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I think Alaska is No.1 because it has a low population, lots of wilderness, best gun laws in the world, good fishing and hunting. The worst thing about it is the weather.
If considering states that I think are favorable statewide, I'll list..
West Virginia
Iowa
South Dakota
Nebraska
Wyoming
Utah
and I like the southern Blue Ridge region on the east coast because the temperature range and culture, can't talk on the west coast, I say Utah only from what I've watched and seen in statistics.
Alaska is OK. What shot it down for me was several things; the growing season (I planted 125 fruit and nut trees here last month) and how the cold and terrain affects animals, including me. I spend summers here chopping wood for winter - summer is three months here, and winter is 6-7 (we've gotten snow in June before). I didn't want to go too much beyond that; and trying to keep domesticated critters warm, dry, and fed in Alaska would just be too much for me and DH personally. EX: We have a nice deep trough for our critters here next to the corral, with a solar-powered submersible water heater; you think that you can break the ice off every morning until the metal crowbar ricochets off of the 3 inch thick ice and makes you rattle like Wile E Coyote!
ID is nice and very pretty, lots of open spaces, and nice mountains. Unfortunately when we were looking there 5 years ago, the prices for property were overblown - too many Californians moving there, and the locals were taking advantage of them. They also have a severely shortened growing season; not as bad as Alaska, but my brother who lives there finally put his vegies in large containers on a huge cart so he could wheel them in and out of his garage when the nights in June/July still dropped below freezing. Also much of the property for sale that we looked at there was rock; the arable land was either high-priced or not for sale. Lots of very pretty rivers and tree-lined streams, but still - we weren't going to spend $100,000 for a trailer on 10 acres on the banks of a rocky stream, nor $125,000 for 10 acres with 3 greenhouses and a 30 YOA 2 br brick house with a damaged foundation (due to earthquakes and slippage).
As pretty as the Smoky Mountains are, unfortunately everyone knows it, and the prices are high for what you can get there - unless you want to live in a holler where the 'rich folkses' with their 5,000 sq foot retirement 'cabins' haven't already bought and built for the view. While that does sound appealing, the soil (again) is rocky and hard to manage for crops where land is cheap, and the continuing growth and expansion impinges on arable spots. EVERYone wants to move there, especially the "half-backs" - those who moved from up Nawth to Florida and then changed their minds and are looking for 4 seasons and a real winter, so they move "half-back" Nawth.
Basically it all depends on what you're looking for. If hunting and fishing and living off of the land in a minimal survivalist mode suits you, you won't care about being in a place where crops and food animals can be raised with relative ease. If all you are planning for is you and (maybe) a single spouse or partner, perhaps a large sturdy farmhouse won't suit. Things like water rights and mineral rights may not mean anything to you initially, but if they don't come with the property, someone could have access to your water and mine your property - after you've already started using it based on the assumption that it was all yours.
It took us three years of looking to find exactly what we wanted, not just for ourselves but to be a BOL for our adult children as well. Arable soil, a decent climate, and a large (for us) chunk of property for pasture were important. Then we considered the political and social mindset of the area. All of that had to be figured with what we could afford reasonably. We had a 1 year, then a 3 year, then a 5 year plan already written out before we ever bought, what we wanted to do and create and have here. Some indicators were deal-breakers (no open carry, too many controls/ordinances, people moving into an area rather than away from) while others were not. Each person has to determine what they want, what they need, what they can afford, as well as what they are willing to do and NOT do -and do their research for what suits them best.
The Smokeys are almost completely off my list because of the small properties there and the prices. It appears only a handful of people are self sufficient there. Its hard to find something reasonable located right against national forest but several miles in any direction away in foothills but not near any of the known cities like atlanta columbia knoxville there are some reasonable deals that keep popping up and getting snatched up. I think the economy worsening and buyers market is ripe now. I'm seeing deals i didn't see 5 years or even 1 year before. I'm looking at foreclosures and things like that with good water potential and isolated to buy outright, not concerned if its mostly wooded, we just need the most bang for the buck for the future.
No one state is perfect for everybody. You should live where you'll be comfortable, whether that means a state where you grew up, a state where you have family, a state where you once lived or visited and liked it there. I think the biggest consideration is, do you have friends or family for moral and other support? You generally cannot control where your family lives...I can attest to the fact that not being within hailing distance when TSHTF may be a worrisome thing. Most people just figure they can call somebody, or text them, without considering that the cell towers may be inop. If you have NO friends or family, then I guess you can just go where the weather suits your clothes!
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