Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Klickitat County: Living Off The Grid

By Jerish Thieman


These days, many people are leaving suburban and city life behind and heading out to rural areas to live off the grid. This means they no longer depend on utility companies for electricity, gas and water and learn to grow their own food and raise livestock to maintain a totally independent life as much as possible.

There are just about as many reasons for going off the grid as there are people who choose to live this way. Often, a family wishes to simplify their life and lessen their impact on our electrical grids and community water supplies. For others, they wish to be independent and depend on their own hard work for survival and become completely self-sufficient.

Still others are preparing for the possible collapse of our nation's economy or the horrific effects of different natural disasters or a pandemic plague. For these survivalists, living off the grid will prepare them for any type of disaster that might occur. If you are one of the many people considering an off-the-grid move, consider making Klickitat County your new home base. This county has many available properties that are ideal for off grid land.

In general, most people searching for off grid land wish to live in a rural setting, and Klickitat County is ideal for these people. There are only about 21,000 people living within the country, yet it covers a large area of about 2,000 square miles. While it's quite rural, it also is close enough to Portland and also Seattle and Vancouver to be a good bug out location if necessary. There are all sorts of interesting land options, from those close to towns, isolated properties far from people or even properties with amazing mountain or river views. Whatever you need, the team at Klickitat Valley Realty can help you locate the perfect piece of land or home that fits your budget and needs.

The Cascade Mountains cut through a portion of Klickitat County and they provide much natural beauty for the county's residents. However, there also is plenty of open land suitable for growing food and raising animals. In addition, you also have the option to hunt during certain times of the year, and the area is teeming with deer, turkey, quail, pheasant, duck, bear and cougar just to name a few. One important aspect of your search will be to find a place that allows you have all of the water that you will need; otherwise, you will have to find ways of transporting and storing your fresh water.

Aside from water and growing your own foods, being off the grid means you are relying on unique sources of energy. In Klickitat County, there should be adequate sunlight to power your home on solar energy, but wind energy also should be considered as the county has higher average wind speeds than most places in Washington and even the United States. Another source of power to consider is propane, and while this does have to be delivered, it is a cleaner fuel than many other fuel sources and, if you buy it in bulk when prices are very low, it can be quite cost-effective.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment