How much land will I need?

[fjolnirsson]

Why Oregon...

Well, first off, I hate CA. I never realized how bad we have it until I started really talking to family and friends in other states.
I hate the weather. We have no seasons. Oh, sure , the mercury drops a little, so all the news anchors start whining about cold. But I want to live someplace with snow in the winter. And rain. I am sick of the eternal drought warnings here.
Shall issue is a BIG reason.
I wanted Montana. However, the wife has a sister who plans to move there. 'Nuff said.
I want mountains. The wife loves the ocean. That rules out landlocked areas.
No sales taxes. I've checked out property taxes, and they are actually a little lower than what we pay in the Bay Area. Cost of living works out to around 30 percent lower than where I am now. And I am not in an affluent community.
We have friends in Oregon, and my wife's father lives there.
Education. BIG reason. The schools here pretty much look at English as a second language. CA was ranked 44th in the nation last year, as public schools go. Oregon is 32nd. Not the best, but something we can work with, at least.
Ease of move. We're looking at about an 8 hour drive to get to Oregon. That beats anything on the East coast.
I don't want to pump my own gas anymore. Just lazy. I miss full serve.
I'm a right leaning Libertarian who belongs to a not so mainstream religion. (For those of you with time on your hands, my username is a clue.)
I don't fit in with liberals( can't stand 'em!), but hardcore conservatives tend to be a little intolerant(IME) of religious differences.
So, the best fit is a place with a good mix. It seems to make for the best laws, as well. More freedom for everyone.
I may have missed a few reasons, but that's a good start.
Oh yeah, I miss billboards in English. I'm of the firm belief(based on the political goings on here and personal observations) that CA will be turned over to Mexico in about 10 years.
Oregon may not be the final destination, but it's a huge improvement on my present situation.

 

[mcneill]

Make sure to check all local (county) ordnances. I love living here in the Texas Hill Country, but when we moved here was surprised to learn that there is a county ordnance which restricts shooting to properties greater than 10 acres. Last year the county government was talking of increasing the minimum to 20 acres. Too many people.

Jim

 

[MeekandMild]

First of all, I believe about 5 acres is about the minimum needed to make a mini farm which will grow all the food needed for a family of 4 plus have some fruit left over to sell.

Concerning minimum land to shoot that is a whole different ball of wax. I own a dirt pit which is only an acre in size but it is buried away a quarter mile from houses behindn the shooter and a mile from houses behind the berm. I can shoot on it all day without problems.

I used to shoot at a dirt pit which was owned by the sheriff of the county where I worked. It was between a ball field and an airplane runway, but since the sheriff owned it there was never any problem, even shooting machine guns. Just had to call his wife and tell her when and who were shooting.

On the other hand I have a fifteen acre woodlot with deer which has a neighbor who lives a quarter mile at a 90 degree angle from my shooting stand. He is insane (unrelated to hunting/shooting) and has spent the last 6 months trying to get me to refrain from hunting there, to the point where I had to get the deputy sheriff to tell him I was going to have him arrested if he trespassed again or put him in the mental hospital if he endangered himself by crossing over where I was hunting.

Go figure.