living off the grid in Central PA...is this possible? (Penn: price, land)

[brl2012nj]

well, it is sort of a culmination of a life time of dreaming about doing this.

I have been heavily influenced by both Bill Scagel, the famous Michigan blacksmith who died in the 1960's, as well as Dick Pronekke, who lived in the Alaskan wilderness for 30 years or so. Both of these men, to varying degrees, lived "off-the-grid" meaning they had a relatively solitary existence, with little human interaction.

Scagel def. had more interaction with humans than Dick Pronekke, but Scagel still managed to live life relatively separate from society, and found ways to make his own power, was skilled at gardening, basically a self-sufficient person.

[brentwoodgirl]

Since you're open to other states as well, here's an informative thread about a couple that chose to go off the grid in TN. It covers multiple years, starting from when they purchased their land:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/tenne...tennessee.html

[dquinlan]

Originally Posted by brl2012nj

I want to buy a small chunk of land (1 - 5 acres) and live in a trailer somewhere in Central PA. If not in Central PA, where is THE BEST place to do something like this?

What is the best area to do this in, and what are some of the issues and restrictions one might have?

I don't need running water or plumbing, but it might be nice. Thanks.

The place to do this Warren County, heck you wouldn't need to buy the land they have Indian Reservation mountains (Alleghany Mountain) that I have never seen anyone on except one time an Indian dressed in native clothes. They have cheap cabins along the river. Thats probably the only place in the world that you could live off of minium wage! The hunting is great and so is the fishing. The water is so clean you can drink it.

Restrictions, they have none.

Good luck with that.

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by dquinlan

The place to do this Warren County, heck you wouldn't need to buy the land they have Indian Reservation mountains (Alleghany Mountain) that I have never seen anyone on except one time an Indian dressed in native clothes. They have cheap cabins along the river. Thats probably the only place in the world that you could live off of minium wage! The hunting is great and so is the fishing. The water is so clean you can drink it.

Restrictions, they have none.

Good luck with that.

Really bad info here.

[2nd trick op]

Originally Posted by BTA88

Kidding? No?

Off the grid means living basically as people lived in the 1800s. Self sufficient, not dependent on utilities, the government or other people. Generally people who live off-the-grid are subsistence farmers. It's basically a form of living that allows people to separate themselves from society.

I'd quit fooling myself if I were you; photos from the Civil War onward sometimes show "hardy pioneers" with a large stack of empty tin cans on the fringes of their "self-sufficient" homestead.

One suggestion; relocate to a farming area (dairy is best) and get yourself a job as a hired hand. You can show up every morning at 6 AM to milk and go to bed with the chickens, (Interestingly, quite a few of the dairy operators here in Eastern Pennsylvania have found that recent Third World immigrants make pretty desirable help; they don't expect as much, will take some of their pay in milk and produce, etc). That will give you a picture of where the real obstacles turn up.

But in fairness, one can live quite a bit less expensively in rural Pennsylvania -- if you can resist all the schlock offered by the Merchants of Hype. Most people need a fair amount of hard cash, not only for necessities, but to pay the overhead and taxes. And a part-time job (outside agriculture, which isn't covered) both justifies and "stetches" an Unemployment check if the economy goes sour.

There are Amish parochial schools, complete with pit privies, within a few miles of where I'm writing this, but many of the Amish have discarded their buggies for the safety of community-owned vans when interacting with their own people, who can be scattered over a fair distance. Lancaster County, the original Amish vaterland, has been losing "plain people" to places as distant as Iowa for decades. And while it's become illegal for a "mainstream" citizen to sell an unwanted horse for slaughter, I know of a few locations in rural areas with a high Amish population, where the corpses of "spent" draft horses are piled up -- and there's no law against selling an unwanted bridle horse to an Amishman.

"Off the grid" is simply not attainable in the real world of the present day.

[toobusytoday]

This thread was started in 2012. Here is the most recent post from the OP: LOOKINg for low-cost clean rental unit in NJ (Philly Metro)

I am currently employed and living with family but I have a large amount of debt (credit cards and back taxes).

I need to find a place of my own but it has to be minimalistic, cheap and clean. I would almost consider some type of an SRO-style arrangement if I could find such a place.

I know down in DC metro they have low-cost apartments for executives near the business incubators, but I am not sure if something like that exists in Philadelphia area. I am in NJ in the Camden County area.

Since I make very little money, and my full time income is seasonal work, I might qualify for some kind of public assistance. But I am not sure where to turn.

Can anyone make any suggestions? I guess my max rent budget would be about $400-500 a month. I am a single male with no pets, I don't drink or smoke either.

[AgelessStranger]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

I'd quit fooling myself if I were you; photos from the Civil War onward sometimes show "hardy pioneers" with a large stack of empty tin cans on the fringes of their "self-sufficient" homestead.

One suggestion; relocate to a farming area (dairy is best) and get yourself a job as a hired hand. You can show up every morning at 6 AM to milk and go to bed with the chickens, (Interestingly, quite a few of the dairy operators here in Eastern Pennsylvania have found that recent Third World immigrants make pretty desirable help; they don't expect as much, will take some of their pay in milk and produce, etc). That will give you a picture of where the real obstacles turn up.

But in fairness, one can live quite a bit less expensively in rural Pennsylvania -- if you can resist all the schlock offered by the Merchants of Hype. Most people need a fair amount of hard cash, not only for necessities, but to pay the overhead and taxes. And a part-time job (outside agriculture, which isn't covered) both justifies and "stetches" an Unemployment check if the economy goes sour.

There are Amish parochial schools, complete with pit privies, within a few miles of where I'm writing this, but many of the Amish have discarded their buggies for the safety of community-owned vans when interacting with their own people, who can be scattered over a fair distance. Lancaster County, the original Amish vaterland, has been losing "plain people" to places as distant as Iowa for decades. And while it's become illegal for a "mainstream" citizen to sell an unwanted horse for slaughter, I know of a few locations in rural areas with a high Amish population, where the corpses of "spent" draft horses are piled up -- and there's no law against selling an unwanted bridle horse to an Amishman.

"Off the grid" is simply not attainable in the real world of the present day.

Wow. Now there's a bold sweeping statement. Sorry, but you couldn't possibly know what's going on everywhere in the state, country, or world for that matter. It certainly IS possible.

[CarbonCountyLiving]

I know this thread is old, but could I just point out the irony of using the internet to ask about off-grid living?

[2nd trick op]

Well, this is as good a time as any to recall one NEPA local who definitely lived "off the grid":

Spokane Daily Chronicle - Google News Archive Search

His name still turns up in occasional conversation in the gin mills of Shickshinny, Mocanaqua, and Hunlock Creek.

[Prepper1973]

Originally Posted by CarbonCountyLiving

I know this thread is old, but could I just point out the irony of using the internet to ask about off-grid living?

a true prepper/off the grid'er will use all you can to get what you need until its no longer available which is the end point anyway