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Check out our choices for America's best rural counties, then take our survey and find the best place for YOU.

The Top Ten:
The best of the best


Your Own Best Places:
Create a top 10 list based on your preferences.

Idea House & Farmstead
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more best places

Regional Top 60 Counties:
Southeast
Northeast
Midwest
Southwest
West

Other Top Tens:
See the top ten counties in each of our statistical categories

How We Did It:
How we compiled our list




This Oregon family can't imagine a better life.
Laura and Ed Huggins pull on snowshoes outside their home in Baker City, Ore. Their children—Lukas, 10, Matea, 8, and Gracie, 6—lace their boots into their own shoes. Throwing backpacks heavy with sandwiches and drinks over their shoulders, they set out. In 10 minutes they cross onto high trails in the Elk Horn Mountains. With picture-perfect views of mountains, valleys and streams, it's not rare for deer, goats and elk to cross into their sight. MORE
STEP 1: Getting Started

We asked the people who make their living selling rural property what buyers need to keep in mind when searching for their dream property. MORE
STEP 2: Searching By Surfing

When you're ready to start looking for quality property,the internet is an excellent place. MORE
EXTRA: What Makes a Rural Area Hot?
STEP 3: Discover the Value of Land

Having a good appraisal on property—no matter who it comes from—is a plus for any buyer of land. MORE
EXTRA: What Catches an Appraiser's Eye?
STEP 4: Checklist for Buying Land

A top realtor shows you how. MORE
STEP 5: Financing the Purchase

Long-time ag lenders plow new ground with back-to-landers. MORE
EXTRA: What About An Auction?
STEP 6: Get a Survey

You'll be wise to hire a professional when you're talking acres. MORE
STEP 7: Prevent Buyer's Remorse

Don't be so smitten with the land that you fail to take a good, close look at what you're buying. MORE
EXTRA: Battle of the Brush
EXTRA: Look For What You Can't See
EXTRA: The Oddball Problem
STEP 8: Siting the Farmhouse

Great country homes have a close partnership with the land. MORE
EXTRA: Principles of Good Home Design
STEP 9: Designing the Farmhouse

Here are some big ideas for simple living. MORE
EXTRA: Country Homes By the Book
STEP 10: Landscaping

Why plant all that expensive landscaping when the land already gives you a beginning point—and free plants? MORE
EXTRA: Landscaping Tips

 
 
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