Is Southwest Indiana a good place to homestead?

Hi!
 My family and I currently live in Utah on an Indian reservation, but we'd like to move closer to my parents. I'm looking at Southwest Indiana as a possibility. Can anyone tell me more about it? I've been looking at homes for sale with a few acres and the prices seem fair. From the photos the land looks pretty flat. I was hoping for some hills but that's okay if not. I suppose the next step is to find out about property taxes, and which areas are higher in crime.
 Thank you, EmiLeah

I'm quite a bit east of SW Indiana, so I can't say much about that area other than expect strong storms especially in the spring. That's an area I'd bet that is likely for tornadoes. Also, the other thing I'd consider is what I'm surrounded by - when I venture up into areas of Ohio that are very flat it seems like a lot of big time agriculture goes on, and I've noticed smells of things in the air during certain times, possibly fertilizers or herbicides?

Don't let that scare you away, there are always downsides that will come to an area. I'll bet there is also a lot of potential too like easily workable land, easy pond building/water storage, etc etc. With it flat like that, a living windbreak/privacy screen would be a priority for me unless the land you are seeking already is surrounded by a stand of trees! I've noticed that sometimes, where out in the flat lands surrounded by big ol' corn farms someone many years ago planted dozens of pines and other trees around where a nice little cabin sits in among it's homestead :)

Hi Emileah, welcome to Permies!

I live in Southern Illinois, a bit west of where you would be thinking about living and I can give you some basic commentary about the region as a whole.  I am not certain what exactly you are defining as Southern Indiana, but I will go ahead and describe neighboring Southern Illinois for you.

The region, commonly known as the Heartland, is quite a bit different from Utah.  For starters, the weather, climate and seasons will be different.  Expect much, much higher humidity during all times of the year.  From what I have known from desert dwellers, high humidity in arid regions is something like 30%.  I can’t remember the last time it was that low.  This might not be that much of a big deal in the spring, fall and winter, but summer heat with temperatures in the mid 90’s and humidity in the 70% or higher is oppressively hot.  Granted, Utah regularly experiences temperatures higher than the upper 90’s, but the humidity is its own animal and it takes some getting used to.  Also, the heat does not wane much in the evening like it does in more stir regions—the humidity really keeps the heat in.  But we do generally get plenty of rain and the soil is typically plenty fertile.  Cole is correct in that spring and fall can bring tornadoes.

Regarding the land, I regard Southern Illinois and Indiana to have rolling hills, though the further north you go the flatter the land will be.  In fact, if you make it to central Illinois or Indiana you will find the flattest land God ever put anywhere on earth!  That is all thanks to the last round of glaciers.  But the dark, rich soils beneath are among the very best anywhere in the world.

Culturally, both Southern Illinois and Indiana fade into the South and Southern dialects and customs begin to appear—expect to see biscuits and gravy for breakfast!  Unfortunately, there is a fair amount of rural poverty in both areas.  This is part of the reason you see prices so low.  Don’t let this dissuade you though, one person’s poverty is not yours.  And I have generally found my neighbor’s—both next door and regional—to be extremely friendly and welcoming.

Personally I love the area and I went to great length to live here.  I did have to make a few adjustments as both my wife and I are transplanted Northerners and living in the border South is a bit of a change.  We did have to get used to the heat (we are still getting used to it) and I miss my snowy winters—we get about one good snow per winter, meaning 6 inches or more.  I am a teacher and I sometimes get embarrassed when we get a snow day for the tiniest amounts of snow but the locals simply can’t drive on it.  But again, these are little things and I personally love the rural character of the region and it would be hard to pry me out of it.

I hope this at least helps.  I realize that this is only a general description and I really can’t comment about Indiana specifically but I would think that it would be at least similar to my experience in Southern Illinois.  I don’t suppose you could narrow down the part of southern Indiana you are looking at can you?  That might get a better response.

Again, I hope this helps,

Eric

Thank you both for the great responses. I'm thinking just West of the Evansville area. So that should be a lot like Southern Illinois. I hope it's not too flat! I grew up near Cape Girardeau MO where there are plenty of hills. And Utah is a nice mix of flat farmland, hills and mountains. I was surprised by the ecological diversity.

Now for the long process of house hunting. Seems fixer uppers are tricky to finance. But I'm not giving up.
😁

There are lots of hills in southern Indiana.   I used to drive I-64  pretty regularly.  

Emileah,

If you grew up in Cape Girardeau then you already know much of what I already said.  But generally Southern Indiana is fairly hilly.  It is possible that the pictures you were seeing were of properties in the drainage area among the numerous rivers.  Those areas—flood plains really—would be flat.  I would avoid anything in the low areas.

I guess there is nothing quite like getting out and actually visiting the sights yourself.  Also, 2D photography does not show changes in elevation very well so there may be hills that don’t show up well in pictures.  Again, there is no substitute for actual visiting.

Good luck,

Eric

I've never been to Indiana so I wasn't sure. Also, how is property taxes in Illinois? I assumed it would be higher than Missouri or Indiana.

Illinois property taxes are awful compared to Missouri or Indiana.  I don't have exact specs for either state but Illinois finances are an absolute mess and that gets passed down to the taxpayer.

I need to pass on an addendum regarding property taxes and taxes in general. In Illinois, Much depends upon the specific county and your age.   I am retirement age, in addition I have several other deductions in play. My taxes are much lower than many pay. Also, when considering taxes, take the time to look into all taxes. Sometimes a state will have a low property tax but a high sales tax.  Of course income tax can also come into play.   Once again,  it needs to be considered in terms of how it might impact a given individual.    I pay no state income tax, for example.

Services are another point to consider.  In North Carolina, for example, I was amazed to learn how many rural roads were private and had to be maintained, out of pocket, by the people living on those roads.  In my location, not only are the roads publicly maintained, but the township plows out my driveway in the winter. The devil is always in the details.

Going back to the subject of hills in southern Indiana, Lynnville Indiana ( which is a little east of Evansville) is home to an astronomical observatory.   Those are normally built on high ground.