I've been scouring the property appraiser database for my area because there have been extensive tax overhauls and ownership changes. It really is an enlightening experience. Considering the convenience of being able to look up parcel by map, it makes for an interesting view of the world through taxes.
Our county is now taxing our neighbor county's power transmission lines at full rate-- a 1000% increase in property tax per parcel those lines occupy!
But, as interesting as it is to learn that our county is leeching off other people's revenues while not flying the "we won't tax" flag... I don't want to make this about taxes.
Actually, I want to make it about ownership!
Many of the small mom-and-pop shops, the neighborhood stores, prominent business and other factors of localism seem to be less local than one might previously think.
Some examples:
--The Baptist Church is owned by the regional Catholic Diocese.
--The local strip mall is indeed local. However, on further inspection, the developer use to have an office in North Carolina a year back and his days in the ivory tower are officially over.
--The gas station adjacent to the strip mall is owned by a trust fund in a different city though in the same state.
--A block of undeveloped commercial property is owned by three different parties: one in a different city, another in Texas and another in Oklahoma.
-- Another gas station is owned by a firm in Texas. And the one down the street is owned by a firm from Alaska.
-- There's a super secret horse farm in the middle of a block owned by a couple from Arkansas.
-- There's a rock quarry subdivided 6 times. Only one resides within the local area.
-- The "new" development is substantially discounted. The development companies use local address but their websites claim they are in other states.
-- The railway that runs through our city (apparently "federal property") is owned by two different companies. One pays taxes, the other does not.
-- None of the local grocery stores even own their land nor are any of them locally owned.
-- Wal-Greens set up a dummy corporation, claims a some tax exemption and pretends to be local. Their address is listed, however, in Illinois.
-- Local doctor's office complex apparently a government entity despite being comprised totally of private offices. Pays almost no taxes.
-- Most chain stores are using local dummy corporations for their landholdings while all having out-of-state listed addresses.
-- ZOMIGOD! The local dentist is the only person with a local address that actually owns his own building.
Out of my findings, only about 10% of all the businesses in my town are actually local. What's even sadder is that the ones you can easily point fingers at are actually local via a proxy company... even if only for tax evasion purposes. Even more bizarre is that a pine tree farm about 4 miles away is own by a company from Tennessee that's Chinese owned.
Many people talk about the necessity of main street, small business and how we can rebuild America.
Judging by the tax records, I'm unsure whether I live in Illinois, Texas or Virginia judging by the number of out-of-state owners.
The pink is the super secret flag lot horse farm. Notice that the perimeter of such is completely filled in with houses. You'd never even know it was there. Have not found an entrance to it.
The orange is a super secret gated community also in a flag lot. The community itself apparently sits all within one lot. Since this aerial photo was taken... this community has installed a gate and significantly increased the landscaping around the gate. If you went down this street, you'd have no idea there was a 12 house neighborhood there.
that map reminds me standard USA's WMD site plan presentation , except, looks like Larchinect had something to do with the site planning. white thing in the middle glows! of course this is all joke. can you imagine dealing 32 or so adjacent property owners? no joke. wild horses in my yard! where i work, there is an arabian horse farm of agriculture dept. smells like horse shit but i am one of the few people enjoys that farm smell. it makes me feel like i am already financially covered and own a farm like in the american express commercials but i am actually working in the same time.. never mind.
Well what's more bizarre is that the super secret horsefarm is zoned mixed-use. It's probably the other mixed-use piece of property around here for a good 5 miles.
The houses in the S and SW corners are legally part of the super secret horse farm parcel. So, I'm not sure what kind of property agreements they all have going on as the houses are individually deeded.
However, this is a pretty good example of 'organic' growth as the entire few blocks around the neighborhood seem to be design solely around the tiny super secret horse farm. On the property appraisal map website, this whole area is a giant mess.
But, I'm more surprised that many of the associated commercial activities in the area are not really as local as one might think.
I mean many of these things are easy. I'm not discounting the hardwork involved but it probably doesn't take a rocket scientist to stall horses or plant pine trees.
They must generate some sort of income if an out-of-state owner has a business interest in them. And if these rather simple concepts do generate a net income... then local competition must be encouraged in order to generate more locally-based revenue.
Mar 6, 11 7:43 pm ·
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Non-Local Localism
I've been scouring the property appraiser database for my area because there have been extensive tax overhauls and ownership changes. It really is an enlightening experience. Considering the convenience of being able to look up parcel by map, it makes for an interesting view of the world through taxes.
Our county is now taxing our neighbor county's power transmission lines at full rate-- a 1000% increase in property tax per parcel those lines occupy!
But, as interesting as it is to learn that our county is leeching off other people's revenues while not flying the "we won't tax" flag... I don't want to make this about taxes.
Actually, I want to make it about ownership!
Many of the small mom-and-pop shops, the neighborhood stores, prominent business and other factors of localism seem to be less local than one might previously think.
Some examples:
--The Baptist Church is owned by the regional Catholic Diocese.
--The local strip mall is indeed local. However, on further inspection, the developer use to have an office in North Carolina a year back and his days in the ivory tower are officially over.
--The gas station adjacent to the strip mall is owned by a trust fund in a different city though in the same state.
--A block of undeveloped commercial property is owned by three different parties: one in a different city, another in Texas and another in Oklahoma.
-- Another gas station is owned by a firm in Texas. And the one down the street is owned by a firm from Alaska.
-- There's a super secret horse farm in the middle of a block owned by a couple from Arkansas.
-- There's a rock quarry subdivided 6 times. Only one resides within the local area.
-- The "new" development is substantially discounted. The development companies use local address but their websites claim they are in other states.
-- The railway that runs through our city (apparently "federal property") is owned by two different companies. One pays taxes, the other does not.
-- None of the local grocery stores even own their land nor are any of them locally owned.
-- Wal-Greens set up a dummy corporation, claims a some tax exemption and pretends to be local. Their address is listed, however, in Illinois.
-- Local doctor's office complex apparently a government entity despite being comprised totally of private offices. Pays almost no taxes.
-- Most chain stores are using local dummy corporations for their landholdings while all having out-of-state listed addresses.
-- ZOMIGOD! The local dentist is the only person with a local address that actually owns his own building.
Out of my findings, only about 10% of all the businesses in my town are actually local. What's even sadder is that the ones you can easily point fingers at are actually local via a proxy company... even if only for tax evasion purposes. Even more bizarre is that a pine tree farm about 4 miles away is own by a company from Tennessee that's Chinese owned.
Many people talk about the necessity of main street, small business and how we can rebuild America.
Judging by the tax records, I'm unsure whether I live in Illinois, Texas or Virginia judging by the number of out-of-state owners.
This is Florida no?
I'm more surprised your local Wal-Greens isn't an elaborate time-share.
fascinating. my guess was NJ.
So let's strive to be property owners ourselvse instead of succombing to the latest fads that we pick up on to make us feel good.
I wonder how many of the property owners are republicans. Damn them, they tricked us again!
Can you post a google earth cap of the super secret horse farm?!
The pink is the super secret flag lot horse farm. Notice that the perimeter of such is completely filled in with houses. You'd never even know it was there. Have not found an entrance to it.
The orange is a super secret gated community also in a flag lot. The community itself apparently sits all within one lot. Since this aerial photo was taken... this community has installed a gate and significantly increased the landscaping around the gate. If you went down this street, you'd have no idea there was a 12 house neighborhood there.
Whoa. Is that map taken from that previous thread called "Help me design my family's secret horse garden"?
Very funny, rusty.
That's crazy, shimmery uni-horned mythical creature. Thanks for posting. I love google earth.
that map reminds me standard USA's WMD site plan presentation , except, looks like Larchinect had something to do with the site planning. white thing in the middle glows! of course this is all joke. can you imagine dealing 32 or so adjacent property owners? no joke. wild horses in my yard! where i work, there is an arabian horse farm of agriculture dept. smells like horse shit but i am one of the few people enjoys that farm smell. it makes me feel like i am already financially covered and own a farm like in the american express commercials but i am actually working in the same time.. never mind.
Well what's more bizarre is that the super secret horsefarm is zoned mixed-use. It's probably the other mixed-use piece of property around here for a good 5 miles.
The houses in the S and SW corners are legally part of the super secret horse farm parcel. So, I'm not sure what kind of property agreements they all have going on as the houses are individually deeded.
However, this is a pretty good example of 'organic' growth as the entire few blocks around the neighborhood seem to be design solely around the tiny super secret horse farm. On the property appraisal map website, this whole area is a giant mess.
But, I'm more surprised that many of the associated commercial activities in the area are not really as local as one might think.
I mean many of these things are easy. I'm not discounting the hardwork involved but it probably doesn't take a rocket scientist to stall horses or plant pine trees.
They must generate some sort of income if an out-of-state owner has a business interest in them. And if these rather simple concepts do generate a net income... then local competition must be encouraged in order to generate more locally-based revenue.
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