Can you get free land in the US?
No state actually gives out free land, but there are cities that are offering free land. Most of these cities are located in the following states: Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa and Texas.
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ended homesteading; by that time, federal government policy had shifted to retaining control of western public lands. The only exception to this new policy was in Alaska, for which the law allowed homesteading until 1986.
Bir Tawil. Perhaps the most famous “unclaimed land” in the world is Bir Tawil. In 2014, author Alastair Bonnett described Bir Tawil as the only place on Earth that was habitable but was not claimed by any recognised government. So why does nobody own it?
The cheapest states turned out to be New Mexico, Arizona, and Mississippi. There were a couple of other ones mixed in there like Colorado, Texas, Florida, and Oregon. But the vast majority of the results were in those top 3, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.
However, courtesy of the Homesteading Act of 1862 many homesteaders of the past were able to receive free land. Many states have chosen to offer a similar package to modern day homesteaders in hopes of raising the populations in these small towns. The land quantities are smaller, but they are still free!
- Beatrice, Nebraska.
- Buffalo, New York.
- Curtis, Nebraska.
- Elwood, Nebraska.
- Lincoln, Kansas.
- Loup City, Nebraska.
- Mankato, Kansas.
- Manilla, Iowa.
There is plenty of publically-held land owned by the federal government or states. However, there is no land in the US that does not have a designated owner.
The largest landowners in the United States are John Malone, the Emmerson Family, Ted Turner, the Reed Family, and Stan Kroenke. John Malone is the largest landowner with about 2.2 million acres of land across the country, including in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Land values are traditionally cheaper than surrounding states, exasperating the relevancy of cheaper property taxes as owners will pay less tax overall. Which essentially means the maintenance and cost of upkeeping the property are considerably cheaper than most other states that border New Mexico.
1. Oklahoma. Cheap labor and building costs help Oklahoma land in the No. 1 spot for the cheapest places to build a home.
Which state has cheapest land per acre?
So for both 1 acre and 5 acre plots, our cheapest states to buy land are Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, closed followed by Arkansas, Texas, North Carolina, Oregon, Nevada, and California. Some great news for you here is that at Compass Land USA, we do a lot of work in Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Once the personal property is considered abandoned under the law, it must be reported to the Texas Comptroller. Texans can search for unclaimed property in their name through the Texas Comptroller's website and submit a claim.

Yes, Homesteading in Montana is Legal
Homesteading in the state dates back to 1862 when the first Homestead Act was passed, enabling US citizens to claim land provided that they lived on it, cultivated it, and improved it. Though several supplementary laws have been passed since homesteading is still legal in Montana.
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How Do People Afford Homesteading?
- Get Out of Debt (and Stay Out!) ...
- Make Your Own Skin and Hair Products. ...
- Grow Your Own Microgreens. ...
- Make Your Own Soap. ...
- Create a Meal Plan.
On land owned by individuals, this is generally illegal. The basic offense is trespassing; if you attempt to build stuff or chop down trees there may be other charges depending on specific local laws.
Considering six main categories of factors (cost of living, freedom of lifestyle, water availability, how easy it is to grow food, energy availability, and the area's community, the ten best states for off-grid living area: Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Hawaii, Colorado, and Arkansas ...
- Teach English Abroad.
- Volunteer with Peace Corps or AmeriCorps.
- Become an Au Pair.
- Trade Services for Free Rent.
- Become a House Sitter.
- Become a Resident Assistant at Your College.
- Find a Job That Provides Housing.
- 'Factual' or exclusive possession of the land. ...
- 'Intention to possess' the land, shown by a combination of 'factual' possession and other actions to exclude all others from ownership;
- Possession of the land without consent.
“The United States consists of 11,078,300 Census Blocks,” Freeman explained on his Tumblr. “Of them, 4,871,270 blocks totaling 4.61 million square kilometers were reported to have no population living inside them. Despite having a population of more than 310 million people, 47% of the USA remains unoccupied.”
How much land does McDonald's own? The company owns about 45% of the land and 70% of the buildings at their 36,000+ locations (the rest is leased). It's a brilliant strategy.
How much land does China own in the United States?
While China raises concerns over American boots on the ground in Asia, the country continues to grow its own footprint in the U.S. USDA's latest data shows China owns over 191,000 acres of U.S. lands, but that was before a North Dakota land sale this Spring.
The ten largest landowners in America are 1. cable and media honcho John Malone (2.2 million acres), 2. lumber titans Emmerson Family, 3. CNN founder Ted Turner, 4.
- Iowa. Iowa is has some of the most arable land in the United States, which makes it great for starting a self-sufficient homestead. ...
- Wyoming. Wyoming has a lot of things going for it. ...
- Arkansas. When it comes to homesteading, Arkansas has a lot to offer. ...
- Idaho. ...
- Oregon. ...
- Indiana. ...
- Virginia. ...
- North Carolina.
The Homestead Act of 1862 is no longer in effect, but free land is still available out there in the great wide open (often literally in the great wide open). In fact, the town of Beatrice, Nebraska has even enacted a Homestead Act of 2010.
Texas, Florida, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, and Oklahoma have some of the broadest homestead protections in the United States in terms of the value of property that can be protected.
93,000,000: Estimated number of homesteader descendants alive today. 270,000,000: Total number of acres distributed by the Homestead Act.
Homesteading brings freedom.
We homesteaders tend to be an independent bunch, and our self-sufficient tendencies are usually the primary factors leading us down this unconventional path. Homesteading can provide freedom from a centralized food supply and even freedom from the power grid, if you choose that route.
- Tennessee. Rural Tennessee is already a popular location for sustainable living enthusiasts, with a fantastic harvesting season of around 9 months of the year, there are low property taxes and costs.
- Idaho. ...
- Oregon. ...
- Maine. ...
- Michigan. ...
- Connecticut. ...
- Montana. ...
- Alaska. ...
Homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food, and may also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craft work for household use or sale.
Answer: The federal and state agencies in Alaska do not offer free land. The State of Alaska's Department of Natural Resources however does have a Public Land Sale program and some other organizations in Alaska may occasionally offer land for sale to private citizens.
Can you just claim land in Alaska?
No. Homesteading ended on all federal lands on October 21, 1986. The State of Alaska currently has no homesteading program for its lands.
The largest landowners in the United States are John Malone, the Emmerson Family, Ted Turner, the Reed Family, and Stan Kroenke. John Malone is the largest landowner with about 2.2 million acres of land across the country, including in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Kansas, Florida, Iowa, and Texas provide an unlimited dollar value homestead exemption. Florida and Texas, in fact, are well known as debtor-friendly states because of their homestead exemptions. However, homesteads acquired through fraud can no longer be protected.
The homestead estate is designed to protect home ownership from execution and forced sale, so long as the owner or covered family member occupies or intends to occupy the property as his or her principal place of residence.