retreat living

Northwest Survival Retreat Ideal Population Map

Click here for full resolution map

For the curious, I put together this map awhile ago which illustrates perimeter regions surrounding the population centers of city regions containing populations of 50,000 (red circles) and 200,000 (blue circles) people in the states of Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, and eastern Oregon.

The purpose of building the map was to discover the perimeter regions of cities with populations of 50,000 people – the perimeter being 50 miles out from the city region – such that while living in a rural area (on the 50-mile perimeter), an approximate 1 hour drive would bring you into the ‘small’ city region for professional services or supplies.

It seemed to me that one possibility of an ideal full-time retreat location may exist along such a perimeter boundary (a boundary that does not overlap with another) while still having somewhat reasonable access to services beyond the local area.

It was an interesting exercise (and time consuming to research and build the map), but I plan to do the same for other states in the country as well. (I like maps)

There are two perimeters on the map which you may want to stay away from if you are concerned about higher population centers (Boise and Spokane).

You may also want to stay away from the highlighted area of nuclear missile silos in Montana, particularly ‘down wind’ (e.g. Billings).

Montana Road and Recreation Atlas

Idaho Road and Recreation Atlas

Washington Road and Recreation Atlas

Oregon Road and Recreation Atlas

If you enjoyed this, or topics of current events risk awareness or survival preparedness,
click here to check out our current homepage articles…

• Government Owned Land Near You?
• Small Town Retreat
• Test Yourself for Suburbia or Rural Living
• How to use a Watch as a Compass
• Best Place To Live with a Survival Context

Government Owned Land Near You?

The United States Federal Government owns nearly 650 million acres of land – almost 30 percent of the land area of the country. Federally-owned and managed public lands include National Parks, National Forests, and National Wildlife Refuges.

I have always enjoyed maps. For some unknown reason, I just like finding new maps and looking at them. Given the Internet today, there is a countless availability of detailed maps focused on an endless variety of purposes.

I recently came across this map which shows all the government owned land in the United States, much of which is in the West. It may be helpful or interesting to know where this land is while considering a new location or land purchase.

The following map shows the location of land managed by the various governmental departments… Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Defense, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, National Park Service, TVA, and ‘other’ agencies.

click on map for full resolution

You may be interested to see a map of each individual State and where the government owned land is within each State.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts
Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska NevadaNew Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

If you enjoyed this, or topics of current events risk awareness or survival preparedness,
click here to check out our current homepage articles…

• Northwest Survival Retreat Ideal Population Map
• How to use a Watch as a Compass
• Best Road Atlas Maps of the Northwest
• Maps and Direction

Small Town Retreat

Assuming you’ve made reasonable preparations, the greatest single danger to your survival when ‘the’ crisis strikes will be your proximity to concentrated masses of systems-dependent people. Even living in a relatively out of the way place in a high population density area is extremely hazardous when it comes to ‘the’ crisis.

The major consideration for determining your retreat location is the population density. The location should ideally be a tank of gas away from any major metropolitan area while the local population should be low. Why? Because those who are not prepared, especially the bad element at first, will overrun and loot as desperation sets in.

Another consideration should be the location’s proximity to any nuclear power plant. Even if a nuke plant is say, 100 miles away, if you are downwind from the prevailing winds of the region, then you are in harms way. Nuke plants need electricity to remain safe. Without it, well, just look at what happened in Fukushima Japan.

Be cautious of choosing a retreat location that is embedded into a major forest, as a forest fire may not be contained during ‘the’ crisis as it would be otherwise. Isolationism is not the answer.

Consider the possibility of nuclear war and the potential target areas thereof. Although most people cannot fathom the possibility and brush it off as something that would never happen, the fact is the threat remains.

Other considerations include a reasonable climate, agriculture, hunting, fishing, and trapping.

During ‘the’ crisis, retreating to isolation or living in a remote isolated region, is probably not the best thing. Instinctively many would think it to be so, however when you consider that a large marauding group can easily overcome a small isolated group, and when you consider that long term survivability depends upon the working and complimentary skills of many people, you may conclude that an ideal retreat location may be in a small rural town of sufficient numbers of like minded folks.

The ideal rural small town of preference will have a population of 5,000 or less. Most of these small towns have populations that look out for themselves and their neighbors, they mostly know each-other, will barter together, they recognize outsiders, and will probably band together during crisis with a greater sense of responsibility than perhaps the bigger town.

According to the 2000 census, more than 80 percent of the nation’s population resided in one of the 350 combined metropolitan statistical areas.

If you enjoyed this, or topics of current events risk awareness or survival preparedness,
click here to check out our current homepage articles…

• Northwest Survival Retreat Ideal Population Map
• Test Yourself for Suburbia or Rural Living
• Best Place To Live with a Survival Context
• 20 Questions Away From Your Survival Retreat
• Rural Retreat Location in Oregon?

Test Yourself for Suburbia or Rural Living

Guest Post: by ‘Be Informed’

Most survival minded people consider living away from any metropolitan or urban area as what will be necessary to make it through the expected upcoming chaos. Others feel nothing is going to occur, or whatever does happen will be manageable in or around major cities. In either case it is an individual’s choice and preference where they choose to live.

To better aid someone in making that decision, this simple test should help someone to decide whether they are better suited for the urban suburbia city setting or a rural country type way of life.

Generalizations of suburbia and city living:

Place a check mark on each of the following positive aspects of suburbia or urban style life that are important to you. If it does not mean much or matter to you then leave it blank.

[ ] Career opportunity and advancements usually good to those in demand.

[ ] Access to the more advanced and best medical needs.

[ ] Availability of most or all goods needed, plenty of shopping.

[ ] Entertainment, lots of things to do and places to go to.

[ ] Public transportation (buses, trains, airports, etc.) to get around.

[ ] Many different people to interact with, high social life type.

[ ] Better education and training (colleges, tech training).

[ ] Opportunities that are more available to someone starting a small business.

[ ] First to receive help after disasters because of size and importance.

[ ] Usually more tolerant of unusual behavior and life styles, melding into the crowd, your private business stays more private.

Add up how many of the 10 you checked and score one point for each.
Score_____.

Now place a check mark on each of the following negative aspects of suburbia or urban style life that are important to you. If it does not mean much or matter to you then leave it blank.

[ ] High level of competition for really good job positions.

[ ] Air pollution, congestion, crowded, boxed in feeling.

[ ] Crime element and rate higher, suffocating laws, especially on self defense.

[ ] High dependence on city continuing to function.

[ ] Target for terrorism and or other enemy attacks.

[ ] Normally higher cost of living; insurance, rent, utilities, etc.

[ ] Faster life styles can be stressful and tiring.

[ ] Likely to be the one of the first to experience the effects of any national crisis, also difficult to get out to safety.

[ ] Lack of nature and outdoors, light pollution, concrete jungle feeling.

[ ] More of an indifference of people looking out for one another.

Add up how many of the 10 you checked and score one point for each.
Score_____.

Now subtract your negative score from the positive score.
Total score______.
This is your suburbia urban living score. Scoring range is from 10 to -10.

Generalizations of rural country living.

Place a check mark on each of the following positive aspects of rural country style life that are important to you. If it does not mean much or matter to you then leave it blank.

[ ] Normally very clean air and clean environment, healthier.

[ ] Wild food readily there for use.

[ ] Darkness at night and quiet and peaceful.

[ ] A type of freer feeling.

[ ] Most of the time, a less expensive cost of living.

[ ] Nature, wide open space and lots of outdoor activities.

[ ] Safer from riots, large number of desperate people if society collapses.

[ ] Small town helping your neighbors mentality.

[ ] Crime not usually very wide spread or violent, safer to go outside.

[ ] Normally more relaxed laws, more tolerant of very minor infractions.

Add up how many of the 10 you checked and score one point for each.
Score_____.

Now place a check mark on each of the following negative aspects of rural country style life that are important you. If it doesn’t mean much or matter to you then leave it blank.

[ ] Long commutes to get certain type of food and supplies and to get help.

[ ] Sparsely populated, lack of much specialized services.

[ ] Boredom, nothing to do.

[ ] Everyone around you usually knows your business, privacy can be an issue.

[ ] People can be very clanish to new comers that are not long term residents.

[ ] Complacency and lack of motivation of people around you.

[ ] Road maintenance, weather a problem, could be stuck unable to go anywhere.

[ ] Normally more work to keep up property.

[ ] Lack of common things that people are use to, home delivery of things such as pizza, shopping nearby, malls, etc.

[ ] Interruptions of important services to you more common, cell phone communications, utilities and delays in repair work being done.

Add up how many of the 10 you checked and score one point for each.
Score_____.

Now subtract your negative score from your positive score.
Total score______.

This is your rural country living score. Scoring range is from 10 to -10.

The better score of the urban and rural living results is where you are probably better off to live at.

There are many other aspects of urban and rural living that someone can add to this test that are equally important to them. This is just a broad sweep of some of the generalizations of both urban and rural living that should help someone decide which is better for them.

If you enjoyed this, or topics of current events risk awareness or survival preparedness,
check out our current homepage articles…

• Northwest Survival Retreat Ideal Population Map
• Small Town Retreat
• Best Place To Live with a Survival Context
• 20 Questions Away From Your Survival Retreat
• Rural Retreat Location in Oregon?

Best Place To Live with a Survival Context

Recently having received an email from a Reader who asked for an opinion of where is the best place to live from the standpoint of survival interests and preparedness, here are a few considerations… (this pertains to the US)

The criteria from the Reader are as follows:

-Well developed agriculture for plant based diet
-Well developed infrastructure
-Interest in clean energy
-Friendly people
-Freedom
-Altitude
-Climate
-Predators/Poisonous life forms
-Fresh waters
-Pollution/Susceptibility to Pollution via atmospheric/ocean currents
-Seismic activity

Ken adds:
Tax burden
state-income-tax-comparison
state-tax-burden
lowest-to-highest-taxes-by-state

Nuclear power plant locations
u-s-nuclear-power-plants-safe-distance

Population density
survival-retreat-population-density
safer-survival-distance-from-usa-city-hordes
survival-retreat-safe-distance-from-city

Water sources
water-sources-for-remote-property

OK, lets look at these one at a time…

Well developed agriculture for plant based diet
From a survivalist or self-sufficiency standpoint, this would be somewhat related to the ability to grow some of your own food, and therefore is hinged to the climate of the region, length of the growing season, as well as the general soil condition (e.g. deserts won’t work well). The further south, the longer the growing season. Having said that, northerners do just fine so long as they plan well and begin some crops indoors or in a greenhouse environment. Parts of the northwest are very favorable for agriculture – growing season – climate – adequate rainfall, such as Oregon and Washington state.

Well developed infrastructure
Personally, I would not choose to live in ‘the city’. One reason is because I’m just not a city-dweller type person. Second, a city depends too much upon infrastructure (it has to) for my own comfort zone should disaster strike. For example, a major power outage could bring social chaos in a short period of time. However, a good benefit of living near enough to a city are the services rendered – such as better health care – hospitals if needed, and much more. I believe that a good ‘safe’ distance from any major city is ideal, say, an hour drive. Some fear the Golden Horde – zombies exiting the cities during disaster, and will prefer to live further away.

Interest in clean energy
Utilization of clean energy can be executed almost anywhere. Solar energy is more efficient the closer to the equator – the further south, the more effective sunlight. Southwestern states are ideal due to less cloud cover during the year and abundant sunshine – however these regions are often desert areas. No matter where you live (except perhaps in some neighborhood developments or zones where rules prohibit it), solar photovoltaic panels, solar hot water systems, and wind power can be utilized. I believe that ‘interest’ in clean energy is growing nationwide.

Friendly people
This is subjective to some degree. ‘The south’ has a general reputation for having a friendly attitude. Having traveled quite a lot during a previous career, I agree with that. ‘The west’ compared to ‘the east’ is of a friendlier demeanor. I’ve lived on both coasts and know this to be true. Also, generally, the more remote you are, the more the community will be tightly-knit, that is, if you move into a countryside community, it may take longer to ‘be accepted’. So long as you yourself are not an ass, I suppose this won’t be an issue in most cases.

Freedom
If you are looking for freedom and liberty, stay away from the cities and high population dense regions of the country – where rules and regulations always abound. Perhaps New Hampshire with their motto, ‘Live Free or Die’, may suit you. Freedom loving regions that stand out, no doubt include areas like Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, perhaps eastern Oregon or eastern Washington. However there are plenty of other regions with little restrictions on freedom and liberty. One way to determine this is to examine gun laws of each state, which are often directly proportional to the level of freedom and personal liberty there.

Altitude
Living along the seacoast at sea-level presents risks from flooding of hurricanes or tsunamis. Living at high altitude will reduce the length of the growing season due to a colder climate. Many entire states are at a very high altitude – up and down the Rocky Mountains for example. Having spent some time exploring the Sierra Nevada mountain range, I personally enjoy altitude climates there at approximately 1,500 – 2,000 feet (‘the foothills’). It’s different in other parts of the country though because overall weather patterns vary. The short opinion though, avoid sea level or living immediately along the coast (save that for vacations). Be aware of the growing season effectiveness at your geographical location and altitude.

Climate
Climate is immensely important. Some people will not be able to ‘happily’ deal with certain types of weather and climate conditions. Too Hot – Too Cold – Too Humid – Too Wet – Too Dry – Too many Mosquitoes! – etc… It is important though that the natural rainfall is adequate to sustain a summer garden. This rules out some of the west and much of the southwest which rely upon reservoirs for their summer water. The northwest is abundant with rain (especially coastal), however I personally would become too gloomy due to the excessive number of rainy days (everyone’s different though). I do enjoy climates with four seasons, so long as the winter is not too long. Whatever suits your desire is probably OK, provided you don’t risk living in a dry desert region that depends solely upon infrastructure to provide your water needs during the summer months. Be aware of micro-climates, which can be very different from the regional climate! Do your research.

Predators/Poisonous life forms
The west and northwest have bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, and poisonous spiders. Although there are deaths each year, provided you take common-sense precautions, you will likely be just fine. I’ve been bitten by a brown recluse spider and lived to tell about it for example… I’m certain that there are some black widows around my wood pile, and I’ve encountered bears while in the Trinity Wilderness area of northern CA. The key is knowing your region and dangers, and knowing how to be cautious about it. Parts of the south have alligators. I would personally rather deal with poisonous spiders and the slight risk of running across a bear than an alligator – but that’s just me… Everyone has their phobias. The least likely regions for dangerous predators compared to other regions, will probably be the central and northeastern US.

Fresh waters
Very important. Fresh, clean water is the single most important ingredient to survival. You will find more of this in the mountainous regions. Obviously the southwest US and desert region is a no-go in this category. Best areas – northwest, southeast, northeast, and some northern states. Be aware of the current drought conditions in parts of the south and central US. A property with a natural and year-round stream is ideal. Alongside a pond or lake is great. Known ‘good’ well water in the area is good. Adequate rainfall and perhaps a rainwater collection system will fit your needs.

Pollution/Susceptibility to Pollution via atmospheric/ocean currents
Pollution will be concentrated at lower altitudes and where the most people live. Be aware of what is ‘upstream’ from your location, both by way of air currents and water flow. All regions have prevailing wind directions. In the west, the winds and storms come from the Pacific – sometimes from the southwest and usually from the northwest – meaning that the air will be relatively ‘clean’ coming from an ocean expanse. The jet stream generally blows from west to east across the country. The northeast usually has prevailing wind patterns from the west or northwest (from upstate NY or Canada) – but sometimes from the northeast (ocean) . The point is, discover the weather pattern and prevailing wind pattern, and you will know what’s heading your way by looking upstream. To avoid pollution, stay away from the cities and major transportation corridors.

Seismic activity
The worst place in this category is up and down the California coast. There is also a fairly high risk along the coastal northwest. The New Madrid fault zone is another frightful area, although no one knows when this one will rip again, if ever again. Truly, there are earthquake risks almost anywhere, although well known fault zones are the places to stay away from.

In conclusion
It’s often easier to find reasons NOT to live somewhere. I do believe that there really is no perfect or best place to live. It comes down to what you can live with, and what your own priorities are. Everyone values risks and priorities differently, and these are often offset by other factors that may be important to you. The process I would use to find a best place to live, would be to analyze first (using the internet to discover statistics, etc.), then choose several possible areas of interest and go and visit them. Often times ‘you will know it’ when it’s right. It will just feel right to you. Trust your instincts.

Very generally speaking, in the context of survival risks, in all cases avoid city centers and very high populous regions. Consider parts of the northwest US, or parts of the south – how about northwest Arkansas for example (I’ve looked closely at this one – low taxes, good geography, etc. but not sure about the summer heat and humidity though).

The best place to live is very difficult to identify from one person’s point of view because of the wide range of factors under consideration, that differ for everyone. A hard core survivalist may choose northwestern Montana, say in a small town like ‘Plains’ (just an example – never been there) within an hour drive of Missoula for important services. A moderate survivalist may choose a place within an hour drive of Fort Smith – Arkansas or perhaps within the region of Hot Springs (so long as you’re not up against Little Rock). There are all sorts of smart choices around the country that could be made. The key is to think about all the aspects, prioritize, and then go visit them!

If you enjoyed this, or topics of survival preparedness or current events risk awareness,
check out our current homepage articles…

• Safer Survival Distance From USA City Hordes
• Survival Retreat Safe Distance From City
• Survival Retreat Land Size Considerations
• EMP – It Can Happen
• Survival Retreat Population Density

State Income Tax Comparison

State Income Tax Table

2010 Individual Tax Rates (percentage)
Rounded to the nearest tenth
Not including whatever state deductions that may exist

Although New Hampshire and Tennessee are listed as zero income tax, they do tax on interest and dividend income at 5% and 6% respectively.

Three income levels were chosen. A lower-than-average income, a probable somewhat average income, and a higher than average income, so as to show any variance in tax rates that may exist at those levels.

A quick look at state income tax in a bar-graph format provides a good visual reference where your state tax ranks with all other states.

Sate Income Tax Rate (percent)

($36,000 annual income)

Sate Income Tax (percent)

($51,000 annual income)

Sate Income Tax (percent)

($87,000 annual income)

Not only is the tax data and state comparison interesting to look at, but if you are ever considering a move to another state, this information should be of some help. This is intended only to be a guide and general view of where the various states rank.

If you enjoyed this, or topics of survival preparedness or current events risk awareness,
check out our current homepage articles…

• This Is What’s Wrong In America!
• Government to Track Cars for Gas Tax
• State Tax Burden
• Lowest to Highest Taxes by State
• Hold On To Your Wallet Here Comes The Tax Man

Living in a Tiny Home – With No Mortgage

Here is an interesting video about a family that downsized in a major way.  This is not from a “prep” perspective, but it could be.  This idea could be used for a disaster retreat.  It could also help people to get ready for the coming economic collapse.

Two years ago, Debra and her family lived in a nearly 2000 square foot home on an acre and a half of land. Then her husband lost his job and they began to work 4 jobs between them to pay the mortgage, until one day they remembered they had a choice.

Before having their son, Debra and her husband Gary had spent 9 years living in very tiny homes in South America. Living small hadn’t felt like a sacrifice, but a way to stay focused on what is important. They decided they wanted to get back to that.

They stopped working so hard, sold or gave away all of their extra stuff and began looking for the perfect tiny home.

Debra had always liked the Mississippi shotgun style homes, and one day, while browsing craigslist, they noticed an ad for a local Arkansas company custom building tiny homes for a price that could mean an end to house payments.

Six weeks and $15,000 later they had their own fully paid-off dwelling. Today, Debra, her husband and 13-year-old son live in a 320-square foot home that is not a sacrifice, but exactly what they need.

Thanks to Phil S. for forwarding this interesting video.

If you enjoyed this, or topics of preparedness or current events risk awareness, consider our survival blog RSS feed, new posts by E-mail, or bookmark us at Modern Survival Blog

• Paid Off is Great!
• Message to Graduates
• Debt Free Living, A Simple Concept?
• Kill ALL Credit Card Debt