Whether you’re looking for a homestead or want to buy a piece of land for agricultural purposes, it is important that you know about different units of land area. The most important unit of the land area is an acre. The acre is very commonly used to describe land pieces all over the USA and even the UK. So, if you’re new to the field of land ownership and you want to gain some knowledge, you’ve definitely come to the right place. In this article, we’re going to tell you what an Acre is, how big an Acre of land is, how much would you be able to buy an acre of land depending upon the location it is in, and much more.
So, sit back, relax, and make sure that you read this article till the end.
What is an Acre?
An acre is a unit of land area which is defined by one chain by one furlong which is 66 by 660 feet which are approximately 4,047 m2. In comparison to a hectare of land, the Acre is 60% smaller as there are 2.47 acres in a hectare. In the olden days, the acre was considered the amount of land which could be plowed by a yoke of oxen in a day, which if you think about it, was understandable for that age. Now, however, American and European agriculturists and landowners use the terms for sizing land pieces. An acre is most commonly used in the land area measurements of the United Kingdom and the United States of America but it is also used around other parts of the world in order to measure land pieces.
How Big is an Acre of Land?
You might be wondering how big an acre really is. Well, that’s what we’re here to tell you. An acre roughly translates to 43,560 square feet. This is a lot of land area if you ask a professional. Especially depending upon the use that has for the land. You may use an acre of land for different purposes and we assure you that it is going to be big enough for that requirement. The most accurate representation of the size of an Acre is a football field. An acre is about 70% of a football field. This may actually help you put things into perspective and get a rough idea of how big an acre really is. However, if you’re still not convinced, let us give you a practical understanding of how huge an acre of land really is.
Well, if you’re walking at a speed of 3mph, and you’re looking to traverse the distance of one acre, you’re going to have to walk for 1 minute and 12 seconds in order to traverse the entire area. This shows how great the size of one acre is, especially if you’re looking for land of one acre for homesteading or personal usage purposes.
Comparison of an Acre with Different Objects
In order to give you a more accurate depiction of how much an Acre really looks like, we’re going to compare some pieces of land and some object’s sizes to an Acre of land. Here are the different things that form an Acre.
Potatoes to an Acre – This might be a strange comparison but in order to make an acre of land area covered, you’d have to place a straight line of around 1580 potatoes. The potatoes can be 5-6 inches in size. This shows the humongous size of an acre of the land area if you’re looking to own it for personal or business purposes.
Houses to an Acre – If you’re thinking about how many houses would be able to fit into an acre of land, you’re going to be surprised by this fact that around 18 2,400 square feet houses can easily fit within an acre of land area. This is incredibly amazing. And if you’re looking to start a homestead on your own, this is a good starting point.
Parking Spaces – Still curious about the vastness of an acre? Well, don’t worry because we’ve got you covered. Let’s compare parking spaces with an acre. If you’re thinking of placing parking spaces within an acre, you can actually place 156 parking places comfortably without worrying about space problems.
Tennis Courts – If you’re a tennis fan and want to know how an acre compares to tennis courts in number, then here’s a comparison for you. You can actually place around 15 average-sized tennis courts into an acre if you want to.
Note that these comparisons are just to give you an accurate representation of how big an Acre is and doesn’t have anything to do with an acre of the land itself. You can use your land any way you want depending upon the zoning and laws and regulations of the community.
What Does an Acre of Land Cost?
Now that you know how big an acre is, you must also understand the cost of owning an acre of land, wherever it might be. In order to understand the costing of a land area, you need to know where it lies. Let’s take a look at the different costing conditions of an acre of land area.
The land is Far Away from the Center of Metropolitan City
If you’re thinking of purchasing an acre of land, the most important part is going to be the area it is situated in. The availability of basic necessities along with communities and population are also very important aspects if you’re concerned with the price of the land. The best option if you’re thinking of saving money and getting a cheaper piece of land for any reason would be to buy an acre of land away from the center of a Metropolitan area. The cost of this land is much lesser than other types of land and this piece of land works great for personal and business uses.
The land is close by to Center of Metropolitan City
The closer the piece of land is to a metropolitan city, the higher the price of the land is going to be. Whether it’s just a single acre of land or more than one acres, the land is going to be expensive in comparison to a piece of land which is situated far away from metropolitan areas where luxuries and commercial popularity is readily available.
The land is on the coast of a Metropolitan City
Agricultural or homesteading land situated on the coat of a metropolitan area is going to be incredibly expensive. This is because it is the closest to the center of business and communication within the city and almost qualifies as a commercial estate. So, only choose to buy acres of land on the coast of a metropolitan city if you’re looking for a piece of land near the city for some particular reason.
Uses of an Acre of Land
If you’re thinking of buying an acre of land, there are many different things you can choose to do with it. To give you an idea, here’s a list of things you can build and do on an acre of land.
- Personal Living Space
The first thing that you need to do with your acre of land is to build a nice little living space. You can choose a wooden building or a conventional house for aesthetics and use it for a living when you’re fed up with the hustle and bustle of city life. It could feel really good to the stressed soul.
- Small Farm
If you’re looking for self-sustenance and dependence, the best way to do so is to make a small home farm for yourself and your family. You can cultivate different crops and plants depending upon your liking and have a great agricultural adventure through this. It’ll be a great experience.
- Barn and Livestock
You can actually start living in this space as well. If you’re looking for complete homesteading, you can actually start cattle farming and own livestock like cows, goats, horses, and other farm animals as well. If you’ve children who love animals, it could prove amazing for them as well actually.
- Storage Unit
If you’re thinking of utilizing the area for business, you can actually build a storage plant and could get a contract with a company or business that would like to store their products in your plant while moving from one destination to another. This could really prove monetarily beneficial to you if you’re interested in this kind of thing.
Conclusion
The size and the area that an acre covers is actually big enough for a lot of things. However, a single acre is not essentially big enough for large farms or industrial work either. So, the best option for you owning a single acre of land would be using it for personal relaxation and homesteading. This way you’ll be able to make full use of the space you have and you’ll be able to enjoy in your land area with your friend and your family quite nicely.
