098: 16 Places in the U.S. Where You Can Get Free Land

SHOW NOTES FOR EPISODE 098 – 16 PLACES IN THE U.S. WHERE YOU CAN GET FREE LAND

If you are the adventurous type who wouldn’t have a problem pulling up stakes and moving to a town you have probably never visited (nor heard of) in your life, then this episode is for you.  In this episode, Bill shares actual cities in the U.S. that still have homesteading (not officially) but it is free land nonetheless!  From a 80 X 120 foot lot to 12 acres, this land is free for the taking.  The only caveat is that you must move there to own it and, in some cases, you must grow a business and provide jobs on it.

1. Lincoln, Kansas

Lincoln, Kansas is a picturesque small town.  The property is located right next to the town baseball field and in close vicinity to the local schools.  This is a subdivision setting, but a lot of modern homesteaders do so on a smaller scale.

The town population is only 3500, and it is located right off of Interstate 70. The town does require an application process.

If you are interested in applying for this land, click here.

2. Marquette, Kansas

Marquette is another small town gem. They offer great school systems and safety for your family.

They, too, require you to fill out a land application. It is also required that if you are accepted into the free land program that you begin to build a home within 120 days.

Your home must be completed one year from the date of signing the land agreement. You are also required to live in your home for one year. There are certain specifications that your home must meet in order to qualify.

If you’d like to apply for Marquette’s free land, click here.

3. New Richland, Minnesota

New Richland has a population of just 1200. Though it is a small town, it does have amenities like a golf course and bike trail. They are giving away 86’ x 133’ lots.

They require that you apply for the land.

Once the land has been deeded to you, you have one year to build a home with certain specifications.

You will be assessed for part of the cost to put in street curbs, gutters, sewer, and water into the area. The cost of this will be around $14,000 that will be collected semi-annually over a 15 year period.

The upside is that a lot of lenders will allow you to use the free land as a down payment to build a house.

If your income falls under a certain amount, the assessment fees will be lowered as well.

If you would like to find out more information about the land in New Richland, Minnesota, click here.

4. Mankato, Kansas

Mankato, Kansas is a town of only 900 people. They are giving away small plots of land to build new homes on as well. You must apply to their city as well to be considered for the land.

They currently have 26 lots available.

Your home must be no less than 1200 square feet in size which excludes garages or basements. However, they give you two years to finish your home from the date the deed was signed.

You will need to have a contract with a builder within six months of obtaining the land.

If you would like more information on this land, click here.

5. Osborne, Kansas

Osborne is giving away free residential property, free commercial land, and they are giving out low-interest loans to help with business and home repairs. Osborne, Kansas wants you!

They do require a $500 deposit to hold the land, but it will be returned to you upon the completion of your new home. They require that your home be at least 1400 square feet on the ground level. You also have to have your home complete within 12 months of the land being deeded to you. You have 24 months to be completely moved in.

They require that your home be at least 1400 square feet on the ground level. You also have to have your home complete within 12 months of the land being deeded to you. You have 24 months to be completely moved in.

For more information or to apply for this land click here.

6. Plainville, Kansas

Plainville, Kansas has a population of 2,000. They actually only have one lot available at this time that is on a first-come-first-served basis. The lot is 155 feet wide by 93 feet deep.

They do require all homes must be on a foundation, but this can include a modular home as well. They do not allow single-wide mobile homes. They do require a $500 deposit to hold the property, but it will be refunded once the land is deeded over. Your home must be complete within 18 months of the land being deeded to you.

To apply for this land click here.

7. Curtis, Nebraska

Curtis, Nebraska is a small retirement town (832 pop). They have multiple lots available for free!

All utilities have already been placed, so there are no additional fees. You will need to apply for this land as well. Their website offers a visual of all of the lots available. It is worth checking out as they all vary in size.

Curtis is known as Nebraska’s Easter City due to its famed 40-year-old Easter Pageant tradition. This 3.266-square-kilometer community of approximately 832 persons in southern Nebraska’s Medicine Valley has the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture and an airport three minutes away.

Sound good? All righty, then: Curtis offers two options for free-land claimers. Consolidated Companies, Inc. created Roll ’n Hillslots to boost the local economy by providing free sites on paved streets with all utilities for single-family homes. Three of those lots now have occupied homes, says Ed Coles of Consolidated, and nine remain.

Additional free lots are available through the city of Curtis that overlook the all-grass nine-hole Arrowhead Meadows Golf Course, which is one of the best public courses in the state—at least according to Medicine Valley’s economic development website.

To apply or view lots available, click here.

8. Elwood, Nebraska

Elwood, Nebraska has as many as ten lots available to build on for free!

It says to stop by the village office to pick up the paper work to apply.

You can click here to visit their website and collect information on how to apply if you live out of state.

It appears that the homes must be on a foundation, but no specific requirements have been listed. The sizes of the lots are not mentioned either. However, a call to the local town office should give you all of the answers you desire about this free land.

9. Loup City, Nebraska

Loup City, Nebraska is a unique opportunity. All lots are totally free.

However, there are two different types of housing available: Workforce Housing and Market Rate Homes.

The Market Rate Homes require a $1,000 deposit for the land to be held. This deposit will be returned when the home is complete.

The Workforce Housing is an income based opportunity. If you income falls below a set standard then you will be available to receive assistance in purchasing your home. You can receive up to $20,000 in down payment assistance!

Click here for more information.

10. Beatrice, Nebraska (I said “Texas” by mistake on the podcast)

With a population of about 12,564 and situated just 40 miles south of Lincoln (via the Homestead Expressway) and 99 miles from Omaha, Beatrice is one of the most populous and more accessible locations on this list. In this case, the aim is not to stave off the death of a town with a dwindling population, but to clean up neglected properties and get them to generate taxes and utility fees once again.

Applicants must occupy their parcels of land for five years.

11. Marne, Iowa

Marne, Iowa is giving away lots of free lands! They have quite a few pieces of land available. The lot sizes are 80 x 120 feet.

Your home must be at least 1200 square feet and must be constructed within 18 months of the land being deeded over to you.

They do allow conventional construction along with modular homes. The city does require that you file an application to apply for this land. Click here for more information.

Marne, Iowa made many publications because of giving away their free land.

12. Manilla, Iowa

Manilla, Iowa is another small town offering free lots of land for those that want to take them up on it. They claim to have some of the lowest cost of living around.

Their website does not offer much information as to what the requirements for the free land are. However, you can get all of the town’s contact information here.

13. Cuyahoga National Park in Ohio

Okay, this one isn’t exactly free nor will you own it.

It is a program the government recently began to give farmers cheap farm land. It allows farmers to lease farm land for 60 years at a time. This includes a house already available and acres and acres of protected farm land.

The average rent runs between $500- $1,000 per month. This includes housing and 9-12 acres of land.

Though it isn’t free, it is insanely cheap and unique, so it is worth mentioning. There is an application that must be filed, and many farmers have become interested in it.

You can read more of the details here.

Other Areas

The details for the rest of our list was found in this article. This man and his wife saved a little money, bought what he called “a mixed bag” piece of property, and they kept the part of the land no one wanted and sold off the good land for more than what they paid when they originally purchased the property.

This is a plan that requires more long-term thought and shopping around.

However, you could end up with a descent piece of property and technically, your land would end up being free! You can’t beat that!

There are many ways to find “free” land to build your homestead. There are short-term options and long-term options.

Whether you homestead on a little land or a lot of lands, all that matters is that you actually build your personal homestead dream.

Do you know of any other places that offer free land to modern day homesteaders? Do you know of other ways to obtain “free” land?

14. Alaska

Requirements:

• Must farm part of the acreage
• Must live on the land

Two types of programs:

• Sealed-bid to highest bidder
• Remote Recreational Cabin Sites. Can own land for recreational use in a designated remote staking area

In the past, Alaska homesteading was a way people could obtain free government land by meeting certain requirements. This was made possible through the Federal Homestead Act of 1862; however, this act came to an end in 1986. As an alternative, the state offers land for sale in Alaska.

15. Muskegon, Michigan

It’s called the Mukegon 25 program

• Free industrial property to help in creating jobs
• Discount rates

Hoping to attract industrial employers, the city and county of Muskegon, Michigan, (pop. 174,344) launched Muskegon 25. Under this program, companies that will bring in 25 full-time jobs or more will be granted industrial park property for building, complete with all services, gratis.  In addition, the industrial parks are situated in low tax “Renaissance Zones.”

Muskegon Area First is hoping to attract food processing industry, other suppliers for local industries, and alternative energy providers.  New or existing companies creating 25 jobs are allotted five acres, 50 jobs get 12 acres, 75 jobs get 20 acres, and 100 or more jobs get 20 acres.  The program also provides discounts at rates proportionate to the amount of jobs created. The 25-job companies are entitled to 50% off water and sewer bills, and the discounts increase from there, down to 20% of the full rate.

State business credits and other tax incentives are also available. To sweeten the deal further, the city will even throw in tickets to Lumberjacks hockey season tickets or a local boat slip to qualified participating companies.

16. Camden, ME

Camden is the coastal exception in this otherwise-landlocked list of free land locales. The charming New England berg of about 4,052 citizens is offering 3.5 acres of land near Camden Harbor for a business that will create at least 24 jobs.The former industrial site on the Megunticook River, refurbished by the Town of Camden, comes equipped with 3 Phase Power, Sewer, Water, Cable, Broadband, and parking is available for up to 300.

Clearly, this is a prime deal for the right company. The Town of Camden is hoping for a company from industries such as biotech, information technology, financial services, medical labs, film, or green businesses. In fact, those last two listed industries are encouraged, as creative economy employers are encouraged and environmentally friendly businesses are given preference in this search.

Announcement:

The Golden Howl Awards

Our next Fun Fact Friday (Friday, May 12, 2017) will feature our first annual “Golden Howl Awards!”  This week, we will post the top 5 howls and send out the link to subscribers where you will be able to vote on the best overall howl.  Watch out for this notice coming out this week!  And vote!

 

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