103 acres in the foothills of Appalachia

Hello all,

My dad has an acreage in Ohio, near Marietta, that he wants to sell. It's been in the family for over 50 years (it has not been used by humans in this time - soil hasn't been tested but we believe the soil is good). It was a dairy farm previously, till the mid 1950s. It's 103 acres with natural streams and a creek running through it and access to the interstate. It's on a ridge with lots of trees encompassing it. There are 3 areas that are quite level and good for structures.  

My family isn't based in the area anymore - we've all moved out of the state or country.

My dad installed electricity, water and gas recently in hopes to sell it (no sewage connection however).

As it's my wish for the land not to be overdeveloped and misused, I thought to see if anyone on Permies was interested in taking over the land. The price of the land is US$2 million (negotiable).

This is my dad's asking price (with no sewage - with sewage installed it would cost a lot more).

A friend of mine and experienced eco-architect, in his 70s based in Europe but from Hocking County originally, is very keen on being involved with designing the land and potentially returning to Appalachia in the coming years. Me and him had begun designing ideas for the land though I think it's more important to put the land in the hands of a group of people that're ready to utilise the land to its full potential NOW and not in the distant future like we envisioned. If you would be interested in co-creating something with my friend (who is experienced in building Earth integrated structures among others) I would happily connect you.

As Appalachia has a place in my heart and as I believe in the potential for restorative projects created in the area, I would also (if you'd be interested) be happy to help in any way I could as well (I work with a Permaculture project in Europe).

More info on property:
Adjacent to 5 roadways 1-77, SR821, Arends Ridge Road, Winter's Drive, and SR60.
This property has three entrances; roads leading to the entrances are Arends Ridge, Winter's Drive, and SR60.
The property is in the Muskingum Township District of Washington County, Ohio. There are no zoning restrictions. Both Residential and/or Commercial are allowed on this property.
Neighbouring property approx. 1 mile down the road has sewer hookup.

If you're interested in more detailed information (contour maps, negotiating etc.) please Purple Mooseage me

Don't think you'll get too many offers at that price

Rick Kruszewski wrote:Don't think you'll get too many offers at that price

It's negotiable.

This is the asking rate of my dad to be bought outright but I am hoping anyone with ideas, interest/a vision in developing a restorative project in the area, would approach and we could see if we could work something out.

Hi Crystal!

While I'm not in the market for land, I do hope that a buyer will surface that thinks it's perfect for them and makes a generous offer on the property that your dad will agree with. I'm sure it's beautiful and I wish y'all the best of luck!

Hi Crystal;  Welcome to Permies!

That sounds like it could be a really nice piece of land !
Laying fallow for 50 years after being a dairy farm. I suspect it has excellent soil!

While you couldn't convince me to move from Montana.
I'm sure there will be someone who would love to relocate.
Best of luck finding a good new caretaker of/for the land.

Oh , keep on dropping by here at Permies!
We have all sorts of cool discussions about a myriad of subjects.
There's sure to be some your interested in.

Thank you James, Thomas, for the welcome. I do hope its rightful steward surfaces.  

I will definitely drop by this awesome resource more often

Photos taken in 2012

Welcome to permies Chrystal. I'm totally curious - what area of Europe are you working in and what sort of a project? Is it a similar eco-system to your Dad's place?

Jay Angler wrote:Welcome to permies Chrystal. I'm totally curious - what area of Europe are you working in and what sort of a project? Is it a similar eco-system to your Dad's place?

Thanks for the welcome! In Portugal, Sintra. Not really in my opinion. The area of Sintra that's by the coast is a mico-climate. Temperatures are moderate (it's usually a whole gamut throughout the day, from really cool in the morning to patches of scorching hot throughout the day and then very cold at nights, even in summer months). It's cooler and wetter in general than other parts of the Sintra region. Winters are wet.  

Marietta's winters are cold - there are four distinct seasons. Also it's not costal. Vegetation is different.

I suppose both are hilly areas though. So there could be certain land techniques that could be adapted from one place to the other.

I was told by my architect friend from the Athens area that the spirit of both Sintra and the Athens-Hocking area (the counties bordering Marietta) were similar - attracting similar people and ideas. Having studied in Athens and spent a lot of time there I do see the similarities with regards to the spirit of the place.

Crystal Fa wrote:

it's usually a whole gamut throughout the day, from really cool in the morning to patches of scorching hot throughout the day and then very cold at nights, even in summer months

Being from the "Wet Coast" of British Columbia, Canada I know exactly what you're describing, although rarely do we remotely qualify as "scorching". It certainly affects plant growth and what does well. I can plant tomatoes in May theoretically, but they don't do much and take a long time to produce. My sister in Ontario, Canada, will have cool weather much later, but will have ripe tomatoes sooner, for once it warms up, it stays warm.

I'm not that familiar with the US micro-climates, or how specific areas are changing. I hope you're patient though, as things are pretty messed up down there with covid-19 right now so there may not be many people with that kind of cash willing to take risks on the market unless there's something pretty special about that land. Land is *very* expensive where I live, and most of the larger offers easily take 5 years to find a buyer even in good times.

Good luck, we have 65 acres sale after 10 year for $660,000.00, with 3 ponds that are stocked, 3 house, a horse barn, a 2000 square foot metal shop with 2 tractors on the corner of two paved roads.
Still have 210 acres on another paved road, asking $700,000.00, it is 90% pines 10 years old & has a major river at its far side.
Your best bet is to put in a dirt road & sub divide into 25 acre lots on paper, then sale for $500,000.oo each or $20,000.00 per acre.
Note: when I say "WE" I mean people in my State/county, not me or my family.