Hello from the midwest

Hello all, I stumbled upon this website and thought it looks like it has a lot of good information.  I have been a leathercraftsman and blacksmith for the last decade.  Recently I lost both of my parents and was reminded of my own mortality.  I don't want to spend the rest of my life living in the city working just to get by.  So, I came here to get info about living out on my own homestead.

Hey Bill, where in the midwest are you located?
I'm in Iowa but don't see many people on here from Iowa.

Bill, welcome to Permies! A lot of us here want the same thing, and it's a great place to learn about homesteading. Have you formulated a plan yet, or are you still in the mental organization stage?

Welcome Bill, no better time than the present to get out of the drudgery and start working with/in nature.

Where in Iowa are you? We just moved to Minneapolis but were living in the Dubuque area for quite a while and are interested in getting land in Iowa in the future.