Quoted:
We've thought about moving to Utah. It's beautiful out there and there seems to be a ton of land for sale.
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Uh.... really?
>50% of the state is federal land, almost 30% is state land, just 20% is left for private land. The private land is largely along the I15 corridor, and is all taken up and priced high. The only large tracts of land for sale are either outrageously expensive, or pretty far from anything. And, the ones that aren't outrageously expensive often have no real water access, and possibly no utilities at all.
Utah is a mix of dry, hot, dry desert, and wonderful, green mountains. Most all of the green mountains are either national forest, wilderness area, or owned by a resort. *Most* of the land of any significant size you'll find for sale is going to be in the dry, hot desert, unless your budget has at least 7 figures. And when any good land does become available, it's generally because a generations-old ranch is closing, the price tag has 9-10 figures in it, a developer scoops it up, and turns it into HOA-controlled luxury "cabins".
Be very careful in selecting your property.
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I'll do some more research, but is this going to be huge undertaking to build a house in the middle of nowhere and raise things?
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Maybe. >100F and dry as a bone during the summers can make it hard to grow things without an awfully good supply of water, which like I said... may be hard to come by in any areas that are in any way affordable. If you get property in/near a smallish town, you might get something reasonable along with irrigation water, but be very thorough in vetting everything.