Arkansas as my Stomping Grounds

[roadie]

I'm considering where to move to finish out the last chapters of my life, and am leaning towards Arkansas.  Looking for secluded living (10 acres and a doublewide), not too worried about utilities, or community amenities.  Want great riding roads, part-time job for health insurance (I'd shovel **** for a living), and great hunting.  Whose got intel on this sort of living in Arkansas?  Would love to hear from those that live there.  I did for a short while, back when I was an officer in the Air Force.   Loved the area, but that was a lifetime ago.

[VirginiaJim]

Have you thought about VA say like the southwest or from Roanoke southward?

[roadie]

Yeah, have.  How the land prices down there per acre for non-grid connected land?

[VirginiaJim]

I don't know, but the hillier it is the cheaper it gets.  South of Roanoke you can get into valleys where the land may be cheaper.  You need to ride out there and take a look.  I would be out there myself if it weren't for my grandkids being in the King George area.  Towards Kentucky it can get depressed as living conditions go.  The southwest is coal country.  My bets would be between Roanoke and Abingdon along I85.  It's a technology corridor with lots of high techs.  Might be worth looking into.  Arkansas is bit too hot/humid for me.

[jworth]

I've only lived in Arkansas for 36 years so I hope I'm qualified to answer your question.  The first 1/2 of my life was at the foot of Mt. Magazine.  When I graduated I moved to the delta to go to school at ASU.  I have not yet managed to leave the delta, but with God as my witness some day I will.  Now, that said, when I do move, I'm not at all married to the idea of moving back to the hills of Arkansas.  They are beautiful, don't get me wrong.  My problem with the state is the politics.  We are in the top 10 in cumulative tax rates, I'm thinking maybe top 5.  We're a long time democratically controlled state and all that goes along with that.  We don't have castle doctrine. 

Now, me personally I'm thinking if I had my druthers, I'd look to move somewhere on the eastern half of TN.  It's beautiful there, too, and the politics of TN I find to be much more agreeable, at least anywhere east of Memphis. 

FWIW, I recently saw a Craigslist ad where a guy was looking to sell land near Hardy, AR for about $1200/acre.

[VirginiaJim]

Yep on eastern TN.  Beautiful riding country.

[Outback_Jon]

Sounds like someone is trying to come up with an excuse to go to the National.   

[VirginiaJim]

Hadn't thought of that angle...

[zsiska]

I love southwest Virginia.  My wife's family is from Pound, VA.  No work there but coal and making shine and growing pot.  It is pretty depressed unless you are retired and just want to hang out and enjoy God's country.  Some of her cousins live in Duffield, VA and there is some work in that area but not much.  But the tri-city TN area is only about an hour away if you can drive that way to work.  If there were more there for my kids (and their living grandparents) I would be there. 

[AZBiker]

Thought about AZ or NM?  AZ has awesome roads and plenty of OTG land.

You can license pretty much anything you want as long as it has a headlight, brakelight and horn.  Rhinos, Mules, quads, KX/CR500s, those little Japanese utility vehicles that are for "farm use only" in the rest of the country, etc.

Only problem is a water source.  Trucking your own water will make you efficient as a mofo tho.   

[roadie]

Tellin' ya, getting so many ideas from these posts. Very interesting to read. 

AZ:  you OTG in AZ?

[Excavator]

I moved to Arkansas in 1978 (20 minutes southwest of Little Rock) and was amazed at the beauty of the landscape, (I did grow up in the west Texas desert so the moon would have probably looked good to me), we have lakes and rivers in all parts of the state and some of the best motorcycling roads in the country, it is the natural state. On average wages are low but so are living expenses. Land can be had at reasonable prices in the rural areas but the more populated areas have become quite pricy over the last 20 years or so, our real estate values have not fallen as in many other states.



When and if I ever retire I will most likely end up in northeast Arkansas or west Tennessee. Either way I will be close enough to ride in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains at every chance.

GO HOGS!!

[lt1]

I lived in north central AR twice in my childhood & youth, and my diploma is from there.  Beautiful country, nice people.  It's been a few years since I've been back, but the political climate might keep me from moving back out there.  Of course, far enough out in the back woods and probably nobody will bother you.  Best wishes.

[AZBiker]

Tellin' ya, getting so many ideas from these posts. Very interesting to read. 

AZ:  you OTG in AZ?

Nope.  OTG costs too much up front & I have to work for a living.  If I had a 4wd with a pair of lockers I'd think about it but the commute would be brutal.

Solar power & batts are $$$.  The good thing is that solar is a viable option here as long as you can afford the battery power for night time.  Higher elevations wouldn't require a/c, just a swamp cooler.

I'm at 5,200' and it's pretty mild.  1,100' is not so mild.

[AZBiker]

http://www.myazland.com/shadowrock.html

20 acres, 20 large.

[roadie]

http://www.myazland.com/shadowrock.html

20 acres, 20 large.

That's awesome. I've spent over thirty years away from home in places like Kosovo, Macedonia, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Afghanistan and Iraq:  My point, have not seen enough of my beautiful America. This is gonna sound dumb on my part, but I had no idea AZ had green like that!