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Mountain West and Upper Great Plains

Posted on 11/18/25 at 8:33 pm
Posted by LP2OP
Member since May 2025
35 posts
Posted on 11/18/25 at 8:33 pm
Any thoughts on, or experience in, investing in farm or recreational land in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, or Western Nebraska?

I’ve recently become infatuated with the topography and characteristics of this region and have been doing a lot of research on price and location. The prices seem to be significantly cheaper than acreage in the south and Midwest.

Other than being so far away from the property so personal use will be limited (especially if it’s a recreation tract), what are other cons to investing in that part of the country?
Posted by CapitalTiger
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Sep 2019
242 posts
Posted on 11/18/25 at 8:46 pm to
quote:

what are other cons to investing in that part of the country?


Winters are brutal. Water rights can be tricky. Access to utilities.
Posted by LP2OP
Member since May 2025
35 posts
Posted on 11/18/25 at 9:01 pm to
Right, I would leave it alone in the winter. Utilities are what they are, but water rights are something that I would be concerned about.

Also, it seems like there may be some cattle grazing rights on these big ranches that are getting carved up and sold in smaller tracts.

Conservation easements are familiar because we have them down here.
Posted by turkish
Member since Aug 2016
2251 posts
Posted on 11/19/25 at 7:29 am to
I don’t know much about what land is available out there. What I’ve seen offered cheaper than land in the South is flat and dry. For land like that, 1000 acres is tiny when there are only 2 trees on it.
Posted by roll to victory
Hoover, AL
Member since Aug 2018
1554 posts
Posted on 11/19/25 at 7:45 am to
Loongg winters, starting from late Oct. to early May. I know Montana & Idaho are very remote if your beyond 10 miles to the nearest city and distance. Sparsely populated in between. The state screws you on tag renewals, but no sales tax!!

As for topography Montana IMO is the most beautiful state in the lower 48 at least on the western side from West Yellowstone south all the way north to the Canadian border.
This post was edited on 11/19/25 at 12:08 pm
Posted by Motownsix
Boise
Member since Oct 2022
3093 posts
Posted on 11/19/25 at 11:18 pm to
quote:

Any thoughts on, or experience in, investing in farm or recreational land in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, or Western Nebraska?


I can’t speak to recreational or farm land, but starting back in 2018 I started buying residential properties in Idaho and Colorado. My suspicions about climate migration fueled this. Both places have seen (like a lot of other places) insane growth and prosperity. I’ve experienced lots of value growth.

My personal opinion on what the dirt is worth is mostly determined by accessibility, infrastructure, and resources. People on TD always romanticize being as remote as possible. IMO that logic doesn’t make sense.
Posted by Motownsix
Boise
Member since Oct 2022
3093 posts
Posted on 11/19/25 at 11:25 pm to
quote:

Winters are brutal. Water rights can be tricky. Access to utilities


Weather is different when you leave the humidity. The winters in Boise aren’t much worse than when it drops below 55 in BRLA.

Most people I know who can live anywhere are trying harder to avoid a brutal summer over a harsh winter. I used to spend 8-10 months in Florida. Now I’m down to 2-3.

I always say that accessibility, infrastructure, and resources are extremely important when choosing a place to live. I have no interest in not having electricity, gas, sewer, garbage pickup, and water.
Posted by GREENHEAD22
Member since Nov 2009
20514 posts
Posted on 11/19/25 at 11:30 pm to
I would be real nervous about the lack of water, regardless of the rights, in the future for a lot of that area.


Water and the lack of it will be the biggest issue in the US in the next 5-10 years. The shitshow in Texas is just getting started. Go look at Corpus as and the lawsuit against Bass as examples.
Posted by Motownsix
Boise
Member since Oct 2022
3093 posts
Posted on 11/20/25 at 1:22 am to
quote:

rights, in the future for a lot of that area. Water and the lack of it will be the biggest issue in the US in the next 5-10 years. The shitshow in Texas is just getting started. Go look at Corpus as and the lawsuit against Bass as examples


I agree with this.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
46280 posts
Posted on 11/20/25 at 7:44 am to
quote:

Water and the lack of it will be the biggest issue in the US in the next 5-10 years
without question.
my wife and i could realistically move anywhere now, with the necessary lifestyle changes required. we stay here (south LA) for now for one primary reason...we will never have to compete for fresh water. it is the only thing you cannot live without
Posted by LP2OP
Member since May 2025
35 posts
Posted on 11/21/25 at 3:41 pm to
Yep, water will end up being the newest “mineral” or something similar that the law will provide special privileges and rules for.
Posted by LP2OP
Member since May 2025
35 posts
Posted on 11/21/25 at 3:48 pm to
You’re right - water is something we take for granted in the south and especially Louisiana where a lot of places if you can get to the sand bed and stick a pipe in it, water will flow above the surface.

I wish I knew more about the legal issues of water rights in these northern areas and what the balance is between making those as strong as possible now and visiting that property a couple of times a year to hunt and/or just check on things. Also the balance between keeping it for “forever” or selling it off when it appreciates at some point sooner.
Posted by theballguy
Between Colorado & DC
Member since Oct 2011
28853 posts
Posted on 11/24/25 at 9:39 am to
quote:

I would be real nervous about the lack of water, regardless of the rights, in the future for a lot of that area.



Water is truly gold out here. Even now.
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