Letters

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Dear Communities:

Luc Reid's letter commenting on my article, "Seriously Seeking Community, Part II" in the Fall '01 issue stated that land in Vermont can be had for under $100 an acre. Don't pack your bags yet folks! I talked to Luc and it turns out, unfortunately, that my assessment of real estate prices up there is closer than his. His community, Meadowdance, has bought a large piece of land in the North Country for $1,000 an acre, not $100!

We have kept up with land prices in Vermont and sneak a look at various pieces now and again-after all it is one of the most beauteous and politically correct places on Earth. The Green Mountain State has large parcels of land in remote places for $1,000/acre. But if you don't have the funds for 200 acres and you're talking 50 acres or less, then you're looking at closer to $2,000 or more. And they've just established strict state septic regulations, which can push the costs up considerably since much of the land in mountainous Vermont is clay and requires a mounded septic system. No outhouses allowed anymore-alas.

This brings up the larger issue I was attempting to deal with in my article of how forming communities can find land at a price that doesn't put them in deep debt and stifle simple living, or require a sugar daddy (mommy). My perception is that it's getting harder out there.

At the present time, John and I have found only one place in the Northeast where cheap living is really possible if you want to buy land and that's upstate New York. We recently made an exploratory foray out there to visit the Birdsfoot and Ness Communities...