Why KY Is One of the Top Three States for Living Off the Grid

If I've heard my sister say it once, I've heard her say it a thousand times--"I'd love to be able to live off the grid." She'd seriously do it in a heartbeat but for that one pesky little phrase..."to be able to."

Off the Grid in Kentucky

If you've heard the term but aren't exactly sure what it entails, let me enlighten you; it's pretty self-explanatory. "Living off the grid" simply means sustaining a livelihood without being hooked up to pipes, cables, or electricity. Solar and wind are primary sources of energy for folks living this way. And Kentucky is the state that's third-most conducive to that particular lifestyle--a lifestyle these Columbia KY homesteaders have embraced:

Kentucky -- the Third Best State for Living Off the Grid

But why is Kentucky the third-best state in the U.S. in which to live off the grid? (Iowa and Texas are the top two.) Well, the answer to that question comes to us from Lawn Starter, and online mowing platform that analyzed 23 factors and assigned scores based on those factors. Kentucky scored well enough in categories like phone coverage, wind power production, road conditions, property tax rates, crime rate, and weather--among others--to outdistance 47 other states.

While the whole concept may sound very primitive to some, living off the grid does not mean sacrificing modern conveniences. This Kentucky couple--among many others, I'm sure--prove that (I mean, they made this video, for one thing):

How Many Are Living Off the Grid in Kentucky?

So how many people in Kentucky are living off the grid? Well, as you might imagine, there is really an exact number because we're talking about folks who are, you know, off the grid. But we do know there are some 13,500 Amish living in the Commonwealth, and that, for the most part, is an off-the-grid lifestyle.

Meet the Kentucky Man Who Has No Legal Identity

But again, "off the grid" does not mean technology is "off the table". Videographer Peter Santenello profiled a Kentucky man named Titus Morris, a homesteader you can actually email. You can also call him and leave a message and he'll try to get back to you. Here's Santenello's mini-documentary about a man who grows his own food, has no type of government identification, and only deals with about $140 a month in overhead:

By the way, living off the grid in Kentucky is not illegal. So, what do you think? Is it something you've always fantasized about? Is it time to make those dreams a reality? Do you have the courage to cut the cord, so to speak?

If so, Kentucky is one of your best options, and if you're reading this, you probably already live here. So you're that much ahead of the game.

Good luck.