Housing News

From Homesteaders to Modern Homeowners: The Rise of Single Women

Single women are claiming their place in the real estate market—and in greater numbers than ever before. About 20% of all homebuyers were unattached women, according to a 2024 National Association of Realtors report.

Yet women getting the keys to their own castles—and in their own names—was a long time coming. Like so much of women’s history, the tale of how they were able to become property owners is equal parts frustrating and inspiring. Yet their determination reshaped the nation’s landscape and paved the way for today’s homebuyers.

In the latter part of the 19^th century, a homesteading act allowed single women, along with men and families, to receive 160 acres of federal land. This gave intrepid women the opportunity to strike out on their own.

More than 150 years later, there are still similar programs available today that provide free land in the Midwest to those willing to improve the properties.

In honor of Women’s History Month, here’s a look at the long history of women pushing boundaries to secure property they alone controlled—often against steep odds.

Homeownership was a man’s world

In early America, property ownership was largely reserved for men. Legal doctrines like coverture merged a married woman’s identity with that of her husband. That meant her property and rights were effectively “covered” by his—leaving her with little to no independent control over her assets.

If a woman was single or a person of color, owning property was almost impossible except under extremely limited circumstances.

Despite formidable obstacles to homeownership in the 1800s, a significant number of women defied convention and secured their own homes.

A major turning point came with the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln.

This landmark federal initiative granted 160 acres of free federal land to any citizen who was at least 21 years old or the head of a household. They had to be willing to build a home and improve the land for five years, a process known as “proving up.”

“This Act was monumental for everyone, particularly women,” said Lee Davenport, a real estate coach and author at Real Estate Bees.

It also did not explicitly exclude women. That created a nationwide opportunity for single women to own property. Although married women continued to face legal and social constraints, the Act’s egalitarian premise offered a path to independence that women had never had before.

Yet the free land came with a price. Much of the acreage available for homesteading was notoriously difficult to cultivate. The soil was poor, the weather was harsh, and there were scarce community resources.

Many women, however, were undeterred.

Indeed, historians estimate that about 12% of homesteaders in Montana, North and South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah were single women, according to the Denver Post.

The female homesteading pioneers of the early 20^th century 

The homesteaders who transformed the rugged American landscape into homes came from all walks of life.

Arriving in the Dakota Territory in the 1880s after the loss of her husband, German immigrant Mary Meyer was determined to secure her own future. She claimed a full 160-acre parcel, according to Nebraska Public Media. Meyer improved the property with a “16 by 26-foot house, fruit trees, grape vines, 35 cultivated acres, a coral, corn crib, chicken coop, and a well.”

Peryle Woodson, a single schoolteacher, succeeded as a Black homesteader in DeWitty, Neb. in 1918. On her final application, she listed her assets as “a 16’ x 20’ frame house, a 14’ x 18’ sod barn, a well with a pump, and more than forty pine trees and fifty-two locust trees,” according to records.

"For the first time, single women could stake a claim, work the land, and create a life on their own terms,” said Charissa Bright, a real estate professional in Watkinsville, Ga. and owner of Bright Buys Houses. “I can only imagine the pride they must have felt proving they could run farms and businesses just as well as anyone else.”

Where the spirit of homesteading—and free land—lives on

Although the era of free federal homesteading officially ended in 1976—with an extension for Alaska lasting until 1986—the pioneering spirit of early homesteaders endures in various programs.

“While the original homesteading days are long gone, some towns still offer free land to bring in new residents and boost their economies,” said Bright. 

Across the country, state and municipal governments are embracing creative programs designed to reverse population decline and stimulate economic growth by turning vacant lots into vibrant, livable neighborhoods.

These urban homestead-like programs—such as those launched in New Richland, Minn.—offer eligible applicants the chance to acquire free 86' x 133' lots in designated areas. However, applicants must provide a mortgage pre-approval letter from their lender to prove they have the funds to build a home.

States like Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota (which offers several opportunities for free lots) have also introduced free residential lot programs that require new homeowners to commit to building on the property and maintaining long-term residency.

“It’s a modern twist on an old idea that offers people the chance to start fresh and build something of their own,” added Bright.

These initiatives do not aim to replicate the rugged, solitary existence of the 19th-century frontier. Instead, they are designed to offer modern homebuyers an accessible entry into the housing market.

So, what do they have in common with the Homestead Act? Everyone is free to apply.