Best Grow Zones in US for a Food Forest?

I'm looking at buying some land anywhere in the 49 states of the US excluding Hawaii to build a small to a mid-size food forest. Knowing that grow zones exist, I'm looking for one that will give me the most diversity in stuff that can be grown. Looking for suggestions by states that are food forest-friendly at remote locations.

Look at the areas with a lot if fruit production, maybe?  Great Lakes regions states like Michigan and NY State grow a lot of fruit. Also southern Appalachia and the Pacific northwest.

I'm say go for the Kentucky-Tennessee-Missouri area, as they'll put you into more of a crossover region between northern, southern & Great Plains plants.

I have read that the largest Food Forest is in Georgia.

https://www.goodthingsguy.com/environment/a-city-has-just-created-the-largest-free-food-forest-the-world-could-learn-from-this/

I don’t think there’s a single best answer. If you can share other factors specific to yourself, that will help. For instance, what foods do you currently eat and want to grow? Do you intend to keep animals for meat, dairy, eggs - which ones? Do you want to keep bees and/or tap maples? How much acreage are you thinking and what’s your budget? Looking for raw land or want something move-in ready? What cultural factors are important to you?

Also consider long-term availability of water, energy/fuel, and community.

Marisa Lee wrote:I don’t think there’s a single best answer. If you can share other factors specific to yourself, that will help. For instance, what foods do you currently eat and want to grow? Do you intend to keep animals for meat, dairy, eggs - which ones? Do you want to keep bees and/or tap maples? How much acreage are you thinking and what’s your budget? Looking for raw land or want something move-in ready? What cultural factors are important to you?

Also consider the long-term availability of water, energy/fuel, and community.

Right you are, but for now, I'm focusing on the growing areas. I plan to have half-earth-buried greenhouses, a few beehives for pollination and honey, somewhere with low property taxes as I'm giving up on the pursuit for monetary accumulation, and the less I have the better. Chickens would be a must, some existing woods/trees. For energy, mostly renewable solar/wind/hydro with backup gas/wood. I would catch my own rainwater so I guess the state of CO is out. Would also drill a well if needed for water and if the water table is high enough. It would be more an old-world type homestead where everything is self-sufficient and provided for with little dependence upon the outside world. The more remote the better, so no concern for community or external culture. Acres wise, I'm only looking for 10-15 and in place, I won't be bothered by local housing codes. Eventually, I plan to turn the area into a small eco-village but I would be the first resident to prepare the land and get it started is what I have in mind.

If I were moving to a different country, to me, the best strategy would be to buy an already established home with a food forest already in place. Not including animals though that might be a plus.

There is so much to learn about the different areas of this country.

I have lived and visited most of the eastern side of the south and as far north as Indiana and New York.

Each state has so much to offer that I feel it would be really hard to choose one over the other.

I have lived where I live mainly based on family.

If I had no family and wanted to move somewhere else I would do as I am suggesting.

It is really hard to start over on a completely blank slate.  And it is also very expensive not only financially but in lessons learned.

That is helpful additional information. For the amount of work you want to accomplish, that village (or at least a partner or a couple of friends - or *great* neighbors) would be very helpful. In some cases a second pair of hands is absolutely necessary, so you'd be hiring help - or you could reconsider your order of operations. Maybe get a crew together first (or as Anne suggests, buy a place that's already up and running).

Where I live, it's easy to find relatively inexpensive land with an existing well, either because the house burned down, or more often because there is a cabin, perhaps badly decaying, usually without plumbing or electricity, but with a well or a natural spring. Since they tend to be second homes, they at times become available inexpensively through the state due to property tax forfeiture. (40% of the "homes" in my county are second/vacation homes, and our population density is only 8/m2 or 3/km2.) What happens is, a group of descendants will inherit the property but nobody takes responsibility for maintenance and paying taxes, so they are reclaimed by the state. These cabins tend to be surrounded by woods with a small clearing, but that can be expanded for planting, of course. Some are on a river or lake. Dreamy. If I could live anywhere, I'd live here. But we've got snow on the ground now & it won't melt until April, usually get another snow in May. Is that a deal-breaker? Despite our shorter growing season, we have amazing food production. The road I live on is known locally as the fruit loop, because I'm surrounded by orchards and vineyards. There's plenty of local meat and dairy, veg of course, oats and wheat (and a mill), wild rice, fish and game, good foraging. But yeah, it's damn cold. So, wanna move to northern Wisconsin?

Knowledge about the zones and crops you wish to select… have you seen back to eden documentary, some things can also be grown in climates by certain practices such geo thermal heating by thick covering. So there is a lot of options. I would aim for biodiversity… and I fee you can do it in any climate, there is fruit and veggies that are native to whatever area they are native to. Every area seems to be resilient. There are people who have successfully grew tropical fruit trees in colder climates through various practices.