Tiny Homes on the Water

Here, an Off-Grid community of Tiny Home Houseboats and Boathouses have taken over an island - proving that living Off-Grid isn’t only reserved for land dwellers. With over 100 Tiny Home houseboats and boathouses, Latsch island is one of the most unique Off-Grid communities in America. Residents on the island live a self-governed life of freedom and mobility as they dictate their own laws and travel freely on the Mississippi River. Around half of the homes here have the option to be hooked up to the power grid, but many chose to live completely disconnected. Recently, with new money entering the glorified ‘Off-Grid’ lifestyle, the island is undergoing a transformation.

Gina is in the works on a podcast that will entail the FULL history of the Winona boat house community that will be sure to blow us all away. Stay tuned for that!

Music by:
Robert Pirogovsky
Scott Hedrick
Epidemic Sound

[OfftheCuff_Series]

What questions do YOU have about this Boathouse Island? We’ll try our best to get you all of the answers ✌️

[mrkipple]

This is the true American Spirit. Of freedom. God bless these peaple. Its always been a dream of mine. To live simply.and humbly on the serenity of the water. Simply beautiful ❤️

[cunicularium]

This is my 10 year goal right here. Either self sustaining on a boat house or build my own cabin in the woods, something, ANYTHING OFF-GRID, and detached from this dystopian society..

[BD-tesl]

Man this gives me unbelievable hope for humanity. The second home with the couple raising a child is truly inspiring.

[Always_sojourning]

I believe these independent people have found a little heaven on earth.

[mpgarr]

A cool place. Glad to see that there are still a few places in this country where people can live on their own terms as much as possible.

[jon]

I support autonomy and independence for any group who has a unique culture and way of living like these folks!

[lukeadams]

Let these people live there needs to be people like this in every country

[americanwoman]

My grandmother grew up on a shanty boat on the Ohio river. She was born in 1906 and probably lived that way until 1925.

[thekingtroll]

My house taxes are about $6, 200 a year. That's robbery. So it takes me over $500 a month just to talk on my property. It's only going to get worse.

[mikayla_collie]

i lived on a houseboat in key west for 4 years. it was great! I was docked at the marina, though, so i had water, internet, cable, electric, and pumpout. it was so fun! :3

[chas]

Zoning is wrong and property taxes are wrong.

[Beerbatter]

Very professionally produced and kept me interested the whole time. So inspiring to see people trying to live and maintain the simplest of lifestyles.

[sarcasmo]

Love to see people free and living their lives they way they need to.

[JohnD]

I lived on a houseboat at Gate 5 in Sausalito in the 70s, including a stint anchored out. It was a very similar place. Small, funky boats and a vibrant community though in one of the wealthiest counties in the state. Today there are still small boats but everything is on concrete barges, the place is expensive and the county is getting rid of the remaining anchor outs after 50 years. Long live the Mississippi river rats!

[alexistarr]

It's really cool that they won't have to worry about having their residences destroyed by periodic flooding events; they'll just float above them. If you're going to build on a floodplain you should either build something with multiple floors and a sacrificial ground floor with nothing much on it that could be destroyed by flooding, or a floating residence.

[cisvaughan]

Devon, U.K. Taw & Torridge estuaries. That's Barnstaple, Bideford, Braunton.
1990 --- the government were sick of us living in freedom. They couldn't stop us. Very old laws protected us. So what did they do? Sent in the SS (social services), later re-named SSFD which was meant to mean social services and family department, because they didn't like being called the SS, but of course it just meant SS and Family Destruction. They did a sweep of ALL our children. Said they were entitled to normal lives. WE NEVER SAW THEM AGAIN. It never hit the press. Child protection laws, don't ya know, against publicity around children. My elder daughter threw herself under a train. My middle daughter went psychotic. My neighbours committed suicide or disappeared. Denise Govier, RIP, killed herself. Families were ripped apart. An elderly man was forced to become a house dweller. Parted from his lifestyle, he died. Bifeford council came to break up the boat of John Matthias Vicary Alexander. We faced them down. They sent in contractors who told John they'd "put him six feet under the mud" if he stopped them smashing his boat. He wept.
Ethnic cleansing was outlawed. For gypsies. Apparently not for boat people. This goes on all the time, protected by "closed courts", as we are got at through our children. Who as you say are happy afloat. And will not drown like town children if they fall in, as they are used to it. Mine could swim before they could walk. NOT A SINGLE BOAT CHILD REMAINS ON THE TAW & TORRIDGE ESTUARIES, AND MOST OF THE PARENTS ARE SUICIDED OR GONE MISSING because ONCE THE SS GET INVOLVED, NOBODY WILL BELIEVE YOU'VE NOT DONE WRONG. THEY ALL SAY THERE'S NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE. Well yes there is, as boat people know - smoke bombs, red flares, orange flares.
IF THE SS START ON YOU FOR GOD'S SAKE RUN YOU ARE UP AGAINST THE WHOLE GOVERNMENT WHO DON'T WANT ANYONE TO BE FREE. A snatched child is worth 3 million to them in adoption fees and your suicide only costs them a £25 chipboard coffin. I could list everyone on the river but I think you will get the message from this.

[joylove]

I want to come live there with someone off grid . This world is crazy . I love peace and the water

[afmoney]

Born and raised in Minnesota just up the river from them and never knew about this community! Hope they know how positive this interview was for their island.

[tcg]

These vids deserve more views! Very interesting life style & place. I love the content y'all upload it looks like you put tons of work into it.