{"id":10784,"date":"2022-07-18T18:11:44","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T18:11:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/?p=10784"},"modified":"2022-07-19T17:55:07","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T17:55:07","slug":"best-states-for-pioneer-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/best-states-for-pioneer-women\/","title":{"rendered":"2022\u2019s Best States for Pioneer Women"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Growing your own crops, herding your cattle, heating your bathwater on the stove \u2014 \u201cThe Pioneer Woman\u201d star Ree Drummond proves that any city dweller can transition to self-sustaining rancher.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, where in America could you live like a modern-day Laura Ingalls Wilder or Anne of Green Gables?<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find out, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnlove.com\/\">Lawn Love<\/a> ranked 2022\u2019s Best States for Pioneer Women by comparing the 50 states based on their suitability to a \u201cLittle House on the Prairie\u201d lifestyle.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We looked at eight different factors indicating a state\u2019s friendliness toward farming (especially for women) and surviving off the grid.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out the best states for the simple life below, followed by our in-depth assessment of the rankings.<\/p>    <h2 id=\"in-this-article\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">In this article&nbsp;<\/h2>    <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#rankings\">State rankings<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#insights\">The upshot<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#methodology\">Behind the ranking<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#final-thoughts\">Final thoughts: How to live like a Pioneer Woman<\/a><\/li><\/ul>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"rankings\"><span id=\"state-rankings\">State rankings<\/span><\/h2>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See how each state fared in our ranking:<\/p>   <div class=\"infogram-embed\" data-id=\"7e1f3a10-ac32-45c2-98a6-1c5d5f6acace\" data-type=\"interactive\" data-title=\"2022&amp;#39;s Best States for Pioneer Women\"><\/div> <p><script>!function(e,i,n,s){var t=\"InfogramEmbeds\",d=e.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement(\"script\");o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/js\/dist\/embed-loader-min.js\",d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,\"infogram-async\");<\/script><\/p>    <figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"1382\" src=\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022s-Best-States-for-Pioneer-Women-Infographic.png\" alt=\"Infographic showing the Best States for Pioneer Women, a ranking based on states\u2019 friendliness toward an off-grid lifestyle, farming, and ranching\" class=\"wp-image-10815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022s-Best-States-for-Pioneer-Women-Infographic.png 800w, https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022s-Best-States-for-Pioneer-Women-Infographic-174x300.png 174w, https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022s-Best-States-for-Pioneer-Women-Infographic-593x1024.png 593w, https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022s-Best-States-for-Pioneer-Women-Infographic-768x1327.png 768w, https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022s-Best-States-for-Pioneer-Women-Infographic-610x1054.png 610w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"insights\"><span id=\"the-upshot\">The upshot<\/span><\/h2>    <h3 id=\"alone-in-the-lone-star-state\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alone in the Lone Star State<\/h3>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you dream of being a cowgirl (and isolating yourself from society), it doesn\u2019t get better than Texas, our No. 1 Best State for Pioneer Women. Earning nearly 11 points more than Oklahoma, our silver medalist and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biography.com\/personality\/ree-drummond\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ree Drummond<\/a>\u2019s home state, the Lone Star State is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-and-worst-states-for-living-off-the-grid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">most ideal for living off the grid<\/a>.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forget the generator \u2014 Texas leads in renewable energy use. The state produces the most wind energy (27% of the national total, in fact) and ranks only behind California in solar installations.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Farming or ranching promise to be a breeze here, too. Texas ranks an impressive fourth <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-states-to-start-a-farm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in this metric<\/a> but loses points in the Female Farmer-Friendliness category for employing fewer women at its farms than in nearly half of the other states. Feel free to break that glass ceiling after breaking ground in Texas, ladies.<\/p>    <h3 id=\"pioneer-for-a-day-in-utah\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pioneer for a Day in Utah<\/h3>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019d think the only state to officially celebrate Pioneer Day would fare well in our ranking, but you\u2019d be mistaken. The Beehive State \u2014 whose official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uen.org\/utah_history_encyclopedia\/u\/UTAH_STATE_SYMBOLS.shtml#:~:text=%22Industry%22%20became%20the,the%20state%20flag.\">s<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uen.org\/utah_history_encyclopedia\/u\/UTAH_STATE_SYMBOLS.shtml#:~:text=%22Industry%22%20became%20the,the%20state%20flag.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tate motto<\/a> is \u201cIndustry\u201d ironically because \u201cearly pioneers \u2026 had to rely on their own \u2018industry\u2019 to survive\u201d \u2014 finished at a disappointing 44th place.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What went wrong? Some context is important here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/today-in-history\/july-24\/?loclr=eatod\">P<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/today-in-history\/july-24\/?loclr=eatod\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ioneer Day<\/a> marks the day when the first Mormon pioneers settled the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. The holiday remembers the bravery of those settlers who sought freedom from religious persecution in Nauvoo, Illinois. In other words, it has little to do with celebrating the pioneer way of life.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Objectively speaking, Utah is not an ideal state for wannabe pioneer women. It ranked below average in nearly every metric except for solar energy use at No. 12. You can still be a Pioneer Woman in Utah \u2014 you\u2019ll just need a lot more industry than you would in 43 other states.&nbsp;<\/p>    <h3 id=\"western-frontier-and-center-pioneers-paradise\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Western (Front)ier and Center: Pioneer\u2019s Paradise<\/h3>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Western and Central U.S. states clearly favor the Pioneer Woman lifestyle. Six of our top 10 states \u2014 such as Montana (No. 4), Colorado (No. 8), and Washington (No. 10) \u2014 lie in the West. Meanwhile, the other four make up part of the Central region. Iowa (No. 3) and Kansas (No. 9) are among them.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What do they have in common? Most of these states performed well in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-and-worst-states-for-living-off-the-grid\/\">Best State<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-and-worst-states-for-living-off-the-grid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">s to Live Off the <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-and-worst-states-for-living-off-the-grid\/\">Grid<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-states-to-start-a-farm\/\">Best States to S<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-states-to-start-a-farm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tart a Farm or Ranch<\/a> rankings, which we relied on as primary indicators in our Pioneer Women study.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of the states in the upper half of our ranking are also prairie states, where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and shrubs and the climate is temperate. This combo makes these states best suited to farming and remote living.<\/p>    <h3 id=\"salty-rusty-states\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Salty, Rusty States<\/h3>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think twice before literally putting down roots in New England, Mid-Atlantic, and upper Midwest states like New York (No. 43), Pennsylvania (No. 50), and Indiana (No. 49). These states make up the super majority of our bottom 10.&nbsp;<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They\u2019re all part of a region known as the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carcomplaints.com\/resources\/guides\/salt-belt\/\">Sal<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carcomplaints.com\/resources\/guides\/salt-belt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">t Belt<\/a>\u201d because of the heavy salt content on roads in winter. That salt ends up rusting many cars \u2014 hence the region\u2019s other nickname, the \u201cRust Belt.\u201d<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turns out this region is a bit rusty when it comes to welcoming pioneer women, too. It\u2019s easy to blame the region\u2019s poor rankings on its cold climate, but our worst states simply lack the right conditions for pioneer women.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are some bright spots, though: Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island all rank high in share of female farmers. New York and Pennsylvania have plenty of big-box hardware stores, and New Jersey is among the top producers of solar energy.<\/p>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"methodology\"><span id=\"behind-the-ranking\">Behind the ranking<\/span><\/h2>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For each of the 50 states, we first gathered publicly available data on the factors listed in the table below.&nbsp;<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We then grouped those factors into two categories: Off-Grid Lifestyle-Friendliness and Female Farmer-Friendliness.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next, we calculated weighted scores for each state in each category.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, we averaged the scores for each city across both categories. The state that earned the highest average score is considered \u201cBest\u201d (No. 1), while the city with the lowest is \u201cWorst\u201d (No. 50).<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: Two of the metrics, &#8220;Best States to Live Off the Grid&#8221; Rank and &#8220;Best States to Start a Farm or Ranch&#8221; Rank, are other studies based on multiple ranking factors each. The other metrics listed in the table below are not already included as ranking factors in the two studies we used as indicators.<\/em><\/p>   <div class=\"infogram-embed\" data-id=\"30e665c0-7566-443c-a279-ac76ccbaee2c\" data-type=\"interactive\" data-title=\"Methodology Table - 2022&amp;#39;s Best States for Pioneer Women\"><\/div> <p><script>!function(e,i,n,s){var t=\"InfogramEmbeds\",d=e.getElementsByTagName(\"script\")[0];if(window[t]&&window[t].initialized)window[t].process&&window[t].process();else if(!e.getElementById(n)){var o=e.createElement(\"script\");o.async=1,o.id=n,o.src=\"https:\/\/e.infogram.com\/js\/dist\/embed-loader-min.js\",d.parentNode.insertBefore(o,d)}}(document,0,\"infogram-async\");<\/script><\/p>    <h3 id=\"sources\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sources<\/h3>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Federal Housing Finance Agency, LawnStarter studies, national home improvement chains (Ace Hardware, Home Depot, Lowe\u2019s, Menards, and True Value), Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, Solar Energy Industries Association, and U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/em><\/p>    <h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final-thoughts\"><span id=\"final-thoughts-how-to-live-like-a-pioneer-woman\">Final thoughts: How to live like a Pioneer Woman<\/span><\/h2>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A quieter, simpler life is the promise of the new American frontier.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But going back to basics can be hard with such easy access to restaurants and grocery stores and modern comforts like cars, cellphones, and microwaves. (To be fair, Ree Drummond kept all of her gadgets.)<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you stay in the city or escape to your own patch of pastoral utopia, here are some ways to live more like a 21st-century Pioneer Woman:<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1. <strong>Start an <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawnstarter.com\/blog\/studies\/best-cities-urban-gardening\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>urban garden<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> If you hail from a concrete jungle, you can still grow your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs and even share your bounty with your neighbors. Build a <a href=\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/how-to-start-container-garden\/\">container garden<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/what-is-a-vertical-garden\/\">vertical wall garden<\/a>.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2. <strong>Compost your yard waste and food scraps.<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/green-ideas-composting-101\/\">Composting<\/a> is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve the quality of the soil in your backyard. You could even <a href=\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/landscaping-grass-clippings-composting\/\">compost your grass clippings<\/a> and use the nutrient-rich soil for your urban garden.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">3. <strong>Raise chickens in your backyard. <\/strong>If you\u2019re one of the lucky city dwellers to have a yard, consider keeping chickens for easy, free access to eggs. Check your city\u2019s chicken ordinance beforehand to make sure you don\u2019t step on any legal toes.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">4. <strong>Cook from scratch. <\/strong>Ree Drummond is most popular for her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodnetwork.com\/shows\/the-pioneer-woman\">do<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodnetwork.com\/shows\/the-pioneer-woman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wnhome recipes<\/a>. Take a page out of her cookbook and concoct a delicious dish in your own kitchen rather than eating out. Who knows, you might discover a hidden talent and become the next Food Network star.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">5. <strong>Buy produce from farmer\u2019s markets. <\/strong>Not only can you find fresher fruits and veggies from farmer\u2019s markets, but you\u2019ll also support your local farmers and minimize greenhouse gas emissions from shipping produce to your grocery store.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">6. <strong>Learn wilderness survival skills. <\/strong>Hopefully you\u2019ll never have to send a smoke signal to call for help. But if you pursue a remote life (as in \u201cout in the wild,\u201d not \u201cworking from home\u201d), you\u2019ll definitely want to learn how to rub two sticks to make a fire, so <a href=\"https:\/\/paulinaontheroad.com\/best-wilderness-survival-books-you-must-read\/\">read up on basic s<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/paulinaontheroad.com\/best-wilderness-survival-books-you-must-read\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">urvival tactics<\/a>.<\/p>    <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Main Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.istockphoto.com\/photo\/multiracial-women-holding-wood-boxes-with-fresh-organic-vegetables-main-focus-on-gm1322491073-408440150\">iStock<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Growing your own crops, herding your cattle, heating your bathwater on the stove \u2014 \u201cThe Pioneer Woman\u201d star Ree Drummond [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":10785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[169],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-studies"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/rsz_1istock-1322491073_1-1.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Staff Writer","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/staff-writer\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}