This is Part 2 of a two-part post on real estate shopping in Homer. If you missed Part 1, check it out here. Again, take these observations for whatever they’re worth to you. No refunds.
If there’s one thing you better be comfortable with as a Homer resident, it’s water. The bay is a source of employment, recreation, and sustenance. Our close proximity to the ocean means we see plenty of water falling from the sky. On the ground creeks, streams, and wetlands abound. The latter became particularly significant in our real estate search. Homer and the surrounding area contains a lot of glacial moraine. The soil has some organic material on top, and then silt beneath. When rainfall hits the top layer it’s absorbed and starts filtering down until it hits the silt, which severely impedes the water’s flow. This means the soil doesn’t drain well, and after the top few inches become saturated you get standing water or very sloppy/spongy vegetation. Nearly every piece of property we examined had some wetlands. Creeks, streams, small areas of flowing water, and spongy ground are all very, very common. Unlike the great plains in the center of the US, Homer’s anything but flat. Set between mountains to the north and an ocean to the south, water is continually making its way to the sea and much of it does so above ground.
