Thinking about a sustainable homestead in MT or WY

[Lokidude]

Sorry I didn't notice this thread a couple days ago. I'll pick up real estate info for you tomorrow for northern Wyoming, and put together a full response on the rest of your questions. First thing to mention, though, the cold here bites into you a hell of a lot harder than in northern Utah.

[ZeroGravitas]

Sustainable is defined by the user.

Here's my $.02. To be really sustainable (in my definition), you'll need neighbors that are standard rural neighbors.

If you find an potential site, you might try to figure out if you're surrounded by ranchette yuppies that will need lots of help, or established locals that know it goes both ways. A few established locals will go a long way.

If you can stand Wyoming and Montana winters, the Dakotas have a lot to offer, sans yuppies.

[HTRN]

If you want real self-sufficiency, you need land like Lancaster PA, parts of NJ, NY, VA, KY, SE TX and TN -- unfortunately, those aren't the most desirable for political reasons, and for disease -- I'm guessing it's due to damp, cold falls and springs, but that part of the country seems far more prone to disease.

Lancaster is the richest farmland in the World. The Northeast was, until the advent of mechanization, the breadbasket of the US - Some Amish are reporting that they used to get 6 times the yield per acre in SE PA, than they now get in the Midwest.

As for Disease, It's a combination of cold(cold air leaves you more vulnerable to respitory infections) and population density - I live in the Suburbs, and it's still just under 10K/sq mile.


HTRN

[Darrell]

Most places out west, it ain't how many cows per acre, it's how many acres per cow.

[Greg]

In terms of power, solar and wind strike me as still being expensive luxuries.

What I've read about hydro electric (search for micro-hydro) has me pretty excited.

[Windy Wilson]

I used to work with a fellow from Great Falls, MT, and he confirmed what Rumpshot said about the wind in central MT. My co-worker told stories about very strong winds in Great Falls.

[Darrell]

Chris, did you consider the San Luis valley in Colorado, or across the border into New Mexico? It's the biggest alpine valley in the world, supposedly, has a lot of agriculture, plus lots of sun and wind if that's what you want.

[Darrell]

Hwaylo by de reeber? Pueblo has its nice points: low cost of living, green chiles, good Mexican food... lots of Mexicans too, of course. Southern Colorado in particular has more of an indigenous Mexican culture, it's very strong in the San Luis valley. There are a lot of descendants of the original Mexican land grants there, and some resent whitey to this day. Northern NM can be like that too. I wouldn't mind living in Pueblo, except that it's usually ten degrees hotter there than in the Springs. Vestas, the big Danish wind power company, is moving into Pueblo, which has job seekers excited.

Hey, have you checked out Westcliffe/the Wet Mountain valley? It's just west of Pueblo, and as pretty a valley as you'll see in Colorado. The Sangre de Cristo range borders the west side of the valley, badass Fourteeners as far as the eye can see, and it's relatively undeveloped yet. Walsenburg and the surrounding country is pretty too, around the Spanish Peaks.

[Combat Controller]

Look around Las Vegas NM, the lad is pretty good out there.