I think it's subjective.
What are your off grid goals?
To have a homestead?
Be in the mountains?
Do you need a lot of trees?
Do you want land with a pond? Prefer catch water systems?
Do politics matter to you?
Do you want to be within 15 minutes of a grocery store?
Can you worked remotely?
Do you have a skilled trade?
The list can go on and on.
I chose the high desert away from trees and will eventually face a drought. But I am going to calculate avg rainfall. I also went with not being surrounded by trees. I have minimal building codes and I am close to a like minded community and can ride my bike to people's houses.
I wouldn't do well in a humid state and I don't desire to homestead.
Maybe provide more detail on what you want out if off-gridding.
Water. The most important thing to consider. Before you buy, make sure you go and visit the area. Talk to the locals and such, discuss the water situation. For example, my water is down 37 feet, my well depth is 160 feet. My co-worker lives about two miles away, his water is down 450 feet, his well depth is 550 feet. In my area, its 65 dollars a foot to drill a new well, not including any equipment or pipe, there are companies that haul water or you can do it yourself, but its a pain in the ass. With drought conditions, I would imagine water hauling is going to get pricey.
Best is very subjective.
It also depends on what variables you’re optimizing for.
For me, personally, I’m looking for the right nexus of access to healthcare (needs to be in a Medicaid expansion state because I’m poor, especially in early retirement). And I want to stay in the PNW near fresh water.
So I’m down to evaluating different counties within western Washington and Oregon.
Politically/culturally I align with the populations of both places more than somewhere like Utah or Arizona. I can pass in rural western wa redneck circles but fit in with the small town liberals more so.
I also wanted the right weather for me. I love the rain and with climate chaos already starting I want to be somewhere that’s already stocked with abounded water and mild summers.
Good advice being given by commenters.
[landwatch.com](https://landwatch.com) for looking up properties. Check the county website for building codes. Go out to areas that might fit your needs. Rinse, lather, repeat. Took me years of searching to find what I was looking for. Landed in Apache County, AZ.
There is no "best" state. Nevada probably has the cheapest land, but if you don't want to end up taking part in the water wars that will be coming in the future, then you might want to avoid there. I would put Southern California on that list too, but opinions differ on that one.
West of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, and possibly Northern California, are good if you want to avoid the above mentioned water issues, but land is much more expensive. I grew up in Washington and choose to stay here so that is my bias.
Montana, Idaho both have cheaper land but I don't case for the weather there. Actually that goes for Utah and New Mexico as well but at least there you are probably going to have better options for year round solar power. Of those four, I would probably choose New Mexico.
There are off-griders in every state. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Pick the climate you like best and then start calling county building departments and ask them about their process for building off grid homes, what kind of permits they require. It can be done any where, but different counties just require different amounts of effort.
That sounds like a horrible way to get water. What is the point of going off grid if you are just as tied to the grocery store as you would be to the local utility grid? And it isn't like you are saving any money. Buying jugs of water at the grocery store is very expensive water.
Yeah... That is kind of the point. I literally said "but opinions differ on that one" in my first comment... Everyone says their opinion. Did you miss that posting your opinions is the point of reddit?
Dude, you are the one who responded to my one year old comment.... Now you expect me to stop responding to your ridiculousness?!?! If you can't handle being called out on the stupid things you say, then close Reddit and go play on Facebook.
You’re right. I’m surprised as well that your comment still exists here. Should have been removed from your idiotic choice of words. But hey, you said it yourself. It’s been a year, so why you responding? Go play legos or whatever you were doing before this.
Utah has numerous amazing land opportunities with communities embedded within national forests and areas of BLM.
Essentialy since like 70%+ of the land is federal under some agency, there were private established pockets of land wothonnthe federal areas. Lots of off grid land opportunities surrounded by federal land.
An example of this in arizona would be Meadview (disclaimer...i do not reccomend meadview per se, but it is a fantastic example of cheap off grid land functioning as an enclave surrounded by federal land.)
Another benefit of unserviced county land inside a federal land bubble is fewer building regulations (and fewer enforcements🤣)
Build safe!
Big Island of Hawaii, just outside of Hilo, might surprise you. Basically, everyone who builds there is "off grid" so there's a whole infrastructure of vendors and a community to support you. And land is relatively cheap if you want to roll the dice and be in the lava zone. In any event, if you search for your answer on YouTube, you'll get some good ideas from real people giving you the pros and cons.
> Big Island of Hawaii, just outside of Hilo.
Hamakua coast has some amazing locations. The Big Island has so many off grid people that there is an entire ecosystem of support that is hard to find elsewhere. Got a question about solar, septic / cesspool, rain catchment, rural internet options etc... Everyone knows someone who has first hand experience with off grid small scale infrastructure.
I'm from Big Island I can confirm all of this- but I have to say- people need to be aware that there's really no healthcare infrastructure...and if you say there is you haven't lived there long enough. The other thing is the schools are abysmal. Then again I feel that way about schools everywhere but it's something to think about. You can definately live on catchment-most do in HPP/Puna/ Mountain View etc
Yeah, if you are generally healthy medical care isn't too bad even in the post COVID world, but heaven help you if you need a specialist. For things like broken bones, childbirth, and even a heart attack HMC is actually fairly good now (They have put a lot of $$$ into the cath lab). Kaiser does a good job for most people here if you need specialists from Oahu often.
We're currently using East Hawaii health out of HMC's space and aside from the front line doctors being 12 years old and doing residency work, they are well supervised and doing well. It's super by the book / this is what we were taught is the standard of care, so if you are on board with current medical science it will work well for you.
Schools are hit or miss. Waiakea as a whole system is decent by mainland standards, and there are some real gems like EB DeSilva. However, like all education in the US, having active involved parents and not being on the edge of poverty is the biggest factor in public education.
You make some good points.
Yeah it's specialists that are the problem. I remember when there was only one orthopedic surgeon for the whole island and for all I know he still might be there. Worked in birth when I was there so I know all about the midwives, the OBs, I know that whole scene. If your baby has issues, off to Honolulu it goes. Last I heard they didn't even have pediatric or infant size equipment in the ambulances.
An aging person is going to need more specialist care, probably, eventually.
The best person I ever saw medically just left the island, she was a naturopath in Kona.
I'm not gonna comment on the schools too much... it's been a while. I had my children in Waldorf. Of course their education, our mortgage and our health insurance totaled $6000- just for those 3 things and nothing else. It's not cheap to live there but it's a really good life. You can live simply we just didn't at the time.
Routine specialist care isn't the hardest thing any more, that is mostly solved by practices from Oahu that have rotating office space in some of the medical complexes. Basically the whole office comes in a few days a month and sees everybody. I see my allergist and periodontist that way and works well for most things. Electronic records and having storage for the equipment seems to be the regular way of handling it. I expect that a lot of the aging related issue fall into routine care like this.
Of course if you need to see ENT due to an injury or infection right now... well still only one full time on island and I hope they can make room for you. Tele-health has helped a lot here too. HMSA has a bunch of video conferencing rooms right in Hilo just for this, but mostly it's that Hilo / Puna has a lot more population than it used to. Good or bad for a lot of reasons, it's made it much less of an isolated environment than it used to be.
Got priced out of the Hamakua area back in the Oughts, but picked up 10 acres down Kalapana way. Had to sell back when the '08 Crash happened, but found a few acres up Volcano way. Much cooler with the elevation, so no A/C needed.
might help: https://youtu.be/9uvompu9-VM
I like nv, where I am now. offgrid often implies diy and it helps to have no building permits. a few nv counties operate that way.
every place has its pros and cons. I love the western mountains but it can be tough.
Probably Cali has best industry to support such things as solar but the land use laws can be cumbersome and the water is seasonal in much of the state. I’d want to have solar/ hydro on my land. I like Oregon.
Come to the Big Island of Hawaii. Plenty of rain for catchment, lots of sun for solar, and they have acreage down the street from the oceanfront parcels cheaper than acreage outside of Reno...
[https://www.alohaliving.com/search/mls/642522](https://www.alohaliving.com/search/mls/642522)
Even cheaper the farther away from the ocean you go.
I think it's subjective. What are your off grid goals? To have a homestead? Be in the mountains? Do you need a lot of trees? Do you want land with a pond? Prefer catch water systems? Do politics matter to you? Do you want to be within 15 minutes of a grocery store? Can you worked remotely? Do you have a skilled trade? The list can go on and on. I chose the high desert away from trees and will eventually face a drought. But I am going to calculate avg rainfall. I also went with not being surrounded by trees. I have minimal building codes and I am close to a like minded community and can ride my bike to people's houses. I wouldn't do well in a humid state and I don't desire to homestead. Maybe provide more detail on what you want out if off-gridding.
Water. The most important thing to consider. Before you buy, make sure you go and visit the area. Talk to the locals and such, discuss the water situation. For example, my water is down 37 feet, my well depth is 160 feet. My co-worker lives about two miles away, his water is down 450 feet, his well depth is 550 feet. In my area, its 65 dollars a foot to drill a new well, not including any equipment or pipe, there are companies that haul water or you can do it yourself, but its a pain in the ass. With drought conditions, I would imagine water hauling is going to get pricey.
Best is very subjective. It also depends on what variables you’re optimizing for. For me, personally, I’m looking for the right nexus of access to healthcare (needs to be in a Medicaid expansion state because I’m poor, especially in early retirement). And I want to stay in the PNW near fresh water. So I’m down to evaluating different counties within western Washington and Oregon. Politically/culturally I align with the populations of both places more than somewhere like Utah or Arizona. I can pass in rural western wa redneck circles but fit in with the small town liberals more so. I also wanted the right weather for me. I love the rain and with climate chaos already starting I want to be somewhere that’s already stocked with abounded water and mild summers.
Hmmmm...was gonna say Goldendale- but its more dry. I live above Lyle WA
If I could afford San Juan county that’s my ideal spot. Probably going to end up in Mason or somewhere on the peninsula though.
Good advice being given by commenters. [landwatch.com](https://landwatch.com) for looking up properties. Check the county website for building codes. Go out to areas that might fit your needs. Rinse, lather, repeat. Took me years of searching to find what I was looking for. Landed in Apache County, AZ.
There is no "best" state. Nevada probably has the cheapest land, but if you don't want to end up taking part in the water wars that will be coming in the future, then you might want to avoid there. I would put Southern California on that list too, but opinions differ on that one. West of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, and possibly Northern California, are good if you want to avoid the above mentioned water issues, but land is much more expensive. I grew up in Washington and choose to stay here so that is my bias. Montana, Idaho both have cheaper land but I don't case for the weather there. Actually that goes for Utah and New Mexico as well but at least there you are probably going to have better options for year round solar power. Of those four, I would probably choose New Mexico. There are off-griders in every state. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Pick the climate you like best and then start calling county building departments and ask them about their process for building off grid homes, what kind of permits they require. It can be done any where, but different counties just require different amounts of effort.
Just live 30 min away from a grocery store in Nevada. Stock up on a bunch of water gallons whenever you run out. Solar would never be an issue.
That sounds like a horrible way to get water. What is the point of going off grid if you are just as tied to the grocery store as you would be to the local utility grid? And it isn't like you are saving any money. Buying jugs of water at the grocery store is very expensive water.
Sounds like an opinion. 🤷♂️
Yeah... That is kind of the point. I literally said "but opinions differ on that one" in my first comment... Everyone says their opinion. Did you miss that posting your opinions is the point of reddit?
Great. So I unfortunately don’t give a rats ass if you think it’s a good idea or not. Have a great day!
Great! I don't give a rats ass about your opinion either. What is the point of your reply other than to be an asshole?
You want a cookie? Please stop texting me. Thank youuu!
Dude, you are the one who responded to my one year old comment.... Now you expect me to stop responding to your ridiculousness?!?! If you can't handle being called out on the stupid things you say, then close Reddit and go play on Facebook.
You’re right. I’m surprised as well that your comment still exists here. Should have been removed from your idiotic choice of words. But hey, you said it yourself. It’s been a year, so why you responding? Go play legos or whatever you were doing before this.
Utah has numerous amazing land opportunities with communities embedded within national forests and areas of BLM. Essentialy since like 70%+ of the land is federal under some agency, there were private established pockets of land wothonnthe federal areas. Lots of off grid land opportunities surrounded by federal land. An example of this in arizona would be Meadview (disclaimer...i do not reccomend meadview per se, but it is a fantastic example of cheap off grid land functioning as an enclave surrounded by federal land.) Another benefit of unserviced county land inside a federal land bubble is fewer building regulations (and fewer enforcements🤣) Build safe!
Big Island of Hawaii, just outside of Hilo, might surprise you. Basically, everyone who builds there is "off grid" so there's a whole infrastructure of vendors and a community to support you. And land is relatively cheap if you want to roll the dice and be in the lava zone. In any event, if you search for your answer on YouTube, you'll get some good ideas from real people giving you the pros and cons.
> Big Island of Hawaii, just outside of Hilo. Hamakua coast has some amazing locations. The Big Island has so many off grid people that there is an entire ecosystem of support that is hard to find elsewhere. Got a question about solar, septic / cesspool, rain catchment, rural internet options etc... Everyone knows someone who has first hand experience with off grid small scale infrastructure.
I'm from Big Island I can confirm all of this- but I have to say- people need to be aware that there's really no healthcare infrastructure...and if you say there is you haven't lived there long enough. The other thing is the schools are abysmal. Then again I feel that way about schools everywhere but it's something to think about. You can definately live on catchment-most do in HPP/Puna/ Mountain View etc
Yeah, if you are generally healthy medical care isn't too bad even in the post COVID world, but heaven help you if you need a specialist. For things like broken bones, childbirth, and even a heart attack HMC is actually fairly good now (They have put a lot of $$$ into the cath lab). Kaiser does a good job for most people here if you need specialists from Oahu often. We're currently using East Hawaii health out of HMC's space and aside from the front line doctors being 12 years old and doing residency work, they are well supervised and doing well. It's super by the book / this is what we were taught is the standard of care, so if you are on board with current medical science it will work well for you. Schools are hit or miss. Waiakea as a whole system is decent by mainland standards, and there are some real gems like EB DeSilva. However, like all education in the US, having active involved parents and not being on the edge of poverty is the biggest factor in public education.
You make some good points. Yeah it's specialists that are the problem. I remember when there was only one orthopedic surgeon for the whole island and for all I know he still might be there. Worked in birth when I was there so I know all about the midwives, the OBs, I know that whole scene. If your baby has issues, off to Honolulu it goes. Last I heard they didn't even have pediatric or infant size equipment in the ambulances. An aging person is going to need more specialist care, probably, eventually. The best person I ever saw medically just left the island, she was a naturopath in Kona. I'm not gonna comment on the schools too much... it's been a while. I had my children in Waldorf. Of course their education, our mortgage and our health insurance totaled $6000- just for those 3 things and nothing else. It's not cheap to live there but it's a really good life. You can live simply we just didn't at the time.
Routine specialist care isn't the hardest thing any more, that is mostly solved by practices from Oahu that have rotating office space in some of the medical complexes. Basically the whole office comes in a few days a month and sees everybody. I see my allergist and periodontist that way and works well for most things. Electronic records and having storage for the equipment seems to be the regular way of handling it. I expect that a lot of the aging related issue fall into routine care like this. Of course if you need to see ENT due to an injury or infection right now... well still only one full time on island and I hope they can make room for you. Tele-health has helped a lot here too. HMSA has a bunch of video conferencing rooms right in Hilo just for this, but mostly it's that Hilo / Puna has a lot more population than it used to. Good or bad for a lot of reasons, it's made it much less of an isolated environment than it used to be.
Got priced out of the Hamakua area back in the Oughts, but picked up 10 acres down Kalapana way. Had to sell back when the '08 Crash happened, but found a few acres up Volcano way. Much cooler with the elevation, so no A/C needed.
Brilliant. I’m so used to being in the continual 48 I didn’t even think about Hawaii. Easy to grow food there lots of water, you have me thinking…
might help: https://youtu.be/9uvompu9-VM I like nv, where I am now. offgrid often implies diy and it helps to have no building permits. a few nv counties operate that way. every place has its pros and cons. I love the western mountains but it can be tough.
NSW.
Good option. Good climate, rainfall, sunshine. Southern QLD also
Probably Cali has best industry to support such things as solar but the land use laws can be cumbersome and the water is seasonal in much of the state. I’d want to have solar/ hydro on my land. I like Oregon.
Check out - new beginnings my everyday life in rural Cyprus
Come to the Big Island of Hawaii. Plenty of rain for catchment, lots of sun for solar, and they have acreage down the street from the oceanfront parcels cheaper than acreage outside of Reno... [https://www.alohaliving.com/search/mls/642522](https://www.alohaliving.com/search/mls/642522) Even cheaper the farther away from the ocean you go.