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Anyone know of any inexpensive acreage left for a small weekend ranch or hobby farm in Los Angeles or Orange County? I'm planning on a few horses and cows or goats. Definitely chickens and a few acres to grow some vegs. Looking for areas with grassland/vinyards, a few trees. Nothing too dry. Hopefully really close to civilization (LA or Northern OC) since I won't actually be living on the farm and will have a caretaker on the property.
You betcha, there's inexpensive viable farmland in Southern California and I can see Russia from my front porch!
Sorry for being whimsical about a serious question you asked, but it's truly impossible to get decent arable land anywhere in So Cal without paying through the nose. If you're willing to live in a bleak desert and truck in your water and soil, you could find inexpensive land outside, say, Barstow. Lovely place. Or maybe not so much... )
You betcha, there's inexpensive viable farmland in Southern California and I can see Russia from my front porch!
Sorry for being whimsical about a serious question you asked, but it's truly impossible to get decent arable land anywhere in So Cal without paying through the nose. If you're willing to live in a bleak desert and truck in your water and soil, you could find inexpensive land outside, say, Barstow. Lovely place. Or maybe not so much... )
Actually, my cousin lived in Barstow for a few years so I'm a bit familiar with the area which is why I asked for not so dry. On that note, what areas in SoCal were you thinking of, that could possibly come close to what I'm looking for (now excluding price). Just looking for a few acres for the weekends, no rush to purchase.
The "Inland Empire" is what comes to mind, though I don't know how much inexpensive land you'll find there. Same goes for the Chino Hills area, which may actually be well suited for your purpose (even more-so than the Inland Empire). The problem with almost any area you pick near L.A. is that it will likely have already been developed into small parcels, which won't suit your purpose. For larger parcels, you'll have to get further out, or pay through the nose. Most of the places that are further out are probably more arid than you would prefer, but are more affordable.
A couple other places also just came to mind: The Acton/Agua Dulce area and the area around eastern Ventura County (in the Santa Paula/Fillmore/Piru area, and possibly around Moorpark/Somis). Acton and Agua Dulce are basically desert, but don't seem to be as dry as the Antelope Valley. The parts of Ventura county that I suggested are mostly farmland. I suspect these areas may be more expensive than you're hoping for, but you might find a bargain in the current real estate market.
Corona already has farmland. It’s much closer than riverside which my neighbors use for growing avocados. Cheap enough land that it has a massive paintball park of about 200 acres.
Also I was surprised to see small track gardens on the wildness edge of RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA. Not sure about larger plots but that town is nice.
And if you do decide somewhere.. I am looking for a few others to do the same adjacent to me and some friends. A cooperative of sorts for security and economy of scale for expertise, ingredients, labor and machinery.
First --- "inexpensive" is by whose definition --- what's YOUR definition of inexpensive OP???
Second --- I lived in SoCal five years with my three horses that moved with me from PA. I had 1-3/4 acres -- people thought I was rich and called it a "ranch". 1-3/4 acres where I come from is a paddock.
Third --- Before you go buying land for livestock, you need to check out the cost of haying them 365 days/year. Last time I heard (and that was a few years back), grass hay was well over ten dollars a bale for three-twined single bales (that's around 115 pounds which doesn't last long when horses don't have any grass to eat.
Then there's the different feeds for all those critters you think you want --- they ALL eat something different and feeds for some livestock are toxic to horses due to the monensin, etc that goes into it.
It's a great wish to want to play at being a farmer but there's a LOT more expense and knowledge involved when one lives where there isn't any pasture.
The only places you MIGHT find cheap land in SoCal won't have accessible piped in water and will be on top of a rock.
As another poster commented, you might be better off looking in Northern California but you still won't escape the obnoxious expense of land, and the cost of caring for the animals. Even if you only care for the animals half-a**ed, it's still going to be expensive because of minimal pasture and the big cost of buying hay.
You guys are aware that this is a nearly 10 year old thread and the OP hasn't posted anything since 2011?
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