These North Jersey counties are among country's best for living off-grid

Have you ever had dreams of escaping the bustling city life for a quiet, simpler lifestyle?

Does the idea of long-term cabin living near a pristine blue lake, the closest neighbor a mile away, pique your interest? Or perhaps a secluded tract of land where natural resources are abundant, but Wi-Fi connection is scant?

Then living off-grid may be for you.

A recent study found the top 150 places in the U.S. to live off the grid, with three counties in New Jersey — including two right here in North Jersey — among the most popular locations.

Off-grid havens in New Jersey

In a poll of 3,000 people across the nation, BusinessElectric.com says these counties are ideal for those seeking a a simpler, more self-sufficient lifestyle.

No. 23: Warren County

Warren County provides a rural setting with rolling hills, forests and rivers, according to BusinessElectric.com, and the county's agricultural community and natural resources that supports off-grid living.

This comes as no surprise as Warren County officials have vowed to aggressively pursue any opportunity to preserve farmland in the bucolic area. The county's Agriculture Development Board has preserved nearly 340 farms and over 29,000 acres of farmland since its inception in 1986.

The county, which borders the Delaware Water Gap to the west, was among 13 counties that saw a 1.6% population increase April 1, 2020 through July 1, 2023, according to data from the U.S. Census . In fact, the county has had an 8.6% population increase since 2000, data shows.

While the population has increased, it still remains lower than other counties: Warren County has around 111,000 residents — the third lowest in the state — and is the ninth-largest by area in the Garden State.

For those seeking the quiet life, it's hardly shocking one would pick Warren County for refuge, given that just last month, a massive, 2.5-million-square-foot warehouse project in White Township was nixed and instead sold to the state for preservation. Jaindl Land Company, whose president had plans to use half of 566 acres off Route 519 and along the Delaware River for industrial use and the rest for agricultural use, sold the tract of land for $27 million, according to a release from the county.

The $48,000-per-acre sale price was the most New Jersey has ever paid for land.

The purchase of the property by Jaindl, a Pennsylvania-based company , caused a massive uproar in the idyllic community for nearly five years, which the New Jersey Herald covered in-depth .

"The fight came to an end last November when the (State Agriculture Development Committee) announced it had reached an agreement with Jaindl to buy the property and preserve it for agriculture," the county said. "The state will strip the development rights and re-sell the land to keep it in farming in perpetuity."

Warren County Commissioner Director James Kern III was "thrilled" with the sale, noting Warren ranks fourth in the state for farmland preservation.

No. 33: Sussex County

The Garden State's northernmost county has the fifth lowest population among the 21 counties, but is the fourth largest in total area , making it another ideal location to escape the bustling city lifestyle.

Sussex County offers suburban and rural areas with access to forests, lakes and the Delaware Water Gap, BusinessElectric.com said, and the county's remote areas "provide privacy and resources for off-grid living."

The county had the fourth-largest jump in its population between 2020 to 2023, according to census data, with over 146,000 residents settling into a county dubbed "an oasis of natural beauty" by the county's Sussex County Chamber of Commerce.

It's less than an hour drive from New York City, has miles of hiking trails for waterfall seekers or advanced climbers, acres of farmland (is that a cow loose again?) and plenty of state park beaches and water parks to splash in the warm summer months.

No. 44: Salem County

Located in the southwestern corner of New Jersey, Salem has the state's lowest population — around 65,000 in 2023, census data shows — despite being the 10th largest in the state, making it ideal for off-grid living. It's rural environment, with the western portion bordered by the Delaware River, and agricultural nature makes it a suitable place to step away from the hustle and bustle, BusinessElectric.com said.

So what county and state was ranked number one, you might ask?

Wasco County, Oregon, topped the list thanks to the area gaining significant attention as the setting for the Netflix series "Wild West Country," which documents the controversial saga of the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his cult in 1980s Oregon.

Email: lcomstock@njherald.com ; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook .

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: These North Jersey counties are among country's best for living off-grid