Alpacas are small & cute and have soft, highly prized coats. Llamas are twice as big and have coarse coats.
And I love the sounds that alpacas make - they hum. I don’t spin but am a totally addicted knitter and adore yarn spun from alpaca - it’s very warm and soft. I believe alpacas are friendlier in general vs. llamas. There are many sheep & wool festivals in the northeast that you could attend and ask questions. NH’s is in May and I think Mass’s is too. The rest are in the fall. The king of all fiber festivals is NY Sheep & Wool - referred reverently by us knitters as “Rhinebeck” that’s amazing. Mass also has the Fiber Festival of New England that’s in Springfield the first weekend in Nov. It’s not as crowded as Rhinebeck and is a great place to ask questions.
Hmmm - I sound like I might attend a few of these fiber festivals.
garland, I have heard about that farm…it’t on my list to visit their little store
I’m in Maryland, and greenwitch is correct - there are alpaca and llama farms around. Personally, I see more alpaca farms than llamas. Our neighbors have alpacas (and used to have a camel!). As previous posters have stated, their fleece is more valuable. I believe our 4-H organization even has an alpaca show at the local 4-H fair. Additionally, Maryland’s Sheep and Wool Festival features alpacas & alpaca fleece in addition to the sheep. One thing to consider, is finding a shearer. We know our neighbors had tried shearing their own, but it is quite difficult. We also know a professional shearer, but she stopped doing alpacas and llamas. Her client list allowed her to focus on sheep only which made life a bit easier for her.
Sorghum, I’d love to hear more about life as you envision it with the alpacas and llamas. 
Sorghum - I used to work at a Children’s zoo & looked into getting alpacas for it (and fell in love with them during the process). Here’s what I can tell you - you will probably need an air-conditioned barn for the summer months. Plan on some large vet bills. It sounds like you don’t plan to breed, which is good, as I understand the market is saturated. This means you could probably pick up some “pet quality” (ie not the best fur quality) animals for fairly cheap. You would need to train someone to care for them if you want to take a day off or travel, etc. Good luck!!
I appreciate all the replies, they are very useful. Llamas are becoming less likely …
I will be in a European country without much in the way of existing alpaca production. Apparently alpacas are very obedient to fences and boundaries, you can grow stuff fenced off and they won’t eat it.
Along with alpacas, I could see chickens, heirloom vegetables, and so on. I already own a kindergarten, it would be a good day trip destination for kids.
I fully understand, looking at the price of alpaca hair, that there is no money in it.
Sounds wonderful! I’ve seen recently shorn ones at the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival and they look like Dr. Seuss characters with those long necks and goofy adorable faces.
Couldn’t help but think of the scene from Napoleon Dynamite–“Tina, you fat lard. . .” 
I had to look up the difference between llamas and alpacas: " Alpacas weigh about 150 lbs, have soft fleece, are gentle and timid, can learn tricks, need protection. Llamas weigh about 400 lbs, have course fleece, are brave, can carry heavy packs, serve as herd guards."
A new adventure awaits. You are going to be busy!
Just me…but how about a nice cat or dog?
I am wearing alpaca socks as we speak. There is nothing like them!
I don’t know anything about llamas, but it sounds fantastic!
Over the years, I have come into contact with many types and species of animals, some of which I helped out on a need basis, and some of which were adopted by me and live with me for life. The one thing that I’ve found is that you can create a connection with any animal (disclaimer - except for my dog and rat and the cat and dog I grew up with, all the animals I’ve had/come into contact with were prey animals - I am not advocating people go and make friends with a lion, haha 
).
What I’ve found is that animals that people find ‘stupid’ or ‘boring’ or ‘unfriendly’ are usually just misunderstood or poorly cared for (guinea pigs being the prime example). Also, all animals make their connections differently. A dog will not connect with you in the same way as a guinea pig, and a guinea pig will not connect to you in the same way as a pigeon. It doesn’t make any one better or worse, and it doesn’t mean you can’t establish a bond with each one - it just has to be on their terms with what THEY need in mind.
So, good luck on an exciting new adventure!
they live about 20 years so don’t forget to take that into account
I have a big alpaca scarf that I love!
I just bought an alpaca scarf in Baltimore the other day…very soft !
Another fun fact about alpacas: the herd selects one area in a field, and they all poop there.
How fun…I would LOVE to own alpacas!
<3 animals
Sorghum, have you had farm animals in the past or will this be a whole new experience for you? Which aspects appeal to you the most?
I have had a lot of animals in the past, including some productive ones like chickens. Technically, I can handle all the associated nutrition and healthcare requirements…
I have lived, not by active choice, in big cities for decades. Now I want to retire, travel much less, and relax. Don’t really know why alpacas came to the forefront, I have only seen them (and not even close-up) when I was driving around New Zealand).
[I nearly wrote “I have only ever seen them driving around New Zealand” which would attract mockery from the linguistic stylists about the driving skills of the animals.]