October 29, 2005

  • So, who has a hankering for the country life?

    If you do, the country is calling for you;  from the most recent
    Kiplinger's newsletter, courtesy of a potential customer of Don's:

    Everyone knows there is no such thing
    as a free lunch.  No one ever said anything about free land. 
    More than a dozen Great Plains hamlets are doling out plots, from 4.650
    square feet in Atwood, Kansas
    (bolding for Mom's sake), to nearly an acre in Lincoln, Kansas (340 and
    150 miles west of Topeka, respectively).  Homesteaders must build
    a house within 12 to 24 months and promise to stay a few years. 
    Some towns add extras.  Atwood families can get a free year at the
    Atwood Country Club.  Minneapolis (Kansas, not Minnesota) rebates
    75% of city and school taxes for five years.

    That generosity is born of necessity.  Scarce jobs and an exodus
    of young people have forced rural schools and businesses to close,
    threatening the towns' survival.  Anita Huffhines, Ellsworth
    County's economic development director, has fielded thousands of
    inquiries from people across the U.S. anxious to quit city life. 
    Her central-Kansas county offers one-third-acre lots gratis in four
    small towns.

    Two years ago, Beth and Robbie Seiler moved just 30 miles  - 
    but a world away  -  from Salina, Kansas (pop. 46,000) to
    Marquette (pop. 580).  They got a free lot, built a 1,300 square
    foor house and haven't looked back.  They found local jobs 
    -  tough to do in isolated burgs  -  and are
    happy.  "It's quiet and the schools are smaller," says Beth,
    31.  "We didn't need any other incentives."   ---
    Catherine M. Varner

    Atwood is where my father's mother hailed, and where we took family
    vacations every summer until I was 13 years old.  My
    greatgrandfather was the doctor in the county, whose house doubled as
    the hospital.

Comments (2)

  • I have a hankering for the country life. In an area with no tornadoes. I think I'll stick right where I am

  • Oh. Well, yeah, there are occasional tornadoes.

    Not to mention hailstorms.

    The lightning storms can be very exciting, though. ;^p

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