Thinking of Moving, but Where to?

[Farmin Armen]

Let’s just say that the state that I live in is... getting old. Take that as you will. I’m looking for some ideas of a town where wife can stay home to homestead, raise the small kiddos, space for the Aussie to run around in, and lots of room for lots of chickens. Also, a place where the people are kind.

Kindness is getting lost in the weeds where I live.

Growing up, I was from a small town with a small population on the west coast. They were all kind and we helped each other out regardless of, let’s say, ideologies.

Still on the west coast. Seeking to go east. Although, when Jonah went east, he got swallowed up by a whale, so not sure if going east is a good idea.

Hello from the westcoast.

Where are you?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Hello from Maine.

 

[Farmin Armen]

Hello from Maine.

Hi from Maine! What’s it like?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Hi from Maine! What’s it like?

Depends who you are... Been dealing with a lot of mandates....

I don't know if it's still the same.... But my Mom said that Ashland, ME is a very nice town, and the people were friendly. True, that was several years ago, but I know she wishes she could move back.

 

[Farmin Armen]

Depends who you are... Been dealing with a lot of mandates....

I don't know if it's still the same.... But my Mom said that Ashland, ME is a very nice town, and the people were friendly. True, that was several years ago, but I know she wishes she could move back.

TBH, It’s the mandates in my area, including the ones that are slated to come in the near future. Plus, hard work isn’t valued. No one wants to gain by the sweat of their brow, it seems. So those two things are weighing on me. Maybe I can weather the mandates, but I want to establish family roots in a town that values hard work and community.

 

[The Truth Is Out There]

Your idea of life is what I want!!
I am in RI and I wish I could leave and go somewhere like PA or something. I wish what you described existed near me. I’m sure it does exist. I just have no idea where? I wish I could live near the Mennonites or Amish. I feel like they live more of the life I daydream about.
I hope you find your place in life!
And please let me know if you find that sort of community! I’d try to convince my Husband to move there too!
I’m a stay at home mom and 36 years old with a 4 year old and we have been looking for a small hobby farm since Feb. of 2020... which was a horrible time to start looking.

 

[Sally PB]

Keep looking for what you want! It took us awhile, but we found it, and we'll live here till we die.

Think about what climate you want, look at property taxes, income taxes, schools. The school issue is less important after the kids are older, or if you don't have kids.

Oh, and be aware of problems lurking underground. For example, there is property in the Grand Rapids, MI, area that is contaminated with PFAS, and sorry, no way in hell would I buy it and live there, at any price.

 

[The Truth Is Out There]

Keep looking for what you want! It took us awhile, but we found it, and we'll live here till we die.

Think about what climate you want, look at property taxes, income taxes, schools. The school issue is less important after the kids are older, or if you don't have kids.

Oh, and be aware of problems lurking underground. For example, there is property in the Grand Rapids, MI, area that is contaminated with PFAS, and sorry, no way in hell would I buy it and live there, at any price.

What is PFAS? I’m not sure what that is or stands for?
My husband just got a great new job so moving out of RI won’t happen for a few years I assume.
He isn’t ready to fly the coop yet. Maybe when his parents are no longer around?
I always planned on homeschooling.
I don’t think it matters about schools if I homeschool does it?
I don’t know much about it yet. I’ll be looking into that the beginning of next year.

 

[alinas2010]

Howdy from Wyoming love it here. Not a ton of mandates, at all. A real cowboy state. Got tons of room, I work from home, suburban isn’t totally suburban here, I love it. Only complaint is the weather. Once in a while it’s too windy and a bit dry. But I favor the dry over a humid climate any day. No state tax, that’s a plus. There’s a lot to do here and a decent amount of shopping. For everything else, there’s Amazon. Agree completely with what others say. There is so much to think about when looking for a place to call home. Hope you and your flock find what you’re looking for.

 

[Sally PB]

What is PFAS? I’m not sure what that is or stands for?
My husband just got a great new job so moving out of RI won’t happen for a few years I assume.
He isn’t ready to fly the coop yet. Maybe when his parents are no longer around?
I always planned on homeschooling.
I don’t think it matters about schools if I homeschool does it?
I don’t know much about it yet. I’ll be looking into that the beginning of next year.

PFAS is a chemical that was used by a local manufacturer in making shoes. They dumped the waste and it leached into many peoples' wells, rendering the water unsafe. Sorry, I should have said that it was an example of something that wouldn't be obvious, but would GREATLY impact the value of the land, and if it were even safe to live there.

Here in Michigan, a lot of the money for schools comes from property taxes. So, where I am, the school is okay, but about 25 miles away, the property taxes are MUCH higher, as they support a much bigger school. I don't have kids, so the school district and "how good" a school was never mattered to me.

When we wanted to "move out of the city," we had a certain distance we could conceivably commute to our jobs. We had a maximum amount of money we could spend. We wanted at least 5 acres, if possible. Pretty much everything else was negotiable.

Garage? Nice, but not absolutely necessary. Basement? Ditto. Fixer-upper? We could do some things ourselves if needed.

We pre-qualified for the mortgage (save up for a down payment! It helps!) and had great credit.

Good luck with your search!