Where is off-grid utopia?

[Fearless]

I'm in the planning stage of adding solar to my home. It has me thinking about setting up an off-grid cabin in the woods as a retreat.
Now that you can get acceptable Internet by satellite that part of the equation is met.
I would need to be in a location where drilling for water won't be a problem.
Also, have to be able to install a sewer system.
I would like to be on a year-round flowing creek not too far from civilization.
I assume that land without any utilities would be very reasonably priced.
How do I find this off-grid utopia? Where is the best place to look?

 

[CoolWill]

I'm in the planning stage of adding solar to my home. It has me thinking about setting up an off-grid cabin in the woods as a retreat.
Now that you can get acceptable Internet by satellite that part of the equation is met.
I would need to be in a location where drilling for water won't be a problem.
Also, have to be able to install a sewer system.
I would like to be on a year-round flowing creek not too far from civilization.
I assume that land without any utilities would be very reasonably priced.
How do I find this off-grid utopia? Where is the best place to look?

Alabama/Tennessee

 

[wopachop]

Tennessee is filling up fast with cali folks i wouldnt dilly dally!!

 

[Fearless]

That's 2 for Tennessee.

 

[Solarcabin Channel]

Look on the land auction websites, check tax sales, talk to locals.

I don't recommend going too far away from civilization and you will need to resupply, get health care and have other services.

I am 10 miles from a one store town and 30 miles from a bigger city. Far enough to have my peace and security but close enough to get stuff and have some socializing and be safe.

Look around small towns that have the services you need and ask around, read the paper and look for the tax sales. Old timers may want to split off some land. I avoid realtors but they may list undeveloped land.

ADDED:

Consider land with an old fixer upper house that has good bones. Cheaper to remodel than build new and lots of materials to salvage. There are lots of those just sitting empty that could be made in to a fine off grid cabin.

Good luck!

 

[OffGridForGood]

South - less difference summer to winter solar potential, but more A/C loads typically.
North - much more difference in solar from summer to winter, but far lower A/C loads.
N-W/N-E Coasts - cooler, but cloudy/rainy more often, more expensive, trees, winter.
Mid west - less cloudy, less A/C (depending).
Northern mid-west - colder, more difference between summer and winter solar potential.
Areas with forest are often a problem for solar, unless you have a large cleared pasture, or a site on a south-facing slope.
I wonder if you take a strip following the Mississippi valley North-South and look at the cost of land, potential for drilled well (average depth to water table) and consider the trade-off between how hot (A/C load) and how cold (winter heating) plus how much variation in solar between summer winter if you come to a sweet spot.
Like right in the middle of Iowa - Des Moines? not excessively hot in summer, not too cold in winter, good solar potential all year around, low cost land available, depth to well water?

 

[ChrisG]

Tennessee. We bought our cabin/property there (4.5 hours from primary residence in another state) for this reason but panel placement is proving to be difficult with trees (long story). For those wanting to grid interconnect, TVA co-op agreements are not favorable. Better to just build off-grid system and use grid as a secondary battery.

 

[OffGridForGood]

Land seems a lot cheaper in Nebraska, but taxes are higher,
maybe North-Eastern Missouri...Kirksville? Wow land is cheap. Some trees but lots of open land as well. Some rivers and hills.
10kW array would bring in 925kWh (worst month) to 1340 (best month) 14,000kWh per year. mild winters, not too hot summers. Sounds nice.

 

[rhino]

That's 2 for Tennessee.

fyi, it is usually listed in the top 10 most polluted states.

 

[45North]

I'm in the planning stage of adding solar to my home. It has me thinking about setting up an off-grid cabin in the woods as a retreat.
Now that you can get acceptable Internet by satellite that part of the equation is met.
I would need to be in a location where drilling for water won't be a problem.
Also, have to be able to install a sewer system.
I would like to be on a year-round flowing creek not too far from civilization.
I assume that land without any utilities would be very reasonably priced.
How do I find this off-grid utopia? Where is the best place to look?

Depends.
Where are you now and how far are you willing to travel?
What other factors are important in your life: family, grandkids, recreation, boating, skiing, etc..

 

[Fearless]

Depends.
Where are you now and how far are you willing to travel?
What other factors are important in your life: family, grandkids, recreation, boating, skiing, etc..

It would be a second home. I'm in central Texas. Closer that fit the bill would be better.

 

[rodrick]

Scratch off cali, western Oregon and western Washington but if you like cooler weather Idaho, Montana, Colorado and Wyoming are nice

 

[wopachop]

One thing to consider is bugs. Buddy moved to Texas and had to install a misting system to spray out poison twice a day.

 

[Crowz]

Alabama probably fits the bill with cheap land and lots of untouched land. At the same time I like it that way and hope we stay "overlooked".

 

[NC_hydro]

fyi, it is usually listed in the top 10 most polluted states.

By all means please keep that rumor going, we have enough people moving here

 

[seneysolar]

Michigan's Upper Peninsula!!!

Property is still cheap in the eastern UP.

Not much for industry/jobs but thats why its cheap. Tons of camps and cabins for sale if youre not near a tourist town or on a lake.
Most are already set up with a cobbled solar install that needs attention ?

 

[Skypower]

By all means please keep that rumor going, we have enough people moving here

With California and New Yorkers running Tennessee prices up. Cracks me up that developers build little boxes crammed next to each other and the new comers are standing in in line to buy it up. Meanwhile across the way you can buy a single level with land around it for the same price. They don’t leave stupid behind.

 

[OffGridForGood]

I poked around a bit, looking for a combination of:
lots of sunny days,
mild summers (not too hot) reduces dependance on A/C
mild winters (not too cold) reducees dependance on heating
low cost of land correlates with low population
low property tax rates
good farmland
good quality water table - not too deep, reduces dependance on deep well pumping
rolling hilly topography - reduces threat of flooding - if your on the high parts
far enough south to avoid too much extreme difference between best and worst month solar, far enough north to avoid getting cooked during the summer.
Seems to be some good potential in the mid latitude midwest, my pick (from an armchair) was Kirksville MO.
Although Sunshine-eggo pitches his high altitude part of AZ quite well.

 

[G00SE]

Only a handful of states I think would earn my business.
Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, that’s probably about it

 

[G00SE]

Although Sunshine-eggo pitches his high altitude part of AZ quite well.

we have chupacabras too