Aging hipsters to retire on cheap land!! (housing, art)

[Ridgerunner]

When you get settled here, do you plan to wear clothing? Just curious.

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by chiseal

... A few of us are looking to propel what little equity us impulse-challenged boomers have into some relatively cheap land in Tennessee roughly two hours or so from Nashville somewhere in the next few years. We prefer going East but it's not a deal breaker. Can anyone tell use where a good buy might be in terms of aesthetics and price? We love the Cumberland Plateau but am not sure if we can afford it. Everyone has about $5,000 (maybe 10) to spend on an acre or two. So, it will likely, and sadly, need to be a fairly impoverished county. Rest of the equity will go to building small cabins. We are a few single, creative types, so if anyone is looking to come along, are "modestly" emotionally stable, have integrity and a sense of humor, please post back. We need some pickers!! We already have a few really good journalists.

Huh? are you a developer building a retirement subdiv?
reselling the small cabins or you are
gonna rent them to geezer boomers?
and you're doing this on impulse?
what do you need journalists for? PR?

fascinating!

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by outdoorguy

Yes there are many places on the Cumberland. I would be interested though to know more of what you have in mind.One area might fit what you are looking for ? Drop me a note and lets see. I love the area. Lots of hang gliders artist and horse people retiring that way. Post me back if you want to know more. Sounds pretty cool.
Outdoorguy

I am looking for a small hobbyist farm for a retiree,,barn..would be great if it had a older or historic home with it...antiquing, maybe historic town nearby would be nice where us old geezer boomers don't scare the locals!

many of these in places like upstate NY and PA -don't see so many hee in TN- land of outdoorsey log cabin rugged in the mountains versus a more agrarian type place? OR am I wrong? Wineries versus hunters and fisherman,

Where is the greatest concentration? I went to Center Hill Lake area and was disappointed.

Thanks! 12b

[chiseal]

Thanks for all the info. This is a small group of friends, mostly single, looking for alternatives in retirement down the road. We want to be there for each other without getting in each other's way. We don't know how this will shake out so, as if this needs to be said, no, I am not a developer. Right now we are just looking for some land and, actually, the interest of other people who are easy going, don't lack in humor, don't think too literally, have no hidden agendas and want to begin to build some community together. This will not be a commune in the traditional sense but it will be a bunch of quasi progressives (new word for liberal). Pickers means musicians -- nothing more cryptic than that. A few of us just happen to be former journalists. I am now a medical writer who will likely still be able to do that for roughly another decade at least. This is the aim for a lot of people I know, to work some, live a little "off the grid" in the country together but not on top of each other. Make sense?

[McMar]

Makes perfect sense, Chiseal, and sounds lovely. Can I come? Look into Pickett County, particularly near Pickett State Park and Big South Fork National Recreation Area. White County (Sparta area) is another possibility, although land values are going up quickly.

12buttons, you should look into the Sparta area on the Cumberland Plateau. It is surrounded by farmland and rolling hills, and two rivers run through town. It has a downtown square and that charming small town feel, but there's something happening there. It's close to I-40, so maybe that's why there seems to be a feeling of potential growth. The new library is awesome (even has a genealogy room), they have weekly bluegrass concerts in the square in the summertime, and there's a great coffee shop and several non-chain unique restaurants. Bluegrass is king in Sparta. I think Lester Flatt and Benny Martin were both from there. Maybe I should keep my love for Sparta quiet, so the developers don't come in and ruin it!

[Eat]

Originally Posted by chiseal

Thanks for all the info. This is a small group of friends, mostly single, looking for alternatives in retirement down the road. We want to be there for each other without getting in each other's way. We don't know how this will shake out so, as if this needs to be said, no, I am not a developer. Right now we are just looking for some land and, actually, the interest of other people who are easy going, don't lack in humor, don't think too literally, have no hidden agendas and want to begin to build some community together. This will not be a commune in the traditional sense but it will be a bunch of quasi progressives (new word for liberal). Pickers means musicians -- nothing more cryptic than that. A few of us just happen to be former journalists. I am now a medical writer who will likely still be able to do that for roughly another decade at least. This is the aim for a lot of people I know, to work some, live a little "off the grid" in the country together but not on top of each other. Make sense?

If you buy land zoned for agriculture, which is likely, from what I understand of your plans, you may find it is restricted to one dwelling per tract. That would block your plans to have a semi-commune, unless you subdivide the property.

Subdivisions of less than five acres and any subdivision that doesn't have road frontage normally have to go through a formal approval process. For any sized subdivision, each parcel must either have public road frontage or be provided an easement to same. There is also a three driveway rule that is enforced in at least some counties. That means that a subdivision won't be approved if there are already three or more properties using the same ingress/egress easement.

The term subdivision in this case is literal. It does not mean a whole bunch of lots and/or houses built by a developer.

You should not buy any land until you have had an in depth conversation with the county planning and zoning folks or their equivalents regarding the land and what your plans are. It may save you a lot of headaches down the road.

[chiseal]

The more the merrier. I will keep you posted. If everyone bails, it may just be me in a yurt.

Originally Posted by McMar

Makes perfect sense, Chiseal, and sounds lovely. Can I come? Look into Pickett County, particularly near Pickett State Park and Big South Fork National Recreation Area. White County (Sparta area) is another possibility, although land values are going up quickly.

12buttons, you should look into the Sparta area on the Cumberland Plateau. It is surrounded by farmland and rolling hills, and two rivers run through town. It has a downtown square and that charming small town feel, but there's something happening there. It's close to I-40, so maybe that's why there seems to be a feeling of potential growth. The new library is awesome (even has a genealogy room), they have weekly bluegrass concerts in the square in the summertime, and there's a great coffee shop and several non-chain unique restaurants. Bluegrass is king in Sparta. I think Lester Flatt and Benny Martin were both from there. Maybe I should keep my love for Sparta quiet, so the developers don't come in and ruin it!

[jkmewright]

Originally Posted by Ridgerunner

When you get settled here, do you plan to wear clothing? Just curious.

Does the answer determine if you are pitching in $5k to join in? ROFL

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by chiseal

Thanks for all the info. This is a small group of friends, mostly single, looking for alternatives in retirement down the road. We want to be there for each other without getting in each other's way. We don't know how this will shake out so, as if this needs to be said, no, I am not a developer. Right now we are just looking for some land and, actually, the interest of other people who are easy going, don't lack in humor, don't think too literally, have no hidden agendas and want to begin to build some community together. This will not be a commune in the traditional sense but it will be a bunch of quasi progressives (new word for liberal). Pickers means musicians -- nothing more cryptic than that. A few of us just happen to be former journalists. I am now a medical writer who will likely still be able to do that for roughly another decade at least. This is the aim for a lot of people I know, to work some, live a little "off the grid" in the country together but not on top of each other. Make sense?

sounds like very doable and rewarding pursuit...at least your neighbors won't be a surprise! good luck..12b

[willdufauve]

This is a great idea. I have money and skills and wish I could be part of something like this.

However, when you have cheap land prices or cheap housing prices, usually it's either an urban ghetto, or a rural hillbilly ghetto. The movie "Deliverance" comes to mind.