West Virginia

doodah · 09-15-2008, 07:13 PM

Absolutely. With you all the way on that.

I'm in SW VA, foothills of the Appalachians. Not sure I'm meant to be exactly here, very few like-minded near me.

This mountain top removal ... what's the prognosis on being able to buy land? I see that as the first hurdle. All the rest is very doable.

fil · 09-15-2008, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doodah

This mountain top removal ... what's the prognosis on being able to buy land? I see that as the first hurdle. All the rest is very doable.

Haven't looked into that yet, not sure where to start...

No idea, either, what kind of price such a spread would go for, or whether there is the possibility of a land grant.

Guess I need to do some research...

hummingbird · 09-16-2008, 03:25 AM

My family has a lot of land in Monroe County, West Virginia, not to far from Blacksburg, VA. We're actually thinking to sell some acreage... we have a lot. At the same time we're interested in starting a bit of a community. Anyone interested?

doodah · 09-16-2008, 07:52 AM

What's the going price per acre, hummingbird? What's the terrain like?

fil · 09-17-2008, 07:54 PM

_____

After some searching I was finally able to find this mountaintop removal site within the West Virginia Development Office's pages:

http://www.wvdo.org/ipdb/displayinfo...ype=Site&ID=23

...and even though the map shown is not properly oriented, was able to find the area on Google Maps:

This is not the specific site I was looking for, and not the most well-suited to settlement, but at least there is contact information for an organization -- a place to start.

The coal companies seem to think the land they leave behind will be attractive to industrial developers. In a few cases they may be right, but for the most part these sites will be left to the slow process of reclamation by Nature -- after a cursory 'makeover'. There may be one or two that have been cleaned up and landscaped as false examples of the companies' 'responsible' environmental policies, but...

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10037688

...But since the land is already in a state of ruination, what better place to develop an intentional community (AKA planned community)? Almost anything you do will be an improvement, and there is room in these places for an entire civilization.

What has been allowed to be done here is appalling, but the practice of mountaintop removal mining is one of those things that will not survive the transition. Coal does not have a future.

Those former mine sites do.

- fil

_____

David · 09-18-2008, 02:12 PM

Hi everyone. It seem like the Appalachian Mountains would be the best place to go for people on the east coast.

fil · 09-18-2008, 06:26 PM

_____

It's not that I feel (at least not by this point) that I'll need a place in the mountains in order to survive...

You'd think I'd like it here, in a relatively quiet neighbourhood in a small city, where everything I really need is within walking distance...

But I don't have much room for a garden, and I'm surrounded by people that I don't know -- and this whole setting is of the past, not the future.

The removed mountaintops capture my imagination. They are places of opportunity, where people can come together and create something new -- if only the land can be liberated from whomever controls it now.

It can. It will be.

I intend to be there when it happens, and be part of it.

- fil

_____

09-15-2008, 07:13 PM	#1
doodah Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 373	Re: Appalachia Crew Absolutely. With you all the way on that. I'm in SW VA, foothills of the Appalachians. Not sure I'm meant to be exactly here, very few like-minded near me. This mountain top removal ... what's the prognosis on being able to buy land? I see that as the first hurdle. All the rest is very doable.

09-16-2008, 03:25 AM	#3
hummingbird Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 8	Re: Appalachia Crew My family has a lot of land in Monroe County, West Virginia, not to far from Blacksburg, VA. We're actually thinking to sell some acreage... we have a lot. At the same time we're interested in starting a bit of a community. Anyone interested?

09-16-2008, 07:52 AM	#4
doodah Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Virginia, USA Posts: 373	Re: Appalachia Crew What's the going price per acre, hummingbird? What's the terrain like?

09-17-2008, 07:54 PM	#5
fil Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: western Appalachia Posts: 48	Re: Appalachia Crew _____ After some searching I was finally able to find this mountaintop removal site within the West Virginia Development Office's pages: http://www.wvdo.org/ipdb/displayinfo...ype=Site&ID=23 ...and even though the map shown is not properly oriented, was able to find the area on Google Maps: This is not the specific site I was looking for, and not the most well-suited to settlement, but at least there is contact information for an organization -- a place to start. The coal companies seem to think the land they leave behind will be attractive to industrial developers. In a few cases they may be right, but for the most part these sites will be left to the slow process of reclamation by Nature -- after a cursory 'makeover'. There may be one or two that have been cleaned up and landscaped as false examples of the companies' 'responsible' environmental policies, but... http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10037688 ...But since the land is already in a state of ruination, what better place to develop an intentional community (AKA planned community)? Almost anything you do will be an improvement, and there is room in these places for an entire civilization. What has been allowed to be done here is appalling, but the practice of mountaintop removal mining is one of those things that will not survive the transition. Coal does not have a future. Those former mine sites do. - fil _____

09-18-2008, 02:12 PM	#6
David Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 398	Re: Appalachia Crew Hi everyone. It seem like the Appalachian Mountains would be the best place to go for people on the east coast.

09-18-2008, 06:26 PM	#7
fil Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: western Appalachia Posts: 48	Re: Appalachia Crew _____ It's not that I feel (at least not by this point) that I'll need a place in the mountains in order to survive... You'd think I'd like it here, in a relatively quiet neighbourhood in a small city, where everything I really need is within walking distance... But I don't have much room for a garden, and I'm surrounded by people that I don't know -- and this whole setting is of the past, not the future. The removed mountaintops capture my imagination. They are places of opportunity, where people can come together and create something new -- if only the land can be liberated from whomever controls it now. It can. It will be. I intend to be there when it happens, and be part of it. - fil _____