The tiny town of Marne, Iowa, with a population of around 120, is located between Des Moines and Omaha. A farming community with an old-fashioned feeling, Marne is giving away land to those willing to build a home of at least 1,200 square feet on the lot.
15 Cheapest Places to Buy Land in America
Are you looking to build your dream home? Or maybe you want to simplify your life and go live off the grid in some remote locale. Or perhaps you just want your own place where you can hunt, camp, and park your RV or boat, where you can relax without nosy neighbors or pesky homeowners association rules. Whatever the reason, many people dream of buying their own little plot of land. But finding land that’s affordable can be a challenge. If your budget is tight, you can forget about snagging a parcel near big cities like New York or Los Angeles, where a small vacant lot, if you can find one, can easily sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you’re willing to consider a rural setting, though, there are still plenty of deals to be found, particularly in these 15 places where you can buy land for cheap—or for nothing at all!
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Marne, Iowa
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Coxsackie, New York
Walk or ride your bike to Sleepy Hollow Lake and enjoy fishing, swimming, or boating when you build on a 1/3-acre lot in Coxsackie, New York. For just $2,500, you'll have the perfect spot for a vacation home, or even your primary residence. The town is very close to Albany and less than three hours from New York City.
flickr.com via dougtone
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Lake Los Angeles, California
The eponymous lake dried up long ago, but if you’d like to live, camp, or just have fun with your ATV less than two hours away from Los Angeles, you may be interested in Lake Los Angeles, California, You can buy a 2.5-acre plot of land for just $5,000—a bargain price that might make it easier to stomach the blazing summers in the high desert and the fact that the site has neither utilities nor a water source in place.
flickr.com via bossco
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Bunnell, Florida
For just $8,900, you can buy just under an acre in Bunnell, Florida. The property is zoned for a single-family home and has paved roads in place, and you're free to raise livestock or park RVs, boats, work vehicles, and ATVs on the property. There’s plenty of fishing, boating, and other outdoor recreation within a half-hour drive, and it’s even close to shopping and other city amenities.
flickr.com via dicksphotos
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New Richland, Minnesota
There’s more to New Richland, Minnesota, than the free lots it’s offering in a brand-new subdivision, provided you build within one year. The small city of 1,200 people has a golf course, fishing, boating, swimming in the lovely lake, good schools, and a family-friendly feeling.
flickr.com via bobex_pics
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Cape Coral, Florida
If you're dreaming of a home near the water, consider a ¼-acre lot in Cape Coral, Florida, that's going for only $8,900. The city is known for its network of canals—more than 400 miles of them—and there are also golf courses, museums, parks, and performing arts facilities nearby.
Related: 10 Things No One Tells You About Tiny Houses
flickr.com via ted_abbott
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Lincoln, Kansas
Billing itself as the city that's "the size of a dime with the heart of a dollar,” Lincoln, Kansas, is offering free lots in a brand-new subdivision within easy walking distance of schools, entertainment, shopping, museums, an art center, and the library. This small town with a population of 3,500 will also extend property tax rebates to those who qualify to build there.
flickr.com via mrjeremiahross
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Kingsport, Tennessee
Do you love to hike and enjoy the great outdoors? You’ll like the town of Kingsport, Tennessee, where you can buy a ¾-acre plot of land for only $5,000. Build the home of your dreams, or simply use the site for camping. Either way, you’ll appreciate the parks, planetarium, historic downtown, and friendliness of this not-so-small city of 53,000.
flickr.com via tim_johnson
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Akron, Ohio
For just $10,000, you can buy a small lot—1/10-acre—in Akron, Ohio, less than an hour away from Cleveland. Building in an established neighborhood means that water, gas, and other utilities are already set up and you'll have schools, shopping, entertainment, and hospitals close at hand.
flickr.com via markphil
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Curtis, Nebraska
If you love to hunt and fish, prefer small-town life, and don’t want to pay much—or anything at all—for a plot of land, check out Curtis, Nebraska. This tiny town—the population is less than 1,000—in southwest Nebraska is giving away small plots of land already furnished with utilities and paved streets. You’ll need to build a single-family home on the lot within a specified time frame, but that’s a small price to pay for free land.
flickr.com via auvet
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Citrus Springs, Florida
Located near an established subdivision, a ¼-acre lot in Citrus Springs, Florida, is selling for $3,850. Kayaking, canoeing, hiking, golfing, and other outdoor activities abound in the area, and it isn’t far to schools, shopping, restaurants, and other everyday necessities.
Related: 10 Things to Consider Before You Move to a New Neighborhood
flickr.com via stevenm_61
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Marquette, Kansas
Another small town in the heartland of Kansas, Marquette is giving away free lots to those willing to build a house of at least 1,000 square feet. This family-friendly town, with a population of 610, not only has good schools, plenty of kid-focused activities, and wide-open vistas, it’s also home to the Kansas Motorcycle Museum.
flickr.com via travelks
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Blanca, Colorado
A five-acre lot in Blanca, Colorado, that’s selling for a mere $3,999, is perfect for living off the grid or as a base for hiking, camping, driving your ATV, or enjoying the clear night sky.
flickr.com via sillysocks
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Brookeland, Texas
For just $1,799, you can purchase a ¼-acre lot in Brookeland, Texas, that's part of the Rayburn Country Golf and Marina Resort. Community amenities include the golf course, boating, water activities, a clubhouse, and a community pool. From Brookeland, it’s just about an hour to Lufkin and a little more than two hours to Houston.
flickr.com via forest_service_southern_region
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Elwood, Nebraska
If you pay a $500 deposit (to be refunded upon completion of your home), start construction within one year, and move in within two, you can have a free plot of land in the tiny town—population 707—of Elwood, Nebraska.
Related: 10 Things Real People Regret About Buying a Home
flickr.com via auvet
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