Does anyone have any info on So NV? I may be looking for a place to move & have noticed that some of the areas are extremely affordable. Added to the fact that they have no state tax & low property tax, it might be a good place for me. I am not interested in Vegas, but I do love the desert climate. Perhaps someplace like Pahrump or Mesquite? I have seen nice looking mobiles/modulars on a 2+ acres advertised in Pahrump for under $75,000. I would need a couple acres for horses, goats & chickens. Maybe some gardening, but I know that we would have to watch the water use. Also, can anyone tell me what might grow there? Citrus & avacado? How about jobs in healthcare? Thanks!

-- ellie (eagle-quest@juno.com), November 24, 2001

Answers

Response to ??desert homesteading/Nevada??

Hi! We lived in Las Vegas for over 20 years and I must say since we moved Northern MN. it was like living in a wasteland. Nothing can grow in that area without some help from you, and citrus would have a hard time growing there because it needs lots of rain, humidity, and reasonable tempatures; That area on average only gets 4.2 inches of rain anually! With average July highs being in the 112 degree range. You see, people in Las Vegas are moving away from it and moving into towns like Pahrump and Mesquite for the 'smaller' town atmosphere, but what most people don't realize is the fact their making the town grow larger, and larger, etc. And furthermore those two acre sites aren't normally zoned for livstock or hobby farming! And you'd still be paying 2500- 5000.00 an acre! We moved to Minnesota and bought a 2400 sq. sturdy 1930's (In execellent cond., and it is a lot more cozy than a mobile home!)two-story house, a 120'x60' Quonset building and a 45'x60' Hip roof barn sitting on 53 acres for 89900.00 dollars and the property taxes are less than 200 dollars! And a lot more vegetables and fruit trees can grow here than in So. Nevada. But best of all this price and property is NORMAL!!! But good luck wherever you decide to move. P.S. Try The Escalente Valley in SW Utah it gets 10.5 inches of rain and more normal temperatures and prices per acre is 750-2000.00 an acre, without giving up any of the desert charm! And we have 40 acres for sale there!

-- Chandler (Providencefarms2001@yahoo.com), November 24, 2001.

Response to ??desert homesteading/Nevada??

Just remember that while places may be inexpensive, taxes low, etc., there are always other costs to consider, such as utility costs, transportation costs (how far are you to the nearest auto repair, your job, big box store, any other places you like to frequent now, etc.) and just general area costs, which are usually higher due to lack of competition.

I have seen many so-called low-cost areas where the fixed-income residents who flocked there for cheap land, and low taxes (bear in mind they wouldn't be paying taxes in most other states either because of income) are paying close to twice as much for groceries in the local store and 20-30 cents more per gallon of gas than they would if they lived elsewhere--and these are not tourist traps, they are simply out in the middle of nowhere.

The above is not to discourage you by any means, but you might also check out some of the surveys that come out which rank the states by affordability, and apply the info to your own income situation so as to make the best decision for you. Most of the surveys are geared toward retirees, but they still contain lots of valuable information for everyone. Hope this helps.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), November 24, 2001.

Response to ??desert homesteading/Nevada??

Chandler, Are you the one who advertised the 40 acres in Utah on this site earlier? If so I did email you privately, but no reply? I would be interested in hearing more about this land? Is in anywhere near Beaver or Cedar City? This is a lovely area and if it's anywhere near that wonderful cheese factory I'd be fat as a tick! Can you tell me about the weather, jobs, etc? I know this sounds like a sensative question, but I have heard that if you are not Mormon you can run into trouble finding jobs, friends, etc. I am not stating this to sound prejudice, just asking.

As far as NV goes, I am actually looking some someplace with minimal cold weather/snow. I just can't take the cold & hubby has arthritis. Everytime we get a cold spell we are both miserable. Not to mention my allergies...I am not interested in Vegas, but most of the livability servey I have seen rate it quite high. Apparently housing is fairly inexpensive for a city of it's size, weather is mild most of the year, low taxes, etc. I also have family in So CA so that would be easy for weekend visits. I realize that $70,000 for 2.5 acres seems like a lot to some of ya, but where I am from (denver) that is a steal! And there were even some as low as $50,000. And yes, I did check that they are indeed zoned for livestock. In fact, Pahrump apparently is basically a "do-your-own-thing" type place once you are out of the city limits. The county places no restrictions on the # of head or type of livestock as long as you have at least 1 acre. So I could keep horses/goats there as long as I maintained them & kept the place within reason. I would love more info if anyone has some!

-- ellie (eagle-quest@juno.com), November 24, 2001.

Response to ??desert homesteading/Nevada??

Hi, We lived in "vegas for 30+ years and My Dad and Uncle lived in Pahrump until their deaths. We retired to Oregon as I just hated the heat! And don't think it doesn't get cold there, it does. You might check out the records of highs and lows over the years. As to allergies. Both areas have lots of wind and dust. When we lived there, I was on every medication known to man for allergies including injections and was miserable quite a lot of the time because of them. I take nothing here in Oregon for allergies now, and we have been here since '92. Having said all that I will say I miss the sunsets and the beautiful desert scenery(although it is pretty here too)like Valley of Fire and Red Rock Canyon etc. I miss reptiles too, we are lucky to even see a lizard or a snake here. However I don't miss getting up at 3AM, taking the dogs out to the above mentioned places and having to be back home by 9AM to get out of the heat! I also don't miss: Black widow Spiders, Cockroaches, Scorpions, Ants that are really grumpy and cactus. LOL Have you checked with the Pahrump Chamber of Commerce for some info? Good Luck, LQ

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), November 24, 2001.

citrus doesn't need alot of humidity and rainfall to do well. The area of southern California I'm in gets 9inches/year, usually none at all from June to October and we have orange and lemon groves all over here. I was just out in Sun City, Arizona where they get less rain and higher temps and citrus is growing all over there. I inquired about some grapefruit, tangelo and orange trees at one location and was told they water them twice a week. The trees looked very healthy and were full of fruit.

Ellie, I've seen land/homes alot cheaper than that in Pahrump. It's awfully dusty there. Maybe you could spend a week or 2 there in a motel and hang out to see if you're going to like it.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), November 25, 2001.

check out maraposa [ by merced] the land, with mobile runs about the same and it gets little to no snow and it is pretty to boot.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), November 26, 2001.

I too looked into the Pahrump area of Nevada as I had met someone from there. However, this person doesn't like to tell you any of the "downside" of life there as she is attempting to talk us into moving there.

I requested information from the Pahrump Chamber of Commerce and with emails back and forth, and them saying that they mailed me a Relocation Packet months ago, and I never got it, etc., etc., it seems that even the businesses there don't care about whether or not anyone moves there. I requested information in October of this year..... today is December 21st and I just now TODAY got my packet. It comes now . . . when I have decided I am no longer interested in that area.

About the water that was mentioned in a previous post (unsure by whom) they said "would have to watch water consumption". . . I was told that the city of Pahrump had no water problems as they were situated directly above the nations second largest natural acquifer.

Also . . . as far as zoning for livestock . . . this woman who was talking to me lives inside the city limits (although towards the outskirts of town) and raises goats and chickens on 1 1/4 acres of land with no problems.

Just thought I'd put my two cents in here!!!!

-- wolfie (wolfiequinn@hotmail.com), December 21, 2001.