I live in the exurbs of Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD and I often just say I live in the suburbs. Why? Most people are not familiar with the exurbs vs suburbs because there’s really not much of a reason to go to the exurbs. So what are the exurbs? It’s less densely populated than the suburbs and in recent years, the concept of Exurban Homesteading has gained popularity among those looking to live sustainably in these areas, especially as rural homesteading seems too remote to many city folks.
It’s really just the interface of the suburbs with rural areas. There’s quite a lot of farms, but also many housing developments that look like typical suburbia. Trees and wild land are definitely more abundant that in the suburbs. Driving distance tends to be longer, but there almost never is significant traffic, unless an accident occurs on a small two-lane road. All in all, I enjoy living in the exurbs and practicing Exurban Homesteading.
I grew up in the expansive suburbs of New Jersey, though my parents were not into suburban homesteading. When I was a kid suburbia was much less densely populated than by the time I went off to college. Now visiting my hometown seems almost like heading into a city. I thought this might just be because I had gotten used to fewer people milling about. But my friends who stayed said they see the population density increase too.
So, moving to the exurbs kind of felt like going back in time to when I was a child. But I can see the growth here too. I’ve been here 10 years, and many more developments have cropped up. Many forests have been cut down. The one strip of bars that gets crowded on a Saturday night seems to be getting ever more crowded. This growth makes Exurban Homesteading a bit challenging for newcomers to the area since land is more expensive than it was 10 years ago.
Homesteading With Different Constraints
Exubran Homesteads are a chill balance
Similar to a rural homestead, an exurban homestead has very few limitations since there is likely to not be an Home Owners Association (HOA). Or if your property is part of an HOA, they will probably be pretty chill. Moreover, you could overthrow your HOA! The benefit of the exurbs vs. rural areas is that there is more infrastructure and events in the exurbs. For example, there are shops, grocery stores, arts councils, restaurants, and social events. Clearly, there is a spectrum of activities that correlates to population density. But my point is that an exurb vs. rural area is a nicer balance between going full rural where the closest grocery store is 45 min away vs. living in suburbia where there is a shopping mall every couple of miles. Exurban Homesteading offers the best of both worlds.
Even though I’m trying to grow as much food as I possibly can, I’m still reliant on a grocery store. Having one about 10 min from my house is pretty convenient. And the local Ace hardware store is right next to the grocery store. I can get most of what I need for my homesteading projects without having to drive half an hour to a big box home improvement store. Exurban Homesteading is truly convenient this way.
Well paying jobs are certainly not as common in the exurbs as they are in the suburbs or in cities. But the cost of living is also significantly lower, with lower taxes, lower home prices, and lower entertainment prices. Honestly, the best combo is to get a remote job and move to the exurbs. Yet it seems that the corporate overlords don’t like this life hack and are mandating a return to office for many jobs. So, maybe the thing to do is start your own remote job…about plants, and homesteading…and not make any money for a long time…
Suburban Homesteads are More Restrictive
Now if you live in a suburb vs. exurb, there’s a lot more constraints – largely due to HOAs. But there shouldn’t be much of an issue with having enough land to keep yourself busy. You can practice permaculture with an edible landscape. Replace unproductive hedges with native berry bushes and add some dwarf fruit trees. These can be packed pretty densely. A quarter acre is sufficient to grow fruit and have a vegetable garden. There are even several books on the subject of producing a significant amount of food on a small amount of land. For instance, Mini-Farming: Self Sufficiency on 1/4 acre, by Brett Markham. Additionally, The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan, and The Self-Sufficient Backyard by Ron and Johanna Melchiore. And don’t forget about the pollinators! Even a small native meadow area can act as a pitstop for bees flying up to 3 miles from their hive.
Where you start to have trouble with space in the suburbs is keeping animals. Chickens don’t take up a ton of space. But you probably shouldn’t have a rooster unless you run it by all your neighbors, since it will wake everyone up. Beekeeping is also a low outdoor space endeavor.
The Minimalist Urban Homestead
Now, the real tough way to homestead is urban homesteading. There are different levels of urbanism. I think it’s pretty unlikely that someone who lives in an apartment in New York City without any outdoor space is going to take up homesteading. Not to say that they couldn’t do some indoor farming with grow lights and hydroponics, but anything beyond that would be tough. There are allotments that are common in the UK where people who don’t have land connected to their home can rent or buy a small parcel that is in a grid with other small parcels for farming.
A similar thing to an allotment is available in many regions in the US, you just need to know where to find them. My first adventure into gardening was actually on a farm plot (what we call an allotment in the US) on a military base that I worked on. I lived in an apartment complex that was a 5 min drive from the base, and it cost me $75 dollars a year to rent a 40′ by 30′ farm plot.
I had no idea what I was doing, and I just threw some hop rhizomes in the ground because I wanted to brew beer (priorities change over time…), but at least I could get off from work and head over to my farm plot for half an hour to water stuff and chat with the folks who were actually putting in the work to grow a significant amount of food on their plots.
So, it was a rare 3rd place that I could go that wasn’t work or my apartment, and I didn’t have to spend any extra money to be there (aside from the small rental fee). However, I do regret not putting more work into that garden, as I could have learned a whole lot from the folks around me.
Parting Words for Wanna Be Homesteaders
I’m not a fan of Nike in general due to their abhorrent manufacturing practices (child slave labor and sweat shops), but “Just Do It” applies equally to homesteading as it does to sports. So, not to encroach on their IP, I’ve come up with “Simply Undertake It“…brilliant, I know. Exurban Homesteading awaits on Homestead Earth!