Finally ready

[wander]

I just finished paying off the last of my debt (except the mortgage). I'm finally ready to sell the suburban house and move rural. Fixing up the house so it can be sold, been looking at houses online, got a realtor lined up, going to visit properties tomorrow. The place I'm really eyeballing is an unincorporated 2.2 acre lot with an attached 7.5 acre pasture next door, at the dead end of a street. Empty lot across the street, next door neighbors are 200 feet away at the closest point... currently they are less that 10 feet.

So many possibilities are opening up to me now, it's quite gratifying. No more neighbors dog barking at the moon in the middle of the night right next to my bedroom. Chickens! Pasture (if I can swing the financing) adds the possibility of larger livestock. No HOA!!!!

I'm a libertarian. I don't care that my neighbors 4 doors down possibly sell drugs and definitely do them. I don't care that the lady across the street is a hoarder. I don't care that the guy down the block has loud parties. Several of my neighbors gossip, and complain, they call the cops on every little thing, and even once had a code enforcement guy cite me because I had poison ivy on my fence (behind the shed).

I'm so happy to be leaving suburbia... it can't happen fast enough.

[Tex]

Wander, when you start talking about neighbors at 200 feet and, "across the street", that does not sound rural to me. I'm sure it's a damn sight better than where you were, but I know people who have bought places like that, only to have the ordinances changed where they couldn't do anything relating to self sufficiency and then they were left with really big yards to mow.

Is moving farther out not an option?


Tex

[redman2006]

I am in a similar situation here. It is better than most have in this area, but this is not what I call country or rural. In some respects, it is just enough to isolate you but not enough to really give you room or freedom or a true "protective" isolation.

[Patriotmuso]

I agree with Tex And RM. If it's possible, get out further...

[wander]

Wow. Having 2.5 possibly 10 acres isn't rural, I'm not sure what is. This is rural. It's on a dirt road that is named after the person who owns the house and pasture. There is no grass. There is electric, but no water or sewer. There is no police beyond the sheriff. There is no city laws. I don't even think it's zoned... if it is, it's agricultural. The fire department is volunteer. Could I get farther out? Sure, but then I wouldn't be able to go to work.

I live in Oklahoma. There is rural... and then there is farmland. This is rural.

This place is exactly halfway between two cities, it's a 45 minute drive to either. My job requires I work in a city. I'm a network engineer. You can't work from home when you live in the deep country where there isn't high speed internet.

What would be the point of going further away from the cities anyway? Sounds like if it's not a square mile of farmland or cave in the mountains, you all think it's not good enough. I do have a family to support.

[AD]

Tex could shoot a Barrett 50 cal in "any" direction from his house and still be miles from hitting his nearest neighbor. He needs a 1/4 tank of gas and a lunch to visit his nearest.

[Jstwaiting]

W - sounds like a big step up in the right direction. Although "ideal" would be deep in a hidden mountain valley - few if any of us can manage that. I think you are making the right choice given your options. The next key item for you will be a GHB and several routes to get you home. Congrats on making the move out of "town."

[Bumper]

I know exactly what he is talking about, wander. We live about five miles north of a town of about 2200 people. It is, to some people, in the "middle of nowhere". Mostly farms and small acreages around us but we live on a dirt road with 8 families. The only restriction is that we cannot own hogs. Never have figured that one out. If I want hogs I can have them, though, because I have a second lot outside of the restricted area that the previous owner had added to this property. That property is outside of this "development". We don't have many problems with neighbors but we have had a couple of issues with our next door neighbor which is about 300 feet away from us. On holidays he uses a LOT of fireworks. While I love fireworks, in the middle of a drought with years worth of dried oak leaves on the ground it's not the smartest thing to do. That and the same guy had a big dog that terrorized the neighborhood. One day my wife and I were headed to my truck and this dog was coming down my driveway barking an snarling at us. The dog had a history of chasing other area kids and animals. I had my gun out ready to stop him when he turned and started back out down the driveway. We went on to the store with me getting madder every minute. By the time I got back, I was so pissed off I went over and told him that the next time the dog came over to our place threatening us or our animals, I would shoot the dog and then come whip his ass for making me do it. After that I never saw the dog but another guy down the road said that the dog attacked one of his small dogs and almost killed it. He told the guy that the next time he saw the dog running lose he was going to call the Sheriff. The guy got rid of the dog.

I am the type that always tries to be a good neighbor and help when asked but this guy is the scourge of the neighborhood and I know if the SHTF he would probably be the first one I would have to deal with. While I like it here and it certainly is rural, I wish we were a little more distanced from neighbors....

[redman2006]

No offense was meant. I guess it depends on your definition of rural. For me, the way I grew up and where I grew up, rural is a long way from town, but also a long way from your neighbors and involves agricultural land. Around here, I am considered rural by some definitions I suppose, but my five acres and neighbors within a hundred yards really does not feel like it at all. I guess that comes from living where you can't see or hear a neighbor in any direction. The little "ranchettes" that are springing up create communities that I suppose are rural by definition, but still seem more suburban to me. That is what I thought you were describing.

It is certainly better than being in the city, and when you describe it better, it sounds different than I first thought. No zoning is a good thing. A hog or two, chickens, and rabbits will go a long ways toward making up for the fuel you spend going back and forth.

As far as having no debt, that means a lot.

[redman2006]

BTW, anywhere close to Enid? If so, try Chicaro. Ignore the online BS. He speaks his mind, and it ticked off certain segments of the population. They decided to have some online "justice" by running his ratings down. Honestly a great place to eat and hang out.

[wander]

When you go from literally being able to touch your neighbors house and your own at the same time, 200 feet to the nearest house seems like 10 miles.

[redman2006]

I understand that!

[Tex]

Wander, I wasn't trying to be disparaging of the place you are looking at. The way your post read to me, it sounded as if you were moving into one of those sub-divisions where everyone has a few acres. You didn't make it out to sound like it was somewhere out past BFE. Regardless of where you live though, neighbors at 200' is a might close. If it works for you though, great. See what you have to do to lock up the few acres next to the two and start working toward self sufficiency. That is a goal that is very attainable even with just a couple acres. Having five or more and it gets even easier.


Tex

[Patriotmuso]

I don't recall anyone saying it wasn't good enough. The consensus was it would be ideal to get out a little further, but to each their own.. Best of luck Wander....

[Kelly]

Good luck to you, Wander. Just don't underestimate how far sound can carry. I'm on 40 acres and still hear the neighbor's dogs and their rooster. I live a mile from the train tracks and some nights, when the wind/air is just right, it sounds like it's running up the driveway.

Kelly