Building the Hogan

Once you commit yourself to an idea, it seems to create it’s own momentum.  We had barely finished the thought of starting something new when we were already scanning the maps for a suitable place.  Having spent most of my adult life travelling around the United States I was already pretty sure of where I didn’t want to live.  That narrowed things down by about seventy-five percent.  After taking an hour or so to contemplate the pluses and minuses of each region we decided it would probably be better to make a list of the things we wanted, so we could evaluate a place based on our wants and needs, rather than some perception of perfection.

Our list started fairly simple.  First of all we wanted to live in a place that had fairly moderate temperatures.  We both love to be outdoors, in all seasons, and it was important that we live in a place where the seasons actually change.  I’d spent the last eight or so years in central Texas and the seasons there are known as hot and warm, hot being the longest season.  For her part, Cecilia has spent most of her life in Switzerland, which is pretty much the opposite of Texas in that the two seasons are cold and cool.

So four seasons was at the top of the list.  Secondly, we knew that we wanted to be in a place that was sparse in population, but close enough to a town where we didn’t feel completely isolated.  The town should have it’s share of services, such as gas , groceries and medical care.  Even in the most self-sufficient of life-styles there are some basics that you don’t want to be far from.  As a parenthetical on our town requirements we noted that it should have a strong sense of the arts and an atmosphere that is open to new ideas and people.  In each case, the town should be below average on crime statistics and score well in other areas such as cost of living and property taxes.

There are resources for finding such information about US towns and we spent quite a bit of time on City-Data.

Good weather is important.  I’ve lived in Vermont and I know I’m not up for any more long, cold winters.  We wanted to be able to grow our own food in a reasonable growing season, so we checked our Zone charts and decided that we optimally wanted to be in Zone 6 or 7, but would consider up to a 5 as the coldest.  We want a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the summer and fall and to give them the best chance for success. 

Living in Zurich, Cecilia has become somewhat of a sun-worshiper.  I can understand her feelings.  The few short years I lived in Seattle, I craved the sun.  It’s a primary reason why I moved back to Texas.  In the world of sustainable living, having lots of sun is not just a way to stave off depression, it’s essential to providing off-grid power.  We checked the Map of U.S. Solar Measurement Station Locations to cross-reference places that had a high number of solar hours per year.

Our list began to grow as we brainstormed, with wants often turning into needs.

I wanted to combine solar and wind power to provide both high output twenty-four hours a day and minimize the money spent on battery storage.  As a way of hopefully further narrowing our choices I added wind as one of our requirements.  We checked the Maps to see where the wind blew the hardest and most often.

Of course, the practical aspects weren’t our only criteria.  Scenic beauty was high on our list.  We’re attracted to the wide-open spaces and we wanted a place where we didn’t feel closed in.  Being near the mountains was appealing, both for the spectacle and for the functional.  We like to hike and occasionally ski, so proximity to the mountains was added to the list.

Water was another concern.  Many of the places in the west and southwest are notoriously short on water.  If we were going to garden, and live without concern of the water supply, we wanted to make sure it was abundant and available - or at least nearby.  I’ll explain that one in another post.

Armed with our list we set out to find our perfect place.