Somewhat secluded backwoods tracts without zoning or permits required

[JNHEscher]

Wife and I are beginning to scope out vacant land to call our next home base. We're set on doing the Tuff Shed or container tiny home thing. Off-grid, sustainable-ish. I hate flat, barren land and I think my wife is sick of it too. Ideally, I think we would slip back into Cooper County, MO. because I know the majority of the area and it has the deep woods, rolling hills, bluffs, etc. However, she can't work at the two big hospitals in my hometown. She can't work at many hospitals down toward Lake of the Ozarks, either. So, we're poking around the eastern half of TX, western half of TN, and I brought up the western tip of KY. AR seems to be a no go for her. Trying not to stray too far from MO or IN as our remaining parents could use some close family nearer than we are now.

Having read enough of what you guys share one here, I'm more than confident that many of you are highly privy to what's good and what's not in regards to tucking away in the trees and staying away from restrictions. Googling tiny home stuff brings up mostly tiny home community living in HOA's and people that want to sell you an overpriced home on wheels. We want to build simply and freely without some asshole inspector giving us stupid reprimandments over something just because it's what his book says. Setting up for year-round living, but it'll be our spot to come back to and park an RV on occasion while we travel.

Land within an hour of a reasonably sized hospital is probably what we're after. My wife currently drive two hours one way and is quite tired of it. I've always lived within 30-45 minutes from work. An hour isn't bad. Figured I'd see what smartass ideas I get here

 

[bigun]

You and 10 million (yeah I know it's exagerated) are all looking for the same thing

 

[KarlVP]

You and 10 million (yeah I know it's exagerated) are all looking for the same thing

That's no shit. There is an "unimprovable lot" on the river in my neighborhood. 3/4 acre that the previous owner used to park and live in his RV for the summer. It sold in days. Not only that when it went up for sale, there were shitloads of lookie-loos in the neighborhood.

 

[JNHEscher]

You and 10 million (yeah I know it's exagerated) are all looking for the same thing

Yeah, unfortunately. TX land prices are climb quick for this reason.

 

[TRINDU]

Yeah, unfortunately. TX land prices are climb quick for this reason.

Overall, yes. Blame California.

East Texas is still "cheap", anything east of 45 sounds like what you want. Lots of trees and low IQs.

 

[JNHEscher]

Overall, yes. Blame California.

East Texas is still "cheap", anything east of 45 sounds like what you want. Lots of trees and low IQs.

Much of why I'd like to keep east of TX. The trees keep the low IQ's out of sight. Same goes in MO and much of the midwest. Tyler and College Station have been brought up a few times. Haven't been to either one.

 

[TRINDU]

Much of why I'd like to keep east of TX. The trees keep the low IQ's out of sight. Same goes in MO and much of the midwest. Tyler and College Station have been brought up a few times. Haven't been to either one.

I'm currently in college station, with every intention of moving once the wife finds a new job. We may put this shithole in the rear view regardless.

Real estate has gone apeshit, we were looking at buying 5+ acres with a decent house and shop. She has to be within 45 minutes of the university. Cant touch it for anything less than half million. We've given up. For the record, just a few years ago land was $7500 an acre and housing $85 sq ft new construction. Now is $20k+ and $115+. All the rats are leaving the sinking ships and screwing it up for the locals.

Luftkin, nacogdoches, Jacksonville, crockett, tyler, Palestine, shit in that area is your pines. It's the land of the haves and have nots.

 

[Kyle]

Much of why I'd like to keep east of TX. The trees keep the low IQ's out of sight. Same goes in MO and much of the midwest. Tyler and College Station have been brought up a few times. Haven't been to either one.

tyler is nice but expensive IMO. Lots of retirees. Wife went to school there. Pretty trees.

CS is a college town. Plenty of young people. Nothing else. Oh it’s really humid too. And flat.

You really have to decide what you want. Neither one of those places is really off the grid. Go west for that. Big bend country is legitimately rugged.

 

[ConwayMuddy]

O.p. why cant your wife work in Missouri? Just curious. Spent a bunch of time when I was younger by the lake, was beautiful country

 

[JNHEscher]

I'm currently in college station, with every intention of moving once the wife finds a new job. We may put this shithole in the rear view regardless.

Real estate has gone apeshit, we were looking at buying 5+ acres with a decent house and shop. She has to be within 45 minutes of the university. Cant touch it for anything less than half million. We've given up. For the record, just a few years ago land was $7500 an acre and housing $85 sq ft new construction. Now is $20k+ and $115+. All the rats are leaving the sinking ships and screwing it up for the locals.

Luftkin, nacogdoches, Jacksonville, crockett, tyler, Palestine, shit in that area is your pines. It's the land of the haves and have nots.

Man, I was hoping folks from the areas being mentioned would have some firsthand knowledge. Helps a lot. I gotta say that I'm not interested in TX, but if it works out for us in all aspects and I just have to deal with it, I'll go. Still have a bit of family in Wichita Falls. I don't care if the lot is covered in broken down machinery. Some mature trees stuck in some hills would suit me as long as we can set up and live without county bureaucracy throwing stipulations at us. If all they ask is a slab be poured and someone to sign it off, we're cool with that.

 

[JNHEscher]

tyler is nice but expensive IMO. Lots of retirees. Wife went to school there. Pretty trees.

CS is a college town. Plenty of young people. Nothing else. Oh it’s really humid too. And flat.

You really have to decide what you want. Neither one of those places is really off the grid. Go west for that. Big bend country is legitimately rugged.

We'll check that out. We grew up in Missouri. Something like 85% all year. Nuts are permanently stuck to your legs. Dry ass Colorado splits our skin.

 

[JNHEscher]

O.p. why cant your wife work in Missouri? Just curious. Spent a bunch of time when I was younger by the lake, was beautiful country

I love it down there. There's a county that's totally without zoning and such at the edge of the lake. I'm from Columbia, MO. Wife can't work at MU or Boone because they only take their students or those with some specific degree from them or some such shit. Down south, she got fired from a hospital she had just started at right out of ultrasound school because they stuck her on a particular scan by herself that she had not been trained for, then marked her as non-rehirable. Many hospitals associate with each other kinda like a chain store, so this notation spread across several of them down there. I think there's more or less to the reasoning than that, but that's what I know. Royally fucks with us trying to move back since she's funding most everything as she makes six or seven times what I ever could right now.

 

[ArTi54N]

I don't think you can really find a place to live, that isn't under the government's eye.. anymore..

 

[JNHEscher]

I don't think you can really find a place to live, that isn't under the government's eye.. anymore..

Not at all. There's still plenty out there that authoritative figures oversee but don't care about. I think that's about as good as it gets now. We're in no way considering running sewage to a creek or anything. I like to preserve land and respect that of others. Just want to set foot and be left alone. Or be left alone so that we can set foot.

 

[PAE]

Whats the weather like ?
I lived in Florida back in 2010 for a few months and didnt care for the humidity, Massachusetts a month later was a little better but their state police looked like nazi's and the firearms laws there treated citizens like criminals!
Demographic ?

 

[ArTi54N]

I wish we could get away more with whatever we want to do, at our own ranch.. (Est. 1876)


but part of the problem is that even the border patrol has their own lock on the main front gate..

 

[6869704x4]

Not at all. There's still plenty out there that authoritative figures oversee but don't care about. I think that's about as good as it gets now. We're in no way considering running sewage to a creek or anything. I like to preserve land and respect that of others. Just want to set foot and be left alone. Or be left alone so that we can set foot.

It's like that where I live, however, nobody wan'ts to live here.

 

[JNHEscher]

Whats the weather like ?
I lived in Florida back in 2010 for a few months and didnt care for the humidity, Massachusetts a month later was a little better but their state police looked like nazi's and the firearms laws there treated citizens like criminals!
Demographic ?

Weather will be better than what it is here. I can absolutely guarantee that. We miss the rain, thunderstorms, heavy snowfall. It's dry with straight line winds that hit 130mph where we currently live. About 70mph wind weekly. Rain and snow only come in sideways. The wind takes out animal shelters. Working on vehicles outside is hell.

Demographic probably doesn't matter much at all. People are weird everywhere. As long as the woods are thick enough, home will be comfortable.

 

[Filthy McChevy]

My County has signs in remote locations saying "zoned and permits required". It still comes down to if you have neighbors that complain. I remember being amused by a guy from Montana who came to Summit County CO years ago in an unregistered car he didn't have the title to complaining about too many rules. That was back in the 80s.

 

[JNHEscher]

My County has signs in remote locations saying "zoned and permits required". It still comes down to if you have neighbors that complain. I remember being amused by a guy from Montana who came to Summit County CO years ago in an unregistered car he didn't have the title to complaining about too many rules. That was back in the 80s.

CO has some jacked up rules in general. Never wanted to move here, but it's where my wife got her first contract. We cross the border in some of the most remote locations of CO and those signs are still present. Might depend on the county inspector a lot. The one we had to deal with in the valley was a complete ass that pocketed inspection fees as he ripped people off.

 

[ArTi54N]

even if you can get away with some stuff more than others.. you prolly end up with neighbors, checkin out what you have on google maps..

 

[JNHEscher]

even if you can get away with some stuff more than others.. you prolly end up with neighbors, checkin out what you have on google maps..

Always. I do that same. Hopefully the satellite won't pass over for a couple years to refresh to image lol. Our house is about two years old and google still shows it as a pile of cabinets and trusses. A tree canopy can 100% conceal your junk. What I would love to find is a totally overgrown lot. There's a few of those for same in my hometown, but within city limits which brings zoning and such. Some developer will eventually clear it all for mass housing or something.

 

[evernoob]

Stay there. You are an unwelcome migrant. You lay in the bed you made. You are part of the Colorado Problem, so stay in Caluh-fuckin-rado.

Prices are going up around here, it's an unwelcome influx of ****s and their **** biden-voting wives looking for safe places to live after decades of virtue signaling bullshit.

 

[Provience]

Man, I was hoping folks from the areas being mentioned would have some firsthand knowledge. Helps a lot. I gotta say that I'm not interested in TX, but if it works out for us in all aspects and I just have to deal with it, I'll go. Still have a bit of family in Wichita Falls. I don't care if the lot is covered in broken down machinery. Some mature trees stuck in some hills would suit me as long as we can set up and live without county bureaucracy throwing stipulations at us. If all they ask is a slab be poured and someone to sign it off, we're cool with that.

where i'm at in South East Idaho, about 4 years or so ago they adopted building permits and standards, there are signs at all the town limits that say "Building Permits required" and land and building costs have all doubled in the past year :(

but it is treeless and cold, i wouldn't full time in a shed or RV out there (anywhere intermountain west region) permits or not


the biggest push for the tiny home thing is that you are staying below the square foot requirements for what a "house" is, so some place that says "anything under 900 sqft is not a home" means you won't have any inspections, but it also means you might not be able to get an address issued, which may or may not make for issues later on

 

[JunkCJ6]

I will get berated, but look at southern illinois. There is just what you are wanting listed for 179k south of vienna right now, 2 bedroom 1 bath metal building with detatched garage on 9 acres. Unincorporated is no zoning and no building permits. Taxes dow there are stll reasonable, that place shows as 1800/year.

 

[woods]

Northern New England? Coos County is my favorite area I'm familiar with.

 

[Dethmachinefab]

I don't think any of that exists within an hour of a major city. If your wife can make the drive so can many others and it's built up. We have a few backwoods hospitals up here in NY, surrounded by tons of cheap vacant land. 1k per acre type pricing but the taxes are high. Still have building permits and Inspectors. You can hide a tiny home until you wanted to connect to the grid, if its a movable structure you are just camping at your land.

We are looking for similar things and I've searched for months. Closest I've found to freedom is in WV, but would prefer a warmer climate and some possibility of local work.

 

[Kyle]

We'll check that out. We grew up in Missouri. Something like 85% all year. Nuts are permanently stuck to your legs. Dry ass Colorado splits our skin.

Sounds like the east tx area or eastern Oklahoma western Arkansas might be where you shoold
focus.

I like Tyler. But they do lack some stuff.

 

[WaterH]

Make sure you check taxes (income and sales) in the state you are considering. It can make a big differnce.

 

[dave_dj1]

Didn't read all but there is still parcels like that in Maine.