I think I may have found a sort of Shangri-La for those of us dreaming of doing anything we want with a piece of property–building what the heck we want without kissing the asses of the building department to push an idea through. Oh yes… This is a really good find I am going to share with you…
This past winter, I drove from California to Florida not only because I am nuts, but also because I love to drive and see what this great country of ours (if you are American) has to offer. On my way, I made it to El Paso from Los Angeles in about 11 hours I believe, but had no intentions on staying there because El Paso isn’t on the top of my list of favorite cities. No, I kept driving. Eventually, I stayed in Fort Stockton, Texas, which is about an additional three hours of driving beyond El Paso on Interstate 10. So unfortunately on the first pass, I totally missed seeing the wonderful would-be Shangri-La for containerists and alternative home builders–it was about 10 P.M.
Two weeks later, my drive back from Florida was different. It was daytime when I drove through it: Hudspeth County, Texas. It was not the Texas we picture when we think of the state. No cows. No flat, ugly brown dirt-laden stretches of land. No tall grasses. No oil rigs that I can remember. No junky homes or trash strewn about. The landscape was rather beautiful. Mountains, clean air, and gorgeous shrubbery and flora. Quite possibly one of the most ideal places to build whatever the hell you want without any worries, and never regret it. No snoopy neighbors, bad terrain, traffic or any of the things that could hinder one’s creative inner builder… oh, and hell yeah, no building inspectors! Hudspeth County, Texas has NO BUILDING CODES.
It that it? Was that all I had to say? Nope. How many places in the U.S. can you get a 10-acre parcel for about $3k? Not too many. You can start a ranch, compound or even an off-grid community. There is so much land for sale there that you can do whatever you want! Hell, start a town and name it after yourself. Grow crops with the abundant underground water in the area. Amenities? Nah. If you had amenities of a normal city, you would likely have codes, so take your pick. It’s not that bad really. You will have to drive a bit to get the things you need. El Paso is near, so there is your answer.
Well, I thought I would just share this with you, the present and future containerists like myself. I love fanning the flames of inspiration. I want to get your imagination flowing with the following link to some land in the area. Have a great time dreaming and wishing:
Cheap Land in Hudspeth County, TX (opens new window)
Here is a sample Craigslist ad for shipping containers in El Paso, TX. The container would be about an hour away from your property if you ever decided on a parcel in Hudspeth County. You could have a container sitting on 10 acres of land you own for about $5000 total.
