The idea of heading west to settle in vast, rugged and wild lands has been a romanticized notion since the beginnings of our great country. That same dream still exists today and can be seen in most land markets in the western states. Montana, Idaho, and Colorado ranch lands are hot commodities, but eastern Oregon has more to offer than most people realize.

Oregon has over 30 million acres of federal land (7 million more than Colorado), open to hunt, hike, ATV, or ride your horse as far as the eye can see. A brisk winter morning in the small town of Prairie City will have you checking to make sure you didn’t magically re-locate to Wyoming! A summer sunset viewed from the main street of Joseph competes with any Rocky Mountain town.

The median acre value of mountain ranch land is 30% less in Oregon than in states to the north and east but offers many of the same opportunities. Oregon’s diverse habitats and terrain offers something for every hunter, from the densely forested Coast Range to the expansive sage steppe of the Great Basin.

In the northeast corner of the state and along the southeast border, mild weather in the Columbia and Owyhee basins favor agriculture. These crop regions include millions of acres of irrigated acres and the Columbia basin has dryland wheat fields that measure in miles. The sandy-soiled region south of the Columbia River allows for high-yielding vegetable crops. The wheat fields in northeast Umatilla County compete in a world market. Traveling through this wheat country, the road-cuts through the rolling terrain expose no rocks—just good topsoil.

The Whitney Land Company offers a variety of farm ownership opportunities in all sizes, and both dry-land and irrigated. “If you are looking for your dream western escape, our team has extensive knowledge of the different areas best suited for different land uses,” says Blake Knowles, a broker with Whitney Land Company. “It’s our job to narrow the search and help point you to the region that fits your property goals–whether a first-class elk hunting ranch, a multi-season cattle ranch, or high-yielding irrigated crop acres. Our great state can accommodate your needs.”