Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Sep 12, 2007, at 11:57 AM, <eureka AT hctc.net> wrote:

 It's 2-1/2 hours away to a corporate job,
> 1-1/2 to the nearest Starbucks, 1 to WalMart. The school
> hasn't been updated in decades, no medical services, all
> others 'volunteer'. Property values have gone up about 64
> percent since I bought six years ago so land is no longer
> cheap.
>
> Part of the problem is that ranchers can't make a living
> anymore (bottom fell out of mohair, can't hire illegals to
> sheer, etc.) and their kids have all gone to college to
> become doctors and lawyers, don't want to do anything
> other than drive their shiny hummers and ATVs around on
> their childhood haunts. The only way they can keep up with
> the taxes is to sell off chunks to little folks like us.
> This kind of fragmentation is going on all over the Texas
> hill country right now. I'm sure this is happening
> elsewhere, too.

It is a familiar story and is happening in many areas across the  
country. I just finished reading THAT OLD ACE IN THE HOLE by Annie  
Proulx. The setting is the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. The main  
character is an agent for an intensive hog farm conglomeration.  
Proulx illuminates the issues of old timers who want to hang on to  
the land, heirs who just want the cash, and the tensions and  
opportunities that presents to those of various motivations.

One of the characteristics of peaceable land you can usually depend  
on is excessive distance for weekenders to commute. One must be aware  
that ever-greater distance is required, as vehicles go faster easier  
and pressure is ever on for higher speed limits. One day many will  
have private helicopters or other small flying things that will  
exacerbate rural peace and quiet. One of the first ones will be shot  
down, the shooter will become a cult hero, songs will be written  
about her, and she will become legend. But I digress.

Far out is often just not far enough. The majority of Americans would  
prefer to live in a small town or rural place. The only thing holding  
back the outmigration flood is the current reticence toward  
telecommuting by most big companies. Once the employment issue is  
resolved, many of the old rules will no longer be valid.

Another key characteristic of land that often provides serenity is  
conditions that the masses find simply undesirable. Here in my neck  
of the Ozarks we joke that if it wasn't for the ticks and chiggers we  
would be overrun by city slickers and their rantipoles terrorizing we  
locals with their dirt bikes and off-road vehicles. Even with the  
ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, no-see-ums, poisonous snakes, tornadoes,  
and did I mention a potential repeat of the New Madrid earthquake?,  
my Ozark County counts tourism as its third largest source of income.

Finding a place that is highly desirable to you and yours and highly  
unlikely to change is a challenging quest. Those who get it right do  
a thorough search, applying their criteria to a wide area and taking  
the time to determine the plusses and negatives. It is time consuming  
but it is worth the effort. I can think of few things in life that  
are more important to personal peace than the location of one's home.