Where to Move to?

[ron brooks]

So I have been thainking about moving to Montana. Not packing up yet but looking into it. Then I was reading the thread on Bear Loads and it got a little off track and was talking how the tourista crowd from the Left Cost was, to be nice about it wwere messing it up.

So, my question is, where to move to? I'm open to suggestions. Prefer a rural setting. Low prices for land and/or property are sure a plus. Of course lack of gun laws is a must. I think that best way I've heard it said is I want it to be an "undiscovered" place that isn't gojng to be "invaded" by folks who will want to Santa Fe it. :)

Oh, if it matters, I'm in Fiber Optics. I've worked in large sights and out in the field, doing everything from Optical cross connects to cable locates to managing installations. Lot of office time. Number two man in my "division" which is 600 miles by 800 miles.

So any suggestions?

Many thanks,

Ron

[slughammer]

Have you considered Texas?

[waksupi]

Montana has high land prices. The Dakotas are stil la good deal. A freind mentioned SW Kansas tonight, that may be a good bet.

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Just curious, what do you fellas think is a high price for rural land in Montana?

In OZ where I live, house + 40acres will set you back $AU350-400,000:???:

[nighthunter]

840 acres for sale just down the road from me here in Pa. Its in a rural area and the asking price is only 1.1 million. Gun laws here are on the good side. Just about everyone around here has at least one.
Nighthunter

[waksupi]

Just curious, what do you fellas think is a high price for rural land in Montana?

In OZ where I live, house + 40acres will set you back $AU350-400,000:???:

BA, in this area, you would need to triple that amount. In some areas on the east side of the state, doubling it would cover some of it, with a few odd sleepers for your prices. Depends on how close you are to a town.

[ron brooks]

Thanks for the ideas.

Slughammer, I am in Texas already, have been for over 25 years.

Nighthunter, PA has always sonded like nice country, lots of deer too. But I'm a Western boy. Never even lived West of the Mississippi execpt for a year and a half in GA.

Waksupi, Right now the top of my list is Wyoming, Idaho, the Dokatas, and I'm considering Alaska. I want to reduce the the list but am sure open to other thoughts.


One thing I should have mentioned before is that I'll be retireing in about 10 years, so this will be where I retire. Need to be able to make a living until then of course. :)
Thanks,

Ron

[Bullshop]

The nicest town I have ever seen is Alexander ND. The whole town is one block long. Half of that block is a park picknic ground. In the middle is a gushing spring that runs constantly for pasersby to get the spring water the town is famous for. In the surrounding hills is wide oped farm land much of which stays in crp. So many phesants you wouldnt believe. Great hunting and fishing and right on the edg of the national grass lands which is 100,s of squair miles of nothing but rolling hills. I could go on and on. If I ever leave Alaska again Alexander ND is where I will be, God willing.
BIC/BS

[trooperdan]

Just curious, what do you fellas think is a high price for rural land in Montana?

In OZ where I live, house + 40acres will set you back $AU350-400,000:???:

BAW, now that is a surprise! I thought land in Oz was "dirt cheap"! Maybe it is only cheap without water, right? :)

[Bad Ass Wallace]

Even at "No water" prices, folks can't afford to buy more land.

We have stupid prices, $230K for 13acres with no permenant water. Mine is 6 miles from town, has 3 dams and during the worst drought in history, the land rates have gone up 53% in the last 2 years.

Some farmers with irrigation rights from the natural rivers, have been paying $30,000 per annum for the last 2 years just to keep their right to pump when it does rain.

With our crappy gun laws, I've often thought of selling out and moving to the USA (Yep, I could learn the "Star Bangled Spanner") but at those prices, the only plot I could afford is 6x3x6ft:( :(

[versifier]

BAW,
Can you handle snow? Northern NH & Maine the land is cheap and the people friendly. NH laws are a little more firearms friendly than those of Maine, but in Maine the land is cheaper and there's a lot more of it available.

[ron brooks]

No, NO, NO!!! No matter waht never go to Maine, let alone move there. For God's sake don't you read Stephen King or ever watch Murder, She Wrote? The least that happens to people in Maine is being murdered, and it isn't at all uncommon for some evil Satan spawn creature to suck out your soil.

DO NOT go to Maine.

Ron

[bruce drake]

Sounds like Ron is trying to protect his hunting camp up in the Northeast. Then again, Texas Whitetail run to the size of a German Shepherd while some deer in Maine usually dress out close to 100 kilos.

And we won't talk about the excellent bear and moose hunting opportunities.

Oh, the economy isn't the best in Northern Maine but it beats dealing with the transplants from New York and Massachusetts down on the coast.

Bruce
Mainiac in Temporary Exile

[ron brooks]

Bullshop,

Waas going through the thread again and saw your messae about Alexander, ND. I'll sure look into it and the region. ND is going a up on the list.

I have thought off and on about Alaska, i know it's a big place so what is true in one area may not be so in another, but how are things up there? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Ron

[ron brooks]

Bruce,

Glad to hear you escaped. :) Never been even close to that far North, closest was Raleigh-Durham, NC for a week 5 years ago. In my area of Texas it's all mule deer, mainly antelope. A few weeks ago I was doing a lot of driving ack and forth over the same 60ish miles a couple of times a day and would see herds of 10 -20 antelope at a time, often more. A couple of times it was over 50. Problem out here is you have to pay to hunt, and I mean a lot.

Ron

[Hackleback]

The Dakotas are a great place to live if you like to hunt and fish. If the wife likes the big city and has to shop, ..... well, you might have a problem. Plenty of public land and few people- what else can one ask for.

[ron brooks]

Shopping isn't a problem. For the last 6 1/2 years we have lived in a small town, I'm talking the closest WalMart, or any type of store like that is 40 miles away and 100 miles to a mall, as is we area hard to fit off the rack family and are good at buying through catalogs and the internet.

Ron

[wills]

Here is some land that is not expensive.
http://www.txls.com/detail.asp?PropID=33446

[krag35]

$2,600 an Acre, and all the HIGs you want to hunt.

[wills]

I better get a new calculator. According to mine it is $262.50.

[KYCaster]

Are they really higs, or are they those little havalina?.....and do they have jackhabbits there also?

Jerry

[rockrat]

If I were you, I might think about Trinidad ,CO. (but don't know about land prices) or Rapid City, S.D. Pretty there and I almost moved to Spearfish years ago. What about Missouri?

[Hackleback]

Other places to consider might be eastern Oregon. I like it there, mostly ranching - people are very independent and few of them. Other locals to consider might be, Nevada, Utah, Idaho... Look for places on the map where the towns are small and far apart. Good luck in your hunt!!

[ron brooks]

KYCaster,

That land is in Hudspeth County, TX. It is in the part of Texas under New Mexico. It is mountianous<sp?> . The mountains are a spur of the Rockys. Nearest down worth going to is El Paso. The area has great mule deer hunting. No hogs, they are javelinas. Yep there are jack babbits, cotton tails too. The area also has decent quail and dove as well.

the big down side to this area is that it is so close to the border. There is a lot of illegal border crossings, people smuggling drugs and other people into the US. Fences get torn down all the time, houses, barns and sheds get broken into. It is a problem out htere and seems to be getting worse.

Ron

[ron brooks]

Rockrat

Trinidad is nice. Close to the NRAs Whitington center at Raton. Really pretty country. The Dakotas are on my A list right now. Missouri is a possibility as well.

Hackleback

Idaho I worry about land prices but it is uner consideration. I hadn't considered Easter Oregon, I will do so now. You're right, Neveda and Utah ought to be on the list.

Thanks to both of you,

Ron

[felix]

Something that you MUST consider is the high possibility of your (or yours) health going south quicker than imagined. In other words, a necessary excape route, financially and physically in terms of distance. ... felix

[mainiac]

Sounds like Ron is trying to protect his hunting camp up in the Northeast. Then again, Texas Whitetail run to the size of a German Shepherd while some deer in Maine usually dress out close to 100 kilos.

And we won't talk about the excellent bear and moose hunting opportunities.

Oh, the economy isn't the best in Northern Maine but it beats dealing with the transplants from New York and Massachusetts down on the coast.

Bruce
Mainiac in Temporary Exile
What do you mean "down on the coast?" I live about 80-90 miles inland, and the liberal transplants are invading my little town! On top of that, the state has totally frigged up the hunting/fishing , and it is the worst ive seen it in my life! We have a pile of moose, but very few deer,and hardly any partridge left. Those that have summer camps on the water, are now charged 315% more in taxes in the last 2 years, because the big shot city flok with all there money come up here and build 300-400 grand (summer camps!) (give me a break!) Now the little shack that has been owned for years is so vaulable that the natives cant afford to own it no more! I feel my blood boiling so have to quit now!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[waksupi]

http://www.northwest-national.com/

Ron, try this company out. I get pretty much daily emails on areas I am interested in, and there are some sleeper deals show up occassionaly.

[bruce drake]

80 miles inland is still south from where I grew up in Northern Penobscot County. We had the tourists come up to visit Baxter State Park in the summer but they usually leave when the weather starts getting cold. I agree with you about the out of staters. I hate them with a passion, but we need the good ones to grow the state. We just need to keep the damn vacationers out (Vacationland my butt, that was written by a southern maine (former massachusetts guy probably) politican I swear) and keep the dedicated ones to invest in the state.

Bruce

[ron brooks]

Waksupi,

Thanks for the lead. I have it bookmarked.

Ron

[qajaq59]

If you're going to end up retiring somewhere you'd best look into moving to Florida. :-D

[Dusty Miller]

That place in Texus looks like it'd be just the ticket for anybody who craves privacy!