I’m Floored
That You Haven’t Donated Yet!
Sponsoring FReepers leapfrog0202 and another person will contribute $10
Each time a new monthly donor signs up!
Get more bang for your buck
Sign up today
Lazamataz! We miss you.
Posted on 05/02/2011 7:25:30 PM PDT by blam
What Is The Best Place To Live In The United States To Prepare For The Coming Economic Collapse?
May 2, 2011
What is the best place to live in the United States? I get asked that question all the time. My answer can be summed up in two words: it depends. The truth is that the answer is going to be different for each person. All of us have different goals and different needs.
If you have a very strong network of family and friends where you live right now, you might want to think twice before moving hundreds or thousands of miles away. If you have a great job where you live right now, you might want to hold on to it. You should not just assume that you are going to be able to pick up and move to another part of the country and be able to get a similar job right away.
The United States is in the midst of a very serious economic decline right now, and wherever you live you are going to have to provide for your family. Just because you move somewhere new does not mean that you are going to leave your problems behind. In fact, you might find that they moved right along with you. With all that being said, the reality is that there are some places in the U.S. that are going to be much more desirable than others when the economy totally falls apart.
For example, during a total economic collapse it will not be good to be living in a large city or in a densely populated area. Just think about what happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. If the entire nation is going through something like that, you don't want to have hundreds of thousands of close neighbors at that point. So when thinking about where you want to be when everything falls apart, population density should be a major factor. But there are other factors as well and no area of the United States is perfect.
If you live in or near a major city right now, that is okay. Most Americans do. Even if you have limited financial resources at the moment, you can start developing a plan that will get you where you eventually want to go. If you want to move to another part of the country you can start applying for jobs out there. You can also be working hard to develop a business that would enable you to move. Perhaps you have friends or family in more isolated areas that would allow you to stay with them during an economic collapse.
Those that possess more financial resources could start thinking about getting a second home in a location that is more rural.
The key is to come up with a plan and to be working towards accomplishing that plan.
If you don't have a plan yet, hopefully the following information will give you something to think about. Not all areas of the United States are equal, and all of them do have problems.
The following are some thoughts about the best place to live in the United States....
The Northeast
A major problem with the Northeast is that it is just so darn crowded. Yes, there are some rural areas, but the overall population density of the region is so high that it would be really hard to go unnoticed for long in the event of a major economic collapse.
Another thing that is not great about the Northeast is that so much of the population lives near the coast. As we saw in Japan recently, living near a coastline is not necessarily a good thing. While it is likely safer to live along the east coast then the west coast, the truth is that there is an inherent level of insecurity when it comes to living in coastal areas. You never know when the next hurricane, oil spill or tsunami is going to strike.
Also, the Northeast is really quite cold. So staying warm and growing your own food would be more difficult than in some other areas of the country.
The Mid-Atlantic
The Mid-Atlantic is one of the most beautiful areas of the nation. Unfortunately, it suffers from many of the same problems that the Northeast does.
The Mid-Atlantic has a very high population density. For example, the area around Washington D.C. is pretty much all suburbs for 50 miles in all directions.
The weather is nicer than in the Northeast and there are some less dense areas once you get south of Washington D.C.
If you think that the Mid-Atlantic might be for you, you might want to check out North Carolina or South Carolina. The people tend to get friendlier the further south you go and there are definitely some areas that could potentially work.
Florida
Florida is generally not going to be a place that you want to be during an economic collapse. The housing market has absolutely collapsed down there and the crime rate is already very high. It is also very densely populated.
The weather is very nice down in Florida, but one big thing that you need to consider when it comes to Florida is the fact that it is very flat and most of Florida is just barely above sea level. In fact, quite a bit of Florida is actually below sea level.
In addition, hurricanes are always a major threat in Florida. It is a beautiful state, but there is a lot of risk to living down there.
The Southeast
The Southeast has really taken a pounding over the last few years. First it was Hurricane Katrina, and then it was the BP oil spill and then it was the tornadoes of 2011.
There is a lot of poverty in that area of the country. There is also a lot of crime.
There are a lot of great people who live down in the Southeast, but if you do not know your way around it can be a very difficult place to move to.
The Mid-South
One of my favorite places east of the Mississippi River are the mountains along the Tennessee/North Carolina border. If you must be in the eastern half of the United States, that is not a bad choice.
Where you do not want to be is anywhere near the New Madrid fault zone. The New Madrid fault zone covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. The biggest earthquakes in the history of the United States were caused by the New Madrid fault. Many are convinced that we are going to see an absolutely catastrophic earthquake along the New Madrid fault at some point.
So if you want to live in the Mid-South, it is highly recommended that you stay far away from the New Madrid fault zone.
The Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest was once one of the great manufacturing regions of the world, but now much of it is known as the "rust belt".
Formerly great manufacturing cities such as Detroit are now absolute hellholes. Tens of thousands of our factories and millions of our jobs have been shipped overseas.
There are some really great people (including some good friends of this column) that live up there, but the truth is that the region is really cold and unemployment is rampant.
The Upper Midwest is an area that people want to get out of. It is probably not a great place to move to.
However, if you do need a job, one place to look is a little bit west of there. Thanks to an abundance of natural resources, unemployment in North Dakota and South Dakota is very low. If you really need a job you might want to look into those two states.
The Southwest
In the Southwest there are a whole lot of freedom-loving Americans, the weather is very warm and there is a lot of space to get lost.
However, the Southwest is also very dry and in many areas there is not a lot of water. Drought and wildfires are quite common.
In addition, illegal immigration is rampant and is a constant security threat.
If you are familiar with that area of the country it is not a bad choice, but if you do not know what you are doing it could end up being disastrous for you.
The Great Plains
As long as you are far enough away from the New Madrid fault, the Great Plains is not a bad choice.
It is very, very flat out there, and it can be quite windy, but the good news is that you should be able to grow your own food.
In addition, the population density is generally very low in most areas.
One big negative, as we have seen recently, is tornadoes. The United States experiences more tornadoes that anywhere else in the world, and "tornado alley" generally gets the worst of it.
The West Coast
During an economic collapse, the West Coast is not a place that you will really want to be. Just take a look at the state of California already. It is an economic nightmare.
Millions of people have left California over the past couple of decades. The millions of people that have left have been replaced mostly with illegal aliens.
Oregon is better, although they have very high taxes and they are experiencing huge economic problems right now as well.
The best area along the West Coast is the Seattle area, but you won't want to be anywhere near a major population center when things totally fall apart.
Also, the West Coast lies along the "Ring of Fire". Considering what just happened in Japan and what has been happening in other areas along the Ring of Fire lately, the West Coast is not an area that a lot of people are recommending.
The Northwest
Large numbers of freedom-loving Americans have been moving to the states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. You can also throw eastern Washington and eastern Oregon into this category as well.
It gets cold up in the Northwest, but not as cold as the Upper Midwest. There are lots of rivers, streams and lakes and in certain areas there is plenty of rain.
The population density is very low in most areas and there is an abundance of wildlife. Housing prices are reasonable and in many areas you can grow your own food.
The Northwest is one of the favorite areas of the United States for preppers. It is far from perfect, but it does have a lot of advantages.
Alaska And Hawaii
Neither Alaska or Hawaii is recommended. Alaska lies along the "Ring of Fire" and it is very, very cold. Also, almost everything has to be either shipped or flown into Alaska. In the event of a real economic collapse, supplies to Alaska could be cut off and shortages could develop very quickly.
Hawaii has a huge population and it does not have a lot of room. Like Alaska, most supplies have to be either shipped in or flown in. And one really bad tsunami could pretty much wipe Hawaii out.
But once again, there is no "right answer". There are areas of just about every U.S. state that could potentially work well during a major economic collapse.
When assessing where "the best place to live in the United States" is, it is important to examine your own personal factors. What will work for me and for my family will not necessarily work for you and your family.
So what do all of you think about this list? Which area of the country do you think is best for those Americans who are seeking to prepare themselves for the coming economic collapse?
We appreciate your sacrifice.
So humid your eyeglasses fogged up like a beer bottle when you went outdoors.
Secret Californian repellent. Whatever works.
Golfball sized hail to screw up your car ...
Plus we have 2.0 earthquakes on the Richter Scale.
And to cap it off, it was a “dry county,” ...
Relatively few hippies or winos though.
The women were good looking ..."
On that I agree. My wife calls the neighbor women the Charlie's Angels. I think they are all former UT cheerleaders.
It isn’t Houston or DFW, it’s dumbass country.
Thank goodness. Just look at Houston city government.
But we have Carmel-by-the-sea ...
That's a nice place, if you can afford it. My large new house in a nice area cost maybe a tenth of the Carmel price per square foot.
You have poke salad and cow shit!
And you have a state income tax, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, and Jerry Brown. We win!
I’ve seen the rock walls. They’re actually sort of attractive, as long as one doesn’t think about the work involved in building them.
Don’t those rocks damage farm equipment? And how did people deal with that mess prior to gasoline engines?
Tough, New England farmers were, really tough!
we used to have a tractor pulling a flatbed trailer in the freshly plowed crop fields and we'd toss rocks onto the trailer all day long. It really takes a toll on the body. Sometimes you'd just stare at some massive stone, wonder “ how the hell did that get coughed up “ start to dig it out and realize its many times larger than you thought.
Mainers were once some of the toughest people in New England. Some folks used to refer to Maine as ‘ the wild west of NE ‘. The likes of Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry were once the types of folks you'd find in my old state.
One real curiosity that has developed in recent years is the market for flat rocks. People will pay you for them and they pay real well for large flat rocks. There was a small operation of a father and son who were buying flat rocks out of rock walls on my mothers property.
One fellow not far from us discovered so many flat rocks on his property he started mining them by himself. Some mining company recently offered him 3 million dollars for his land but he declined. He is still pulling out the rocks himself. another fellow discovered his home and land was sitting on a huge gravel pit. He is still digging that out despite the damned liberals trying to stop him.
As an historian, I’m curious as to whether anyone has tried to map out patterns for these walls. They indicate the growth of farms, family borderlines, etc. There’s a wealth of information in them.
In my home county, there’s no equivalent. If a farmer fails to actively plough as long as two years, a tough pine forest pops up on his land and he has to clear all over again. There are no stones, but just sand.
Preach it brother! :-)
Not exactly true. Vermont is better in that way.
I don’t live in southern NH but I do know that whether Massholes have “ruined” that part of the state or not, they vote right. Like I said earlier, Rockingham County is probably the reddest part of the state these days and that is because of people who have fled Massive2zitts for here.
If you think NH is that free, you havent lived there. When I was there in the late 80’s its was “Live Free or Die....as long as you live the way we want you to.” I hated it.
Northern NH might be OK, more like Northern VT.
Well, compared to Maryland where I live now, NH looks pretty darned free.
And then start in on MECHA, La Raza, Reconquistadors.................
LOVE your “tag line”!!! Crackin’ me up! ;-)
Water - and a year-round growing climate... Floridians also deal with nutty people in a chaotic environment on an everyday basis - now.
Crazy stories - the ones that verge on being unbelievable - are almost always dateline Florida. So we're used to dealing with stuff that others in more stable areas of the country never get to experience. In short - we're already half way there...
Thanks for the link, blam - this is important:
For evaluation purposes (and because I am an aquarium hobbyist), I decided to purchase online a variety of these products and found them to be identical (unlike some Dog and Cat medications) to those used to treat humans with a doctor’s prescription. I was able to purchase them without any demand for medical licensure, etc. The drugs are listed below and the bottles list the antibiotic as the sole ingredient. They are:
FISH-MOX (amoxicillin 250mg)
FISH_MOX FORTE (amoxicillin 500mg)
FISH-CILLIN (ampicillin 250mg)
FISH-FLEX Keflex 250mg)
FISH-FLEX FORTE (Keflex 500mg)
FISH-ZOLE (metronidazole 250mg)
FISH-PEN (penicillin 250mg)
FISH-PEN FORTE (penicillin 500mg)
FISH-CYCLINE (tetracycline 250mg)
These medications are available usually in plastic bottles of 100 tablets for much less than the same prescription medication at the pharmacy (some come in bottles of 30 tablets). The dosages are similar to that used in humans, and are taken two to four times a day, depending on the drug.
BTT
After finals, I’ll nose around and see if I can find out anything about the historiography of those walls. I’m not aware that it’s ever been attempted (though American history is not my specialty, remember). I’ll let you know if I find anything out.
By the way, I’ve been to Maine on several occasions, and found it beautiful but heavily infested with those blasted black flies. Augh!
Well, the season doesn't last too terribly long but it really is horrendous. But we had a sure fire trick for dealing with them when working outdoors ( and it seems we were always working outdoors)
We all wore white construction helmets that were slathered with baby oil. The black flies were attracted to the baby oil I think...or maybe they just got stuck to the helmet trying to get at us. I don't recall which but it sure worked! While the black flies are bad in swarms during their season there are few bites as bad as the dreaded Deer Fly - brother, those things would draw blood! Really bad.
Don’t mean to go on, just felt so enslaved & closed in on in so many different ways back east. I have freedom out here like I’ve never experienced anywhere else; and me likes it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.