Relocating and Homesteading on/near Kenai Peninsula (Nikiski, Homer: real estate, 2013)

[Robica]

Hello, in about 5-9 years ( I know a little ahead of time but we like to be fully prepared! ) my husband and I will be buying land near or on the Kenai Peninsula to homestead on. We need some information on a few things. We know how the weather is like and all the shocker factors, we've been visiting for several years. What we need to know is what areas are considered rural and nonrural. We like to get some land in a rural area so we can take advantage of the subsistence hunting uses. And, what are the property taxes like and what determines the rates ( number of buildings, livestock, etc..) We plan on living 90% off the land/grid.

We wouldn't mind hearing others' relocating stories. We just need someone to explain to us a little more on the hunting guidelines and regulations for residents, property owner responsibilities, Homesteading laws if there's any, pretty much the law of everything. We have years to prepare so we want to fully understand everything before our move!

Thank you!!!

[Dakster]

Here is Fishing Subsitence - and Halibut is Federally managed (per the website): Alaska Department of Fish and Game

All I could find on subsistence hunting: Cultural and Subsistence Harvest Permits, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

General site is pretty easy to understand and I believe you have to be a resident for a certain period of time before you can get resident fishing and hunting permits which are loads cheaper than what you pay as an out of state resident.

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General good place to start for Kenai Government: Home

Mill Rate Homepage: Mill Rates

Property Taxes Mills by Area and Exemptions for 2013: http://www.borough.kenai.ak.us/image...MILL_RATES.pdf

Hope those help. I guess you need a map to determine what TAF you would be in as the property taxes vary wildly. (From 5.9 to 21.2625 mills)

[bortstc37]

The style around here seems to be leaving your house un-sided so that taxes are lower.

Anyway, ask a lot of locals about what to grow. The soil is quite acidic in most places, and there are lots of wetlands. Very few people grow hay because harvest season is wet and hay gets moldy.

I know that people in Ninilchik have subsistence rights.

I'm not sure what you mean by rural vs. non-rural. There aren't really distinctions or zoning regulations. Within certain city limits there might be, but just about everything is pretty rural unless you're right in town.

[Rance]

Ninilchik or Anchor Point may have the most large parcels of land. You might get lucky and find in other locations but it would be big bucks.

[starlite9]

5 to 9 years is a long time out for here, we could be in another boom or bust cycle here. Boom cycle and prices go through the roof and the Bust side is things are cheaper. But Alaska has cycles that come and go like a roller coaster, where most states just kind of chug along at the same pace with smaller up and down cycles that most don't notice.

Showing up now for a vacation and doing some leg work on what places/prices you like and talking with realestate people would be a good start. It would give you a good idea of what to expect and places that you may really like to be at verses doing so in a panic you might say.

Good luck on you dream place!

[Robica]

Thanks everyone. We have realized things may be priced completely differently when we actually start looking.

As for the rural vs non-rural, we've been told that if you lived in a non-rural area, you cannot use the subsistence benefits for that season/area. Not sure how true is that - that's why we asked

We are looking somewhere between Anchor Point to Homer, or even North of Anchor Point.
We've realized when it comes to land our best bet is to talk to a realtor up there.

We've been researching a ton about gardening and high tunnels, what we will need and all that. We were just looking for more of the legal stand point. Which has been covered! Thanks for the advice and websites!

[bortstc37]

In that case, Anchor Point is close enough to Homer to not count as "rural" enough for subsistence. You could try looking in Happy Valley, about halfway between Anchor Point and Ninilchik, in the area close enough to be officially considered Ninilchik.

Be aware that subsistence hunting and fishing rights don't mean a whole lot on the road system. Game is pretty scarce on the road system (compared to the bush, not compared to the lower 48), and a family can dipnet enough salmon for a year without needing or using a subsistence classification. If you move off of the road system, it would mean a lot more.

I live on the lower peninsula (only a couple of years now, coming from off of the road system). There is a lot of gardening and a few farms here and there, but most people still just buy their food and go fishing. In fact, I wouldn't count on hunting/fishing/gathering as a main food source. It's too unpredictable. Clam numbers took a huge dive this year (at least on this side of the inlet) and limits went down. Fish runs can fluctuate wildly from one year to the next. Moose restrictions are usually so tight that it isn't worth the effort to hunt on the lower peninsula (this year was an exception, apparently). Even our best berry spot from last year was hardly worth picking this year. I think there has been some berry fungus going around or something like that. A lot of people go to Seldovia to pick berries, but when you consider your tribal land-use permit and the ferry toll costs, you'd be better off buying fruit at the store.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I just want to make sure you are being realistic. A lot of people seem to have a notion that you can live a homesteading lifestyle in Alaska based on eating wild foods. If you plan to live off the land, it would be wise to plan on growing more of your food, eating lots of fish (it is probably the most predictable of the wild foods available), and hunting/picking berries as more of a treat of luxury (it's nice if you can get it, but you won't starve without it).

Also, send me a PM if you still make it up five years from now. I can give some hints on who to work with on the real estate front.

[Robica]

Thanks Bort. We plan on gardening, using high tunnels, green houses etc. We are pretty knowledgeable in that area having been a gardener for several years. We understand food can be scarce from time to time. We plan on canning everything to lengthen our food supply. We gave ourselves a long time period so we can really prepare ourselves.

I'm assuming road systems are areas near roads and such. We pretty much want a remote location, perhaps near some water ( the bay, lakes , rivers or creeks ). It seems somewhere near Ninilchik is probably our best bet from the people we've been talking to so far. Of course this won't happen until another 2-5 years so things will most likely be different.

Do you have any idea on how the trade/barter scene is up there? Like any farmer's markets or any type of artisan markets or people that like to sell/trade their own homemade goods? We already do a lot of that here (Texas) so wondering if we could continue something like that up there. Like blacksmithing, woodworking, glass art work, etc.

[1stimestar]

Originally Posted by Robica

.

I'm assuming road systems are areas near roads and such. We pretty much want a remote location, perhaps near some water ( the bay, lakes , rivers or creeks ). It seems somewhere near Ninilchik is probably our best bet from the people we've been talking to so far. Of course this won't happen until another 2-5 years so things will most likely be different.

When you say "remote location", in Alaska, that generally means off the road system. As in, there are no roads to get there. You access remote locations by river, air, snow machine or dog sled.

[DreamworksSKG]

I'd recommend the Nikiski area. My family lives out there and love it.

=)