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Originally Posted by newbie22
ok here is my question ........... we are really focused on returning to the land / being sustainable etc etc ... you know the story ....... we would also like access to a some progressive / like minded folks since we are raising 2 children.
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You are not alone. This movement is gaining popularity.
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... we can find lots of thoose towns scattered all over the country. but they are all expensive for people trying to live simple ......... So .... and I guess I am asking for something that folks may not want to share .... but where are places that are actually affordable and meet the above??? (if folks are willing to give up secrets I promise not to write mother earth news about it  )
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We made our move when I retired. We knew that we would be living on my pension, so we searched a long time for a location where we would be able to afford living.
My pension is near to minimum-wage.
Most places where we had lived [being military we have moved a lot] the local economies are such that a family on minimum-wage can not survive.
Talking with others who were nearing their forced retirement, the thought is that local depressed economies have lots of families surviving on low wages.
Our last home had property taxes so high that the annual tax bill would consume 6 months of my pension. Where we moved to on the other hand, is a much larger place but it only uses half of one months pension to pay the taxes.
I have an old highschool friend who today lives in the DC beltway. She and her hubby each earn ~$100k/year. With their taxes, mortgage and commuting, they feel they are barely scrapping by.
Where I live the average household income is $24k. People raise children and thrive on much lower incomes in a depressed economy. This area has had a depressed economy for many decades [basically ever since modern refrigeration was invented which killed the ice-block shipping industry].
I know families here who have 5 acre gardens. They work their gardens by hand [no tractor], they sell organic produce in Farmer's Markets, and they are able to support their families. It is not real 'pretty'. They do not have a lot of cash to spare. No video games, no I-whatevers.
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... access to the mountains would be great, the closer the better but not a deal breaker if not. A place where land is affordable, we dont want city life but do like culture and access to things like healthy food stores, progressive folks, homeschoolers etc etc ........ I am at the point of being open to almost anywhere ...... not texas to fl on the gulf or anywhere else crazy hot and nowhere crazy crazy cold like minnesota. Just throw it out it you think it might work ...
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Each place has it's good points and it's bad.
If you are going to farm, you have to avoid drought. A massive region of the USA is in drought right now. On homesteading forums I hear people whose entire crops are toast and livestock have died from this year's drought.
Google the drought, look at the maps of it. Gotta avoid drought.
Where we are, they do have hills and 'mountains' though it is all pretty low altitude.
We paid $300/acre for one forest parcel, and $900/acre for a second parcel that is forest with river frontage.
Organic is big here, and there is a massive network of off-grid organic farmers here.
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
This state is VERY homeschool friendly. We home schooled our children.
But we get snow. Not as much snow as they do in the 'snow-belt' region. Those big snow dumps pass by to the South of us.
Every place has it's good and bad.
Here winter is when there is little farming to do, so everyone gets to go outside and play. Dog-sled teams are popular. Sledding is big, ice-fishing is popular.
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