You know, there are quite a few rural areas here in the US that aren't as extreme as the Canadian wilderness, but that are much cheaper than NYC. Why don't you try one of those first?
"salmon hole" that is so funny. "a winter salmon hole...so we don't have hunt blubber." You have never been salmon fishing or bear hunting in your life ..have you? Get outta NYC and throw away your TV and Radio ...but don't go to a place where you will die in the first 36 hours. Sincerely
<i>"I lived in Yellowknife, NWT for 8 years and I currently live in Saskatchewan, so I'm the guy to talk to about living in remote areas of Canada! Going from NYC to a squatter's cabin in the arctic wilderness would be sure death for you. Unless you previously spent time doing arctic wilderness survival training as a member of the special forces. Even then I'd bet against you."</i> Yup... way too extreme differences from NYC to arctic circle. Like everything else, looks great on tv, but days languishing away on the calendar is another matter. If I lived in SK or Manitoba, it'd be heavenly to me. I'm capable of surviving anywhere in Canada or Alaska with a good knife, hatchet, parachute cord, fish hooks, line and firestarter. But, there is a quantum leap between survival and contentment. Far north is too far north for flatlanders to thrive. My friends up there think a relaxed evening at home involves fleshing & stretching pine marten, the occasional wolf or wolverine while snacking on moose jerky. BTW... if you live that far north, better get real good at jerking your own, too. * Lots of places in Saskatchewan or Manitoba with world-class hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation that aren't much colder than a rough winter in NY State. I know for a fact my area gets more snow than most of southern to central Canada does. We're good for 100+ inches annual, with due west and east of me averaging 125" to 150" of the white stuff each year. Effects of the Great Lakes. It's a fun thread to ponder how fun it'd be to just chuck society and unplug from the grid. Spend a weekend in -15F to -25F weather right here in the Adirondacks, first. Our 4 million acres of wilderness in winter is akin to anywhere south of the Arctic Circle provinces. Book yourself a week-long stay around the corner from NYC, and you'll have your answers from much nearer to home.
I always wondered how a place like you describe be so inhospitable (for lack of a better word) so close to NYC. BTW. How do you survive winters up there?
If you were a Canadian citizen you could have any piece of land you wanted for $25. A miner's license lets you stake a claim anywhere. "Mining prevails over private property interests. A free miner can enter onto private land and make a claim without giving notice to the surface landowner." "All Crown lands are open for staking" "Once a claim is recorded or a lease obtained, the free miner can hold the claim for extended periods of time, and in some cases indefinitely, by performing and recording a minimal required amount of work on the land every year." source: http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php?/Free_Entry&list=articles&art_i=20&art_n=10 those are just some of the perks. I'm sure half the penny stocks in Canada are just a dude with a miner's license and a shovel.
exactly. You can get a house in a place like Bloomsburg/Berwick PA, right off I-80 like a 1/3 acre 3-bedroom home for under $100K. Living costs, car insurance, rent, contractors, cleaning people, gas, etc. much cheaper. And you still have access to Philly, the Poconos, NJ, NYC for entertainment. hell, there is a large second-run theatre in Berwick, 5 movies for $12. Rivers, streams, hills, low population, etc. PA state tax is like a 3%, and their state govt is leaner than NY/NJ (better fiscal condition). Who the hell wants to be Grizzly Adams??? And you watch the pine cones fall for entertainment? That gets old REAL fast.