I need advice on choosing a good location without zoning (if possible) (real estate, lake)
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As a Florida resident I have seen what can happen when outsiders invade your home and drive prices to the stratosphere. The quality of life takes a dive, and the natural scenery is bulldozed to make room for suburban homes, condos and shopping centers. One tool used by the invaders is zoning. They pass laws to basically outlaw everything that you do, and then use property taxes to drive out the "undesireable" natives and develop everything into homogenous "zoned" communities with ridiculous rules as to appearrances, "junk and trash", commercial business, etc that makes a group of homes far from places of work or business, and then the residents go back and forth like rats commuting. What areas allow farms , homes, factories, junkyards, fruit stands, and the like all in the same area? Where can you live free from zoning Nazis that fine you for whatever they see fit, and want to take your home away? Where are property taxes low enough so you can hold on to land instead of selling it to developers who fill it with clutter? Does such a place exist, or are rural areas becomming "yuppified" and full of big city money? Is there anywhere that you can enjoy the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"? Anyplace where they view Code Enforcement like the old time "revenooers" - as target practice?
Sort of joking, I am thinking most Indian reservations do.
But for real, one city that comes to mind that has no zoning is Houston, Texas. But a lot of folks are not too happy with that result, either. We have zoning in Dallas, but our current spot is Industrial Research III -- the heavist there is -- so anything goes for us.
Spot that comes quickly to mind about farms, junkyards, and fruit stands is most of rural Tennesee. A junkyard at the bottom of every mountain. Gravity works, huh? Along with various farms and moonshiners up the mountain side, and fruit stands by the highways.
Rural North and into Canada, too. But of course there is the cold. Something that folks like you and me in Floridia and Texas seem to try to avoid. Read something funny about that from Garrison Keiler (NPR Prairie Home Companion guy). He operates from Minneasota. He says the reason they like the cold up there is it keeps the Texans away.
You might like West Texas, too. Big open not much around. Seems many folks out there are running away from something. Sometimes themselves.
Where can you live free from zoning Nazis that fine you for whatever they see fit, and want to take your home away? Where are property taxes low enough so you can hold on to land instead of selling it to developers who fill it with clutter? Does such a place exist, or are rural areas becomming "yuppified" and full of big city money? Is there anywhere that you can enjoy the right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"? Anyplace where they view Code Enforcement like the old time "revenooers" - as target practice?
A lot of Nebraska (away from the Omaha/Lincoln Metro area) has very reasonable zoning laws and zoning enforcement... generally used to prevent large cattle operations close to homes and to control junk yards... other than that, if you get into a county without any major town (stay north of I-80 so into the central part of the state) you will have easier zoning laws.
"Spot that comes quickly to mind about farms, junkyards, and fruit stands is most of rural Tennesee. A junkyard at the bottom of every mountain. Gravity works, huh? Along with various farms and moonshiners up the mountain side, and fruit stands by the highways."
I've come to regard piles of junk, abandoned houses, and decrepit trailers in an entirely different light after having been subjected to the excesses of zoning, like tallrick. In south Florida, I had my own irrigation well. We lived about ten miles inland, the water level was no more than eight feet down, and was regularly recharged by some of the wettest weather in the country. Because of governmental insanities like lowering the level of Lake Okechobee just before the dry season, and then complaining about a water shortage, and the ultra-rich being fearful of their oceanfront wells becoming brackish, watering lawns and shrubs was restricted to as little as one day a week. We essentially had enforced poverty in a land of plenty.
When Hurricane Wilma blew over trees on the swale in front of our house, land where we could not build, could not park, could not have shrubs over fifteen inches tall, could not fence, and had to plant "approved" trees, we were given a citation for not digging the stump down to below ground level and sodding the grass, which we were somehow also supposed to keep alive in the dry season with the water restrictions, all jobs where we were doing work for the government on land we "supposedly" had bought and owned. I totally understand what tallrick has experienced, and his frustration.
When I see a deceased tractor parked in a weed infested field, or a covy of junk cars rotting blissfully in the trees, I now see them as welcome warning signs to the rich and famous, "Get outta here, you aren't welcome with your stupid talk about 'increasing property values' and 'attracting growth'. All that does is make us pay for your increased property value, and bring in people that want to run our lives the way they see fit.
Good post, Harry! I left Florida after the hurricane season of 2004 (2 hurricanes exactly 3 weeks apart was enough for us!) We ended up in rural northern NM and I've said it before...we really are in a live and let live area. You will see old cars or tractors in people's yards and in some cases, this does "drive away" potential buyers in the area. However, the beauty of the mountains and being able to breathe fresh air is what matters to most of us.
Tallrick, coming from Florida, it is a big change - we are 7500 ft up, and get snow. But, this is beautiful country. Let me know if you want to know anything about the area!
Tallrick don't come to NY. We can't build a garage or paint our house a certain color because of zoning laws. And no vehicles parked on the grass or you get a ticket. For having a vehicle parked on your own lawn!!!! The lawn you own!!!
We live in the land of the free, the free rich who are willing to hand over our rights in favor of their property value.
I would avoid suburban NY state if I were you.
If you want this to stop then I would suggest checking out Ron Paul, he is kind of in the running for president, but he has no chance of winning it. But he has some good points and it nice to see a politician who wants to LIMIT government control instead of increase it. Ron Paul 2008 › Issues › Property Rights and Eminent Domain
Garfield is beautiful. Benton County has minimal restrictions except within city limits. Do a search on Beaver Lake and I think you will be impressed. I sell real estate here so I know the area well. People are friendly and helpful. There are people moving here from big cities to escape the things you described.
Our Townships and Plantations, which are governed by the state, used
to be free from bureaucratic restrictions. Now they are controlled strictly by the state. It seems our Land Use Regulatory Commission decided to use the control they have over the townships to make a model on what regs cities and towns should enact. A lot of funding to municipalities is withheld until the towns pass state mandated zoning laws.
For example sprawl is controlled by a law requiring a parcel being subdivided, have common space and the lots that are to be built on are compressed into a small footprint.
Of course the farther you get away from the coast and ski areas, the less restrictive the zoning laws.
Still plenty of beautiful land and cheap taxes can be had in the western mountains.
Tallrick don't come to NY. We can't build a garage or paint our house a certain color because of zoning laws. And no vehicles parked on the grass or you get a ticket. For having a vehicle parked on your own lawn!!!! The lawn you own!!!
We live in the land of the free, the free rich who are willing to hand over our rights in favor of their property value.
I would avoid suburban NY state if I were you.
If you want this to stop then I would suggest checking out Ron Paul, he is kind of in the running for president, but he has no chance of winning it. But he has some good points and it nice to see a politician who wants to LIMIT government control instead of increase it. Ron Paul 2008 › Issues › Property Rights and Eminent Domain
I am Ron Paul supporter and have been enthusiastic about his campaign. It is disappointing that most Americans are not ready for a real man of principle as president. He is one of the few who walks the walk and takls the talk.
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Try Garfield Arkansas by Beaver Lake
