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USA Major Land UsesWhat are the special characteristics of land?
1) Fixed location
2) Finite
3) Diverse
4) Biological
5) Expensive
6) Large quantities
7) High transfer costs
8) Infrequent turnover
9) Legal restrictions and rights
Is land a resource or a commodity? Which of the above characteristics are relevant to each concept? Classify.
USA Major Land UsesContrasting theories of nature
Feature Arcadian Imperial
Spirituality pagan Judeo-Christian
Natural order Unity of diversity Mechanical detachable parts
Meaning of nature Beauty, life Productivity, resources
understanding Natural history Laboratory sciences
Practical implications
Preservation/
conservation
Industrialization
USA Major Land UsesLand uses issues by location: rural vs. urban. Add the relevant adjectives in each of the cells.
Feature Rural Urban
Biological
Diversity
Size of parcels
Cost of land/unit
Units of governments
Land/capital intensity
Legal restrictions
USA Major Land UsesLand use conflicts vary with scale.
Merchant vs. merchant, e.g., location of bus stop
Merchants vs. homeowners: location of public parking or playground
Neighborhood vs. Neighborhood: location of new junior high school
City vs. cities/counties: location of new shopping mall or industries
State vs. state: location of military base, nuclear waste dump
Country(ies) vs. country(ies): trade policies, etc.
USA Land Grants
Excludes Alaska.
Source: www.blm.gov/natacq/pls02/pls1-2_02.pdf
DISPOSITION OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, 1781-2002 Acres Percent
Type of Disposition Acres
Disposition by methods not elsewhere classified /a/ 303,500,000 51.4
Granted or sold to homesteaders /b/ 287,500,000 48.6
Total Unclassified and Homestead Dispositions 591,000,000 100.0
Granted to States for:
Support of common schools 77,630,000 23.6
Reclamation of swampland 64,920,000 19.8
Construction of railroads 37,130,000 11.3
Support of miscellaneous institutions /c/ 21,700,000 6.6
Purposes not elsewhere classified /d/ 117,600,000 35.8
Canals and rivers 6,100,000 1.9
Construction of wagon roads 3,400,000 1.0
Total Granted to States 328,480,000 100.0
Granted to railroad corporations 94,400,000 42.0
Granted to veterans as military bounties 61,000,000 27.1
Confirmed as private land claims /e/ 34,000,000 15.1
Sold under timber and stone law /f/ 13,900,000 6.2
Granted or sold under timber culture law /g/ 10,900,000 4.8
Sold under desert land law /h/ 10,700,000 4.8
Total Miscellaneous Dispositions 224,900,000 100.0
USA Major Land UsesThe contiguous 48 states cover nearly 1.9 billion acres.
• The majority of this area (74 percent) is in nonfederal, rural land uses -- nearly 1.4 billion acres, which is composed of rangeland, forest land, cropland, pastureland, other rural land.
• A subset of these lands is defined as prime farmland -- those lands with the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, fiber, andoilseeds. In 2001, there were about 330 million acres of prime farmland (24%) in the contiguous United States.
USA Major Land UsesThe Economic Research Service of the US Dept. of Agriculture classifies counties into several types, depending on their economies.
USA Major Land UsesCounties are classified into urban types.
USA Major Land UsesThe rural-urban continuum in the USA by county.
USA Major Land UsesTypes of land Acres (mil) Percent
Metro land 340 17.83
central cities and suburbs 26 1.36
urban fringe 6 0.31
exurban ring 308 16.15
Non-metro land 1,567 82.17
commuting rings 212 11.12
urban areas in rural areas 10 0.52
countryside 1,321 69.27
wilderness 24 1.26
USA total 1,907 100
USA Major Land Uses
USA Major Land UsesReasons for buying land:
1) Agricultural production: food and fiber
2) Recreational uses: lakeshores, ski huts, hobby farms and ranches
3) Hedge against inflation: 1950-1980 average land prices rose 900%. 2012 was the third consecutive year of big jumps in agricultural land values since the 1970s. In 2013 land prices in the Midwest rose 16%.
4) Tax dodge: capital gain taxes have historically been lower than income tax brackets (commonly by 50%)
The trend to buy rural land for recreational uses has resulted in land divisions. Over 20 million acres are now owned in parcel sizes smaller than 50 acres. “Parcellation” severely limits future commodity production on these lands.
