Best State to Live Off Grid? - Page 2

[mtn.mama]

Originally Posted by JTA Mom

Good to see Oregon & Washington on the list. I'm looking too. Recently, Montana came to my attention. Any ideas on Montana being good/bad?

Ami

I spent the first 21 years in Montana and the last 17 in Alaska. Montana is a lovely place to live... with alot of weather extremes. I've seen snow every month of the year and 60 degree days in January. Its crazy and unpredictable and beautiful. Its hard to grow food in the eastern half because its hot and DRY. The western side is lusher but comes at the expense of a mountain climate and a shorter growing season. And the north (the high line) has some really severe winters.

[insahmniak]

We're grid-tied but have a net carbon-zero footprint in heating and cooling energy because of passive-solar design and some PVs.

Based on my experience, I think it's most important to think of these two things: Heat and Food.

I've seen pictures of Colorado mining towns that basically decimated huge swaths of timber for both heating and of course building. So sad to see how a settlement can eat up it's own natural resources so quickly. Burning wood for heat is tough on you (think chopping and hauling wood in retirement), and tough on the environment. It feels rustic and wholesome, but a much better deal all around is to really reduce your need for supplemental heat to begin with. This means mild or at least consistently sunny winters.

Food is the other thing to consider. Longer growing seasons require less need to put up food and thus saves energy in both sweat, fuel and time.

Willamette River Valley is an amazing place and we considered relocating there. The one hurdle I thought to consider was that the damp cold would be hard to address. Solar energy of any significance during those dark and cloudy stretches would be hard to come by and you'd need to plan for it. But overall I think it's an awesome community full of possibility and promise. Otherwise I think I'd head south.

[mtn.mama]

WRT to burning wood and living where the winters are sunny...

Respectfully, I need to point out that its just not possible for everyone to live where the winters are summer and PV is available year round. Logistically it ain't gonna happen due to overpopulation and limited land/clean water resources.

Just because Colorado mining towns decimated their forests, does not mean that is the norm. Although city living in the high desert does mean you deplete all your local resources by choosing to live there.

We heat and cook with wood, and our forest is not nearly at risk, in fact we are doing it a favor by cleaning up the multitudes of beetle killed spruce that has been here since I started building 14 years ago. Its what we use to build all of our buildings, heat our home in the winter and cook with year round. And the forest is thriving.

FWIW, PV doesn't work here from November to February, but wind does.

There are a multitude of environments suitable for homesteading and living wisely... we're certainly not limited to Oregon or Tennessee or other mild climates. And those places are going to become hugely overcrowded soon, so its wise to, uh, branch out a little bit and spread out the load.

[marimara]

Well, I've been watching and reading and waiting. We have been waffling for far too long about where we want to buy land for future use. Right now the price is right in most places and we have the money now. Sooooo, dh (with his father) is going on a land hunting expedition this November to......Maine! We've been there before and dh and his family are from CT and Vermont. Coastal Maine that is, where I've heard the snow is less because of the effects of the ocean. Getting nervous.

We are not planning on being 100% off grid (except when we are on our sailboat). The times that we will be living in the house that is yet to be built, we will most likely use a combo of radiant heat fired by propane and a wood stove for backup/supplementary. We will be building a very small cottage (less than 1000 sq ft, prob between 700-1000). Very well insulated. Also hope to situate house on property so as to maximize solar exposure for passive solar heating (got to get that book, The Passive Solar House).


I don't want to derail the thread but does anyone have any tips for questions we should be asking and details that we should be looking for (when buying land)?

[insahmniak]

mtn.mama - you raise very valid points. Things are rarely cut-and-dried, particularly when it comes to alternative living choices. We do have access to better insulation for our homes, more efficient wood-burning stoves, etc. So yes, wood-burning is not necessarily the enemy. I agree - it can be done thoughtfully and conscientiously. I've relied on wood heat before and it seemed so involved as compared to just living somewhere more temperate. Locate the wood. Cut the wood. Haul the wood. Split the wood. Store the wood. Burn the wood. Clean up after the wood. And then do it all over again in about half a year. And all the energy I've spent putting up food - oh my! That's also an involved problem that is diminished by just living somewhere more temperate. So two big considerations for me would be solved just by changing climates.

I'm sorry if you felt judged by my comments regarding wood heat. I do agree that it can be done well and done responsibly.

[mtn.mama]

(wink) its all good. We value the work that wood requires... its a part of our lifestyle and a very necessary part to living Here. We joke truthfully that wood warms you three times... to cut it, and split it, and burn it.

[LeahBoo]

Since someone asked about the other side of WA...

Eastern Washington

Keep in mind, this was taken in spring. This is as green as the fields get, they're brown now.

It's basically flat, brown, dry and dusty. With lots of rocks and sagebrush. This is Ephrata/Soap Lake area. Winters aren't horrible, not like spokane or north idaho where it snows non stop. We do get stretches of negative digits, but almost never below, say, -10. Spring and Fall are beautiful. Summer is hot and dry. Broken up by the occasional thunderstorm.

Lots and lots of rednecks.

I love it here. Could do with fewer rednecks, and a little more liberal views, but it's getting better.

[lotus.blossom]

marimara- do you have a specific place in Maine that you are looking?
I live here and may be able to help. Do you have a realtor lined up?

[hippiemommaof4]

We used to live in alaska just left a year ago and we were going to live there when my husband retires/gets out but what changed our mind was that we could not grow food very often or enough to last all year almost. Growing food and keeping some animals is important to us. We dont like the south at all even though its PERFECT for almost yr round growing esp where we live now which is mild/cool almost all year. I dont like it though, its way too hot. we have traveled and lived in many places. We will either go outside of Missoula Montana or somewhere outside of lexington kentucky. UK also has an agriculture program and all sorts of stuff. I love lexington my whole family is in kentucky almost except for the few in colorado and my dh's family are all from georgia. We fell in LOVEEEE with montana and alaska but of the two montana would be easier to live off the land in many ways even though it does get pretty cold there too and the seasons are short. I need to be in a cooler place though, the heat plus me = no good lol.

[stellajoe]

Originally Posted by Abarat

I've lived in WA, OR, ID, TN and GA. I'd go with Oregon definitely. Love the climate (western side of the state, eastern side has it's charm but it's much rougher), love the people, etc.

My parents still live in WA and it's changing....fast! I used to long for WA, but to hear my parents talk now, most of what I really loved about it is changing.

Of course, I've been turned into a GA girl now. Can't give up the growing season down here now. LOL Off grid would be tough though...no AC!

Yay for South GA mamas! I feel like we are few and far between DH and I are planning on moving west with our 2 sons, 3 dogs, and 1 fish Portland is in the running....i was curious to your thoughts on Ptown!

proud wife to my sweets and mama to our 2 boys Tripp (10-15-05) and Luther (09-11-08)

[hildare]

we're not south GA, nor are we off grid, but we're working on the country living part! the house we bought has a geothermal system already, which rocks.
imo GA has it all! we have a hot weather and a cool weather growing season (in middle/north ga). lots of rivers and lakes. LOVE the rivers.
fishing, hunting, agriculture.. all good here. plus you can do tomatoes in the summer.. i've heard west coast isn't so great for those but don't know for sure.
we get snow sometimes but not enough to make it lots of work.. and at any given point you're not TOO far from the mountains or the ocean to make a trip. i wouldn't want to live anywhere else (exceptin maybe NC-- it's nice, REAL nice, up in the Boone area.)

[eastkygal]

I'm really partial to Kentucky. But, really Appalachia in general is gorgeous. Land is affordable and sales tax is 6%. I'm a mountaineer born and raised. I feel like we are making a good go of it here.

[EarthyMamaofDaisy]

I live in NH and our property taxes are outrageous, but there are locations that have much more affordable rates.

I dream of moving to Oregon...

[1babysmom]

We're on the Eastern side of OR. It's not as pretty and green as the Western side, but there are huge benefits to not being near all of those big cities and all that population. We would rather be in Idaho though (well, this whole part of OR would LOL)...we're not as liberal as the rest of the state. I'd love to be in central Idaho though, there are a few places we camp that we'd love to just whip up a little log cabin at. Montana is another place we'd be willing to go.

[Thystle]

If you homeschool or consider it you can look at this map to help you decide: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp



Also need to look at taxes, water rights, zoning/building laws/restrictions (which can REALLY be extreme and limit you severely), and if you can tolerate the climate.