north facing slope in NE USA

I'm thinking about buying a property in upstate NY that has about 1 acre of flat land, a creek and then it's north facing slope.  Not so steep that you can't easily walk up it, and it's not a super tall mountain- topo map attached.  
I am hoping to focus on growing mushrooms, as well as the food I need to survive.  
Does anyone with more permaculture experience have an opinion on north facing slope in this region.  I was hoping to find east facing slope, but there are not a lot of choices.  This property is in a great location for me, and I like the house.  
Would love to hear any opinions on this.  Thanks    

Hey Jolene, I'll toss my 2 cents in.  My thought is that for personal food production, you can do a lot on 1 acre.  I would end up turning almost all of that acre into edible production.  My next thought is that north slope on the other side of the stream...how much does it shade the 1 acre?  In that picture, at that time of day and year it looks great!  And I like that when you go onto the slope to work on your mushroom biz that you'll be fresh, but when you return home after working it you'll be going downhill.  I also love that you would have that much nature on that slope to be a steward of.  Looks like the property may have a great view up there at 1750'.  Any idea what the tree mix is on that slope?  Maybe some great opportunities to forage and perhaps add some edibles and medicinals to the understory a bit.  If there are maples and birches you could have gravity drainage down to a boiling shed.  I do wonder if you'll be prone to early and late frosts on the flat due to that slope draining cold air down, but you'll still be able to grow lots of good things.  I bet it is quite beautiful.  As long as you have enough land near your flat acre that isn't too high up to produce the amount of mushrooms you need then I could see this working out, maybe.  I would worry a little about it getting tiring, but there are ways to address that too, probably.  Can that slope handle a winding path up that you could drive something like a 4 wheeler on to help cart materials in and out?

All my best wishes on your new adventure!

Agree with Greg M....looks pretty nice at face value.  My main concern just for sun is whether or not the hill would completely block the arc of the sun in midwinter..?  That could be a bit dreary, but at least it would not impact your summer growing situation.  The woodlot and stream are a plus!

That is one bonus for looking to buy this time of year.  You're only a month away from the shortest day with the lowest sun angle so it's a great time to take a look.  I think there are also tools online that can predict the amount of sun you'll get, but not sure.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful responses.  I think I will make an offer, but still considering things since it's such a big decision.  

The seller has come down in price and I may buy this property.  But I now realize the flat acre is in the 30 year flood zone.  I am thinking I can manage this with swales, but it's very flat at the moment.  I really love a lot about this property, but maybe this should be a deal breaker.  I want to have a creek, and that seems to mean land is in a flood zone.  
any thoughts?

I once had an opportunity to buy a farm in upstate New York. Really nice place, nice house, nice barn. But. The Township Rd. ran along the crest of a fairly gently sloping hill. The farm of interest was on the north sloping side. The farm on the other side of the road faced south. I talked to the neighbors before any super serious thought or offers, and the neighbor aid the growing season on the north side was two weeks shorter than the south facing side. Who would have thought, 100 yds, a few hundred yards, and two weeks shorter. But that's the angle of the Sun for you. ~I stayed in Ohio.

So my recommendation? Talk to the neighbors first (as any prospective buyer of any property anywhere should do) and see if they know of any difference in growing season between farms. If you're buying for the house, it doesn't matter quite so much (except for burning more firewood in Winter to stay warm). If you most want to garden and farm and grow vegetables, it could be a big deal.

there are two points that say yes, one that scares me.

it's in a location that works well for you.  you like the house.

what scares me is that flood plain thing.  i know you said you think you can control it with swales...that's kind of positive thinking we need more of.  however, it's gonna be easy to check out exactly how much of a problem the floods are going to be.  there are buildings on the property, and other buildings close, so someone is going to have stories to tell.  i'd also check into what kind of info you could get on insurance prices before you commit.  that tidbit right there is going to tell you a lot.

as for the rest...everyone has their ideal location.  the fact is, most of us deal with what we have.  if it's really that important you have x-y-z, keep looking.  if a and b are important and meet the budget...then i'd likely go for it.  it would seem that sellers are somewhat motivated...so...price matters.  the rest is haggling over details.

as an aside...any chance you have maples on that hillside? if that is the case, you may have a different possibility.

in the best conditions this is hard work.
north step slopes offer nothing but a big open opportunity for cold hard winter winds.
flooding control will be an investment up front  by hiring heavy equipment folks to move make all the installs and even then ....flood plain could be exactly that...you are a potential pond and potentially often.
I hope im not late with my 2cents.