Not too long ago, we talked about the size of 10 acres of land, and then before that, one acre of land. Maybe you’ve come into quite a great deal more significant land than even 10 acres, say 100 acres? You’re excited about the possibilities, but first, you need to know how much land you have. So how big is 100 acres of land?
Since one acre is approximately 43,560 square feet, that makes 100 acres 4,356,000 square feet. In other words, the amount of land you own is tremendous!
Sometimes when you get into too many commas in a number, it gets really hard to visualize what it means in the real world. Fret not, as in today’s post, we’ll share plenty of really cool examples of how much 100 acres of land is and what it can be used for. Make sure you keep reading!
Why 4,356,000 Square Feet?
Does 4,356,000 square feet for 100 acres seem like an arbitrary number to you? That’s fair, but to understand why 100 acres is as many square feet as it is, you have to look at what one acre measures in square feet.
That’s 43,560 square feet. Yes, that number seems a bit arbitrary too, so let’s explain where it comes from a little, shall we? An acre is the area you get when you take a chain and a furlong, which is 66 feet by 660 feet respectively.
A chain is indeed a unit of measurement, at least in this application. It’s always 66 feet or 22 yards. You can divide chains into rods, of which one chain is 4 rods, with a rod being a measurement of meters. You can also divide chains into links, which is 66/100th of a United States survey foot.
Of course, we’re talking about acres here, so we’re not delving any further into rods or links than that. Getting back to chains, chains constitute furlongs, with 10 chains making one furlong. What’s a furlong, then? To explain it as we did in that post about 10 acres, a furlong is 1/8th of a mile or 660 feet. Other equivalencies include 40 rods (okay, so there’s rods one more time) or 220 yards.
To calculate an acre, you need to multiply the furlong by the chain. If you super-sized your multiplication, you’d reach 4,356,000 square feet for 100 acres.
More Calculations of 100 Acres
- 100 acres –> 404686 square meters
- 100 acres –> 0.404686 square kilometers
- 100 acres –> 484000 square yards
- 100 acres –> 0.16 square miles
How Many Acres in a Square Mile?
Most people have a fairly good idea of how long a mile is, and can somewhat visualize how big a square mile of land looks like. So, you may be wondering how many acres in a square mile?
If you were to compare one square acre to one square mile, an acre is significantly smaller. One acre is equivalent to 0.0015625 square miles, or to put it another way, there are 640 acres in a square mile.
Since we are discussing 100 acres in this post, 100 square acres is approximately 15.6% of a square mile.
Visualizing 100 Acres of Land: 8 Awesome Examples
If you’re still having a hard time fathoming what owning 100 acres of land would be like, then take a look at this video. It’s from a realty YouTube channel for a UK property, but it shows how wonderfully expansive 100 acres truly is.
Here are some cool examples of things that are equivalent of 100 acres so you can see just how much land we’re talking here! (Hint: it’s a lot.)
100 Acres = 75 Football Fields
Imagining how big 100 acres really is can be quite an abstract thought. So, today, we’ll try to compare it to something most Americans can relate to: Football. If you could put 75 football fields side by side, you would get approximately 100 acres.
Now, this would only include the actual field itself, not the stadium or parking lot. That’s a whole lot of football!
100 Acres is About the Size of Mall of America
The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minneapolis is considered the biggest mall in the United States. Open since 1992, the mall attracts visitors from all over due to its huge size. Just how big is the Mall of America? Well, 5.6 million square feet or 129 acres. If you own 100 acres of land, that’s 4.4 million square feet, so you would have enough space to replicate one of the largest landmarks in the US.
60 Acres Less Than the Public Parts of Disneyland
Disneyland in Anaheim, California has been a worldwide attraction since opening its doors in 1955. Although it’s outsized by Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Disneyland’s public parts (aka, those you can use) are 160 acres in all.
That’s enough space to fit Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Adventureland, and Main Street, U.S.A with room to spare. With 100 acres of land for you, you have only 60 acres less than all those public parts of Disneyland!
100 Acres = Twice the Size of Grand Central Station
Grand Central Station in Midtown Manhattan is a train station, yes, be the terminal also includes dining, shopping, and loads of cultural relevance. A landmark favored globally, Grand Central Station is only 48 acres. You have a little more than twice the amount of space than a whole Grand Central Station with your 100 acres of land.
100 Acres is Almost Eight Times Larger Than Windsor Castle
The breathtaking Windsor Castle in Berkshire, UK resides on gorgeous countryside. Dating back nearly 1,000 years, the castle is an architectural wonder that’s also renowned for housing lineages of the British royal family, including the current Queen.
Windsor Castle has 1,000 rooms, most of which are allowed to be visited by the public. Even still, with all that space, the castle is only 13 acres, smaller than even nearby Buckingham Palace, which is 19 acres.
You’d have more than 80 acres of space compared to Windsor Castle, where the Queen splits her time!
65 Times the Size of the White House
We don’t have royalty in the US, but we do have our President of the United States. This esteemed political official lives in the White House, which is a stately building in Washington, DC. Have you ever wondered how big the White House is?
Although the White House itself sits on 18 acres of land, the house itself is 1.50 acres. That’s enough room for six stories with 35 bathrooms, three kitchens, 16 guest and family rooms, and 132 other rooms.
You’d have 65 times the space of the White House with 100 acres of land!
100 Acres = 800 Times That of an NBA-Approved Basketball Court
Do you feel like shooting some b-ball? You’d have more than enough room on 100 acres of land. The NBA mandates that a basketball court is 16.764 meters in width by 29.56565 meters in length. If you calculate those meters into acres, you get 0.12247474750 acres.
Your 100 acres of land, by comparison, is 816.48484540 the acres of one basketball court that NBA teams play on.
1,000 Times Bigger Than an IMAX Screen
When you go to the theaters to see a movie, do you prefer the experience on an IMAX screen? Who doesn’t, right? Those screens are so sizable that it seems foolish to watch a film on anything smaller.
Yet it turns out that an IMAX screen really isn’t all that big, well, at least when comparing it to 100 acres of land. An IMAX screen is 52 feet by 72 feet, which is 0.08752 acres. With 100 acres, you have approximately 1,143 times the space.
How Much Would a 100 Acre Plot of Land Cost?
The cost of 100 acres of land can vary significantly depending on several factors, such as location, zoning, accessibility, and local real estate market conditions. Here are some general price ranges to provide an idea.
Remember, the economy has a huge impact on how much land and real estate will cost you. Unfortunately, as of now prices have increased tremendously in the last few years.
Rural or Undeveloped Land: In rural or less populated areas, the price of 100 acres of land can range from tens of thousands of dollars to millions of dollars.
Suburban Residential Land: In suburban areas, the cost can be substantially higher, ranging from $500,000 to $5,000,000 or more per 100 acres, depending on the location and nearby amenities.
Urban or City Land: Within city limits, the price per 100 acres can increase significantly, ranging from several million dollars to tens of millions of dollars per 100 acres, especially in prime locations in major cities.
Commercial or Industrial Land: Land zoned for commercial or industrial purposes can be even more expensive, with prices ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars per 100 acres, depending on the specific use and location.
Farm Land: The cost of agricultural land varies depending on factors such as soil quality and location. It can range from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars per 100 acres.
Waterfront Property: Land with desirable features like waterfront access or scenic views can command a premium price, potentially exceeding hundreds of millions of dollars per 100 acres.
It’s essential to work with a local real estate agent or professional to get accurate and up-to-date information on land prices in your area.
How Long Does It Take to Walk Across 100 Acres?
Surely, since 100 acres is so very vast, you could get some great exercise walking around your expanse of land, right? Absolutely! To get the perimeter of one of your acres, we need to look at the square acreage per side. That’s 208.7 feet for each side, giving you an overall perimeter of 835 feet for the acres.
That’s only 16 percent of one mile, so it’s not super-duper far. Assuming you walk at the normal average walking pace of 3 miles per hour, you can walk a mile in 20 minutes.
What Can You Do with 100 Acres of Land?
As the proud owner of 100 acres of land, you’re still scratching your head wondering what to do with all that space. Allow us to present a couple of suggestions!
Make Your Own Amusement Park
Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston, Texas is 75 acres, California’s Great America is 100 acres, and Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is only 107 acres. You can see what we’re getting at here. With 100 acres of land to your name, you can easily build an amusement park that’s very spacious.
This wouldn’t have to be a private park either, but one that’s open to the public for thousands and thousands of families to make timeless memories.
Start a Housing Community
In our post about how big 10 acres is, we mentioned that a spacious home is one that’s 2,400 square feet. With only 10 acres of land, you’d be able to accommodate 180 homes. By adding up your acreage to 100 acres in all, you could now build your own community of 1,800 homes (if you had no yards that it).
Realistically, you would want each home to have a nice size yard for families and pets. In this case, you could fit 100 to 500 lots.
Build a Mall
Remember, you have just about as much space available as Minnesota’s Mall of America, the biggest of its kind in the US. Most malls are only 400,000 square feet, so you could build a few malls of normal size or one super-mega-mall.
Make a Profit From It
There are many ways to make money off of your land. Below is a quick list of some ideas to help you get started brainstorming.
- Agriculture: You could start a small farm, grow crops, or raise livestock. This could be for personal consumption or for sale.
- Hobby Farm: Create a hobby farm with a mix of animals like chickens, goats, or bees and grow your own produce.
- Orchard or Vineyard: Plant fruit trees or grapevines and start an orchard or vineyard for fruit or wine production.
- Equestrian Property: Develop a horse property with riding arenas, stables, and pastures if you have an interest in horses.
- Recreational Use: Design recreational areas like hiking trails, ponds for fishing, or a shooting range if local laws permit.
- Timber Production: Grow and harvest timber for lumber or other wood products.
- Solar Farm: Lease your land to a solar energy company for the installation of solar panels.
- Rural Retreat: Create a getaway spot with cabins, camping sites, and recreational facilities.
Remember that the specific possibilities for your 100 acres will depend on your location, local regulations, environmental considerations, and your personal interests and resources.
It’s important to conduct thorough research and consider factors like zoning, soil quality, water availability, and budget before deciding on the best use for your land. Consulting with local authorities and experts can also be helpful in making informed decisions.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve somehow been fortunate enough to receive 100 acres of land, you’re going to have so much land that you won’t know what to do with it all. Your land outpaces such monumental buildings as Windsor Castle, Grand Central Station, and the White House. You have nearly as much land as that used to build the Mall of America or Disney World’s Main Street U.S.A. No matter how you decide to use the land, you’re at no shortage of options!
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