Aroostook County, Maine
USA · Portage Lake / Ashland / Allagash side (north woods, not the potato plain)
Why it ranks
No damaging quakes or hurricanes, immense water, Aroostook loam, a shrinking population and the cheapest buildable land in the US.
What drags it down
Zone‑4 winters, mediocre solar, and the watershed needs parcel‑level care.
Water
Potato‑belt pesticides (legacy aldicarb), Maine's statewide PFAS‑from‑biosolids problem, the former Loring AFB Superfund site at Limestone, aerial forestry herbicides, and the undeveloped Bald Mountain copper‑zinc deposit. Buy at a headwater.
Land prices
$1,200–1,700 (≈150 ac)
50 wooded acres in Perham listed at $80,000; ~200 acres with 2,500 ft of Portage Lake/Fish River frontage at $250,000. $1,200–1,700/acre. $250k ≈ 150 acres.
Hospital
Presque Isle (AR Gould) 30–45 min; Bangor 2.5 hr.
Buying as a US citizen
Open to anyone; Maine Tree Growth program lowers tax on woodland.
Surf
None.
The numbers behind the score
Water & food
- Water supply92
- Watershed integrity63
- Food capacity73
Climate safety
- Extreme weather88
- Wildfire + flood88
- 50‑yr climate trajectory86
- Geological hazard90
Off-grid energy
- Energy self‑sufficiency71
Out of the line of fire
- Stability / rule of law70
- Strategic exposure—
Cost
- Price per acre100
- Holding costsUS passport75
- Ownership ease (US citizen)US passport100
Access & care
- Hospital distance75
Room to breathe
- Population pressure100
Data as of 2026-10-22. Scores combine public datasets and researched figures; prices are indicative ranges, not listings. Not legal, financial or immigration advice. Verify locally before you buy.