The Suburban Farmer
Silver Member
I'm not a prepper by any stretch of the imagination -- my kids couldn't survive without FIOS and my wife and I couldn't make it without easy access to the local Costco -- but my wife and I were recently talking about where we'd like to ultimately settle down and IF we ever decided to call it quits on the rat-race and try to become more self-sufficient, just WHERE would we want to do it?
This idea piqued my interest, and in doing some poking around on the interwebs, I came across the writings of a guy named Joel Skousen who wrote a book called "Strategic Relocation" where he ranks the various states according to their relative attractiveness in a "TEOTWAWKI" kind of situation. I certainly didn't buy the book (partly because I'm not a crazy person obsessed with the impending collapse of civilization, but mostly because I'm just really cheap) but from what I can tell he basically has evaluated various places in the US based upon:
Based upon his analysis of these criteria, and some "secret algorithm" for ranking places, in his opinion, the best places to be are:
The worst are:
Personally, I've never seen Hawaii on the list of "worst" ANYTHING, so I am already highly skeptical of his secret algorithms.
So, I did my own thinking on the topic, and actually think that (with the possible exceptions of the urban-sprawl areas near DC and the military-industrial-complex coastline) my current state of Virginia is probably my choice. I love it here, but the "basics" are pretty compelling, too:
I'm sure there is a giant target painted on us on some map in Russia or North Korea, but if that ever happens, I'm not sure living next to a missile silo in Idaho is really any better. I'll take my chances.
So, I've just about talked myself into staying put for the long haul. So, what are your thoughts on this? Ever think about the "perfect place" for you, if you could just pick up and move anywhere? If you've found the perfect spot already, why do you love your location?
This idea piqued my interest, and in doing some poking around on the interwebs, I came across the writings of a guy named Joel Skousen who wrote a book called "Strategic Relocation" where he ranks the various states according to their relative attractiveness in a "TEOTWAWKI" kind of situation. I certainly didn't buy the book (partly because I'm not a crazy person obsessed with the impending collapse of civilization, but mostly because I'm just really cheap) but from what I can tell he basically has evaluated various places in the US based upon:
- Climate
- Population density
- Cost of living index
- Food Production
- Health environment
- Traffic
- Politics
- Taxes
- Corruption and Crime
- Gun Liberty
- Homeschooling Liberty
- Military Targets & Nuclear Power Plants
Based upon his analysis of these criteria, and some "secret algorithm" for ranking places, in his opinion, the best places to be are:
- Utah
- Idaho
- Montana
- Washington
- Colorado
The worst are:
- Hawaii
- Florida
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
Personally, I've never seen Hawaii on the list of "worst" ANYTHING, so I am already highly skeptical of his secret algorithms.
So, I did my own thinking on the topic, and actually think that (with the possible exceptions of the urban-sprawl areas near DC and the military-industrial-complex coastline) my current state of Virginia is probably my choice. I love it here, but the "basics" are pretty compelling, too:
- A full 4 seasons, but none of them are too extreme
- Good schools (some of the better ones in the nation, according to surveys)
- Logical gun laws, along with open-carry
- Good water access -- both rain levels and the ease of drilling a usable well
- Good soil
- Enough "commerce infrastructure" that even if you live outside a major city, you still can have relatively easy access to just about anything you need
- Enough lakes and rivers that I can always find a place to put my bass boat
- Good access to healthcare
- Not-too-red and not-too-blue when it comes to politics (again, except around the DC area)
- Logical real estate tax structure that allows for substantial Agricultural and Wilderness exemptions
I'm sure there is a giant target painted on us on some map in Russia or North Korea, but if that ever happens, I'm not sure living next to a missile silo in Idaho is really any better. I'll take my chances.
So, I've just about talked myself into staying put for the long haul. So, what are your thoughts on this? Ever think about the "perfect place" for you, if you could just pick up and move anywhere? If you've found the perfect spot already, why do you love your location?