Buy A Bit Of Nowhere, 14 Minutes Remaining

So you wanna live off the grid? Way off the grid? Get prime ranch land 60 minutes from Marfa to the southeast or 20 minutes from Valentine to the west - for less than 100 bucks an acre! Only one problem: good luck finding it once you've paid. The San Antonio Express News covered an interesting story about internet land sales in Presidio County on (the popular internet auction site) eBay. Auctions claim the land to be "located in desirable Presidio County,Texas. The terrain is said to be both flat and rolling... It is just across the border from Mexico, and near the Rio Grand River (5 miles away). The magnificant Big Bend Ranch State Park is found in Presidio County..." or, in another auction, "I am told that the terrain of this parcel is mountainous." I am told...niiiiice. These low-dollar land sales are typically bought and sold by people that have never actually been to the site, much less west Texas. This phenomenon isn't unique to Presidio County - it happens in remote areas of all the western states. Sandy Pridgeon, chief appraiser for both Jeff Davis and Hudspeth counties points out, “to someone back east, $100 an acre sounds like a wonderful deal. But if you can’t find your land, it’s not that wonderful. And if you can find it, you won’t be able to live on it." Truer words have never been spoken. Read full article here or at mySA.com (registration required).
[thanks to Marge for this tip]