but would like to start hunting and fishing to be more self sufficient. I would also like to have access to clean free or cheap water and also low cost electricity. I am wondering if I could read some examples of how some people who are creative and have been able to live inexpensively and what places might be a good fit for this kind of living. I would prefer to live near a decent sized city to have access to things like good medical treatment, airport, shopping, and entertainment.
I would like to buy a home for around 200k or less and keep taxes and utilities low. I need about 2000 sq. ft. of living space. I would preferably like to live in an area with minimal natural disasters, but I don't want to limit examples.
I would say you can find that in most northern border states. New York state, Maine, Wisconsin, Michigan or Minnesota likely all fit the bill pretty well. Western states have a higher cost of living, but some areas of Idaho or Montana may work as well. Alaska would have all the hunting and fishing you want, but COL is bad up there.
Hi I am looking to move to a place with cool summer temps (20 days or less > 90F), but the cost of living is VERY important. I am not a survivalist, but would like to start hunting and fishing to be more self sufficient. I would also like to have access to clean free or cheap water and also low cost electricity. I am wondering if I could read some examples of how some people who are creative and have been able to live inexpensively and what places might be a good fit for this kind of living. I would prefer to live near a decent sized city to have access to things like good medical treatment, airport, shopping, and entertainment.
I would like to buy a home for around 200k or less and keep taxes and utilities low. I need about 2000 sq. ft. of living space. I would preferably like to live in an area with minimal natural disasters, but I don't want to limit examples.
Canaan Valley of West Virginia. Look near the Elkins, WV region.
It meets the moderate summer temperature threshold of <=90 degrees due to being around 2000ft in elevation.
Affordable enough while still having lots of interesting rural options to live. It also has attracted numerous artists and Elkins itself has becoming a small arts colony. It has a more northern feel in terms of tree types and vegetation due to the elevation.
Here in Oregon it is not uncommon for people to live without having to buy any meat at the grocery store by hunting deer and elk and fishing for salmon. Many people also raise chickens for poultry and eggs, and grow their own vegetables.
200k $/sq.ft. houses here in the southern Willamette valley are readily available and cost of living is relatively low, particularly compared to the east coast.
Summers here average 15 days above 90F.
And it's not the sticks, we have airports, hospitals, malls etc.
Plenty of houses on huge - but surprisingly cheap - rural plots of land (5+ acres, often 40+ acres once you start really getting out of town). Of course they are serviced by well water, which is often clean (water from the well we originally had was among the best tasting water I've ever had; water from the deeper well we had dug because of frequent water shortages is potable, but sub-par at best). Minnesota Power is probably one of the cheapest providers of electrical power around, average rate about $0.08/kWh. And property taxes are quite low, as well. Hunting and fishing, are, of course, MAJOR hobbies around here.
Northeast Tennessee (Tri Cities area) might be worth looking into. Housing cost and taxes (except sales tax) are generally quite low. Electricity should be below the national average. I'm unsure about water.
It may occasionally go over the twenty 90 degree+ days, but according to NOAA records, they average 14. That number would be a bit less in the higher elevations.
If you're looking for reading material, here's a thread about a couple making a sustainable homestead in East Tennessee:
I am curious what people use or do in the winter to save on utility costs.
Many in rural areas have multiple heat sources they use in winter like wood, pellet stove, passive solar, high R value insulation throughout, propane, etc. In some rural areas natural gas might be harder to find so propane is often used.
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