Well, we can't escape property taxes where we are, but we live on private property (47 years now) with 10 other families (8 related). It's about 110 acres of mesquite trees, buffalo grass and cactus scrub, with some old cow trails from when my family had a few head of cattle and I used to beat the trails on my dirt bikes. Sally & I have about 3/4 acre here, we live in a modular home of about 1,600 s.f., and I have a 5-bay garage/shop with a couple of storage rooms and a small office. We have a private drive a little over 1/4 mile long, with a couple of left-right-left curves that winds downhill to a pond, then around it, then over a spillway and uphill another 1/4 mile up to the back gate; it's the perfect little run to test out rebuilt bikes, carb tuning and brake checks. We've got deer, racoons, javalina (like wild hogs), foxes, bobcats and other critters, and several varieties of fish & turtles in the pond. Ours is one of a handful of larger ponds (7 acres) that are the local home to MANY waterfowl and birds that are somewhat unique to south Texas.
That's the good part.
The bad part is that the city has surrounded us. Airport traffic (we are right under the approach) has increased with heavy commercial traffic, a new neighborhood took over about 100 acres that were formerly our south pasture, and it is all smaller government-assisted homes and already is starting to look like a slum with about 6 cars for every small house, 4 of which are non-functioning, loud "music" till 2 or 3 in the morning very often (all we hear is the thumping Bass beat). Then there are the neighbors (non-family) who have dogs that bark and chase us when we ride our bicycles and have nipped several family members (I was was finally able to run over one of the worst offenders with my truck when he chased too close). To top it off, recently my sister's house was broken into in the morning WHILE THEY WERE ASLEEP IN THE HOUSE, they took her purse and car keys, and stole her new SUV.
You might find Utopia, but soon enough it will be just another place where the world wants what you have and doesn't care if it's not thiers, and they have no consideration for anyone around them when they move in next door.
(similar to the crowd who live down in Knysna), the only time they wear anything besides sarongs is when it's too cold to pee, strange lot that. They make all kinds of beady stuff and wooden furniture and stuff - smelly bunch 
