How Big is an Acre of Land Anyway?

By LandCentral

So you want an acre of land. You’re ready to grow crops, raise cattle and build your dream home without ever seeing a single neighbor. An acre of land should cover it, right? Maybe. To get a full understanding of what you can actually do with an acre of land, LandCentral breaks down the age old question, How Big is an Acre Anyway?

Actual size: in Square Feet

An acre of land is exactly 43,560 square feet. But unless you see the world in numbers, that doesn’t really give you a good picture of the size of an acre.

Instead, Picture this: A Football Field

That’s right. An acre of land is almost the size of a football field (minus the end zones). That’s enough space to build your dream home with ample room left over.

How many houses can fit on an acre?

While you may want an acre of land all to yourself, track home builders look at an acre and see a gold mine of possibilities. One acre of land is large enough for an 18 home subdivision. Granted, these homes will have smaller yards and quite a few neighbors, but most people can live comfortably in a quaint subdivision.

Do you really need an Acre? 

This depends on where you live.

Rural – Yes.

Rural properties rely on private wells for their water needs and private septic tanks for their other bodily needs. Both well and septic need to be placed on the property near the home. This is why most rural properties are parceled off an acre or more. People living in rural areas also have less access to basic amenities like grocery store produce or convenient restaurants, meaning they need to grow their own food as much as possible. Hence, the extra space.

City – No.

City dwellers can get by with less land because water and sewer hookups are already taken care of by the city, meaning it’s not taking up space on your property. Plus, all of the amenities like groceries, restaurants, and such are likely nearby, meaning living off the land is more of a hobby rather than necessity.

Depending on what you plan to do with your land, you’ll find an acre is plenty of space. Some acreage has pastures prime for small livestock, while others are mostly forest with a gentle creek running through. Whatever the land use, the size stays the same. Remember, if you’re ever in doubt of whether or not you could live happily on an acre of land, stand in the middle of a football field and just imagine the possibilities.

Ready to find your forever acre? Check out these amazing properties.



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