We sold our house. Where to now?

December 30, 2008 12:30 PM

After 14 years living in our small farm house a once-agricultural town in Connecticut our family has had to move on. Despite the markets leaning we did make a profit and would like to reinvest it as quickly as possible. As far as what we desire out of a location, we wouldn't like to go any farther north but have no real desire to stay in the state and would consider moving out of New England for the right reasons.

We like our space so size is important. We don't need hundreds of acres or even a dozen. We wouldn't like to be too far away from civilization and neighbors are always a good thing to have. The woods are okay but arable land is better. I would like to grow some fruit trees and maybe raise some chickens.

So basically I'm looking for suggestions on where to begin our new property hunt. Let's say we have upwards of $85k available immediately.

Thanks Metafilter, you haven't failed me yet. :)

posted by jofuu to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

One of the nicest communities I've ever lived in was that surrounding Blacksburg, VA (home of Virginia Tech.) It's an incredibly beautiful part of the Appalachians right along the New River and adjacent to Jefferson National Forest. My husband and I raised chickens on our 6 acre plot and I had a very large herb garden. The community is friendly, active, liberal-leaning among the academics, more conservative, but not intolerant, among the native residents in the more rural areas outside the town. I'd move back in a heartbeat but my career took me to DC.
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 1:24 PM on December 30, 2008

Jefferson County, WV, is about an hour and a quarter from Washington DC and Baltimore, MD at non-rush hour times. It's the location of the historic town of Harper's Ferry. The county seat is Charles Town, which is home to the Charles Town Races and Slots, but there is a lot of nice rural landscape as well as other quaint small towns in and around the county.

Once you're off the main roads you're definetly in the country.

It has a lot of the advantages of rural or suburban Maryland where I live, but taxes are a lot less, as is real estate. You're not far from plenty of water sports on the Potomac or Shenandoah Rivers, and you're within a hour or so of several ski resorts.

The whole tri-state area is a hot bed of Civil War history with numerous battlefields, museums, etc.

Also, there are commuter trains running from Harper's Ferry into downtown Washington DC daily.

For what it's worth, alternatively, you could do a lot worse than Blacksburg, VA, as mentioned by hellboundfor cheddar.
posted by imjustsaying at 2:01 PM on December 30, 2008

My husband's family is from the Rochester,NY area. The sub-divisions are spreading in some areas, but I think you can still find some nice land there or in the Finger Lakes region. Lots of apple growing there. Just be aware that it can get hammered with Lake effect snow, but it's lovely in the summer.
posted by saffry at 3:19 PM on December 30, 2008

To add to hellboundforcheddar and imjustsaying:

-- A post I wrote about moving to Blacksburg, VA It's a few years old, but might be useful.

-- If it's land you're after, I always point people to Floyd, VA.
posted by junkbox at 9:34 PM on December 30, 2008