Though the original Homestead Act of 1862, with its free government land, is no longer valid, today's homesteaders are pioneers as much – or more so – than the thousands of people who moved west to begin the back-to-the-land movement.

Today's homesteaders live in the country, in the cities, in Africa, America, and Australia. Some call their place a farm, others say it's a ranch; most simply refer to it as paradise.

They garden in tiny backyards or with acres of market fields. Many raise animals for food and some just for fun, others don't want to be tied down by them at all.

There are as many versions of homesteaders as there are homesteads. Sure, some are hippies and I'll introduce you to an intentional community in Tennessee, moving from the west coast in flower-power school busses. But, there are also doctor-homesteaders, teacher-homesteaders, and lawyer-homesteaders. Let's meet some of them.

At Peace and Carrots, a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm in Vermont, Wendy Martin and her family live in a hand-built underground house.

Wendy explains her $5000 home, saying, "Personal philosophies vary. I want a house that works for me. I don't want to spend my life in servitude to the house. By building cheap and relying on solar, I have the freedom to travel."

Ian Lock from Australia says, "Our aim is initially to become debt free and to provide as much for ourselves as is practical. I don't have any illusion of becoming 100% self sufficient.

"Currently we raise all of our own meat, and we've recently begun to grow our own veggies. However, I think it will be some time before my thumbs are green enough to provide us with adequate and varied supplies."

Day Creek Homestead in Minnesota is dedicated to a simpler, self-sufficient lifestyle. Their view is that, "... there's no real way to define exactly what homesteading is, because only you can define it. Just as unique as we all are as individuals, so is the definition of homesteading. For every 'homesteader' there is a definition."

Martha Wells calls her homestead Flylo Farms. She raises llamas for fiber, Macaws for fun, and goats for lots of reasons including soap-making. Like many homesteaders, she doesn't keep all her eggs in one basket. Her site is filled with information, stories, and photos.

To further illustrate how many hats a typical homesteader wears, visit Goldenrod Farm. Barbara's place overlooks Mt. Katahdin and Mt. Chase in Northern Maine. She provides demonstrations of spinning, shearing, milking, and cider-making. She sells hatching eggs, grows vegetables for a farmer's market and sells chicken and turkeys from her homestead.

The Farm, founded in 1971 by a former English professor and 320 hippies, is perhaps the most recognized intentional community in the world.

Not all the residents consider themselves homesteaders but they do share the same philosophy. In their own words, "The Farm is not really what we are doing–it is how we are currently doing it. It is a process, rather than an end-result."

He describes it as "...not a single idea, but many ideas and attitudes, including a reverence for nature and a preference for country life; a desire for maximum personal self-reliance and creative leisure; a concern for family nurture and community cohesion; a certain hostility toward luxury; a belief that the primary reward of work should be well-being rather than money; a certain nostalgia for the supposed simplicities of the past and an anxiety about the technological and bureaucratic complexities of the present and the future; and a taste for the plain and functional."

Community plays a large part in many homesteader's lives. One such case is Dori Green's Ash Grove Community Farm & Center for Sustainable Living in Corning, NY.

In her mission statement she writes, "Saving the earth is a big job. I can't do it all by myself. The good news is that I don't think I'm the only one who has these wild and reckless convictions that by working together nothing is beyond our reach!"

Many people with homesteader's hearts are still stuck at a nine-to-five job in a big city. Cheryl Jack publishes an on-line magazine and newsletter called City Blues, designed to show how to leave the rat race and live the dream.

Gene Gerue is the author of "How To Find Your Ideal Country Home." In his book and on his web site, he tells you where the water is pure, what the climate of a particular area will be like, and the importance of place.

He writes, "Our place grounds us, steadies our posture to the world; it nurtures our body and spirit; it gives us the strength to be what we would be."

Once you acquire the mindset and the perfect homestead, you can find some of the necessities for living a simpler life at Products for the Homestead. They sell grain mills, water filters, stoves, lamps, food storage products, and much more.

Homestead is run by Xenia and Basil Arrick, and is the largest, most extensive homesteading directory on the internet. Here you can find information on alternative building, gardening, livestock, conservation, crafts, home-schooling, and self-employment.

There is something for everyone here, stories, poems, the kid's korner, personals, real estate, classifieds, and more. Be prepared to spend an afternoon!