Survival Places For Living Safely and Productively
Living in survival places that are ideal for a lifestyle of self-reliance, productivity, and safety.
I have written about this topic a number of times. It’s always interesting to re-address it. Given what we have been through these past years, I would think that the survival realty business would be booming! High premiums are being paid for rural properties. More and more people are escaping the population dense regions around the nation.
Given my own rural location, maybe it’s time to sell my 30 acre homestead and cash in! (NOT). Okay, that was a joke.
So, lets talk about what makes for good survival places to live. Is there a perfect place? Maybe. But probably not. What makes any location better for survival is YOU and what YOU do with it. Adapt to it. Make it work.
With that said, I’m going to brainstorm some of the ideal attributes one might look for in a search for the perfect ‘survival place’…
Survival Places – Things To Think About
Where to start? I’m not exactly sure. We all have our own individual priorities and visions, right?
Income
I suppose a #1 would likely be earning an income. Even a homesteader needs some cash. If you’re retired, this may not be an issue. Otherwise, it likely is for you, your spouse. As you know, logically, rural jobs don’t pay as much. However this can be overcome depending on your lifestyle and skill sets.
The good thing is, more and more are able to work from home, given an internet connection. And with the rollout of Starlink (satellite constellation), high speed internet is more readily available in rural areas. FYI, that’s what I currently use, and how I am able to live where I do.
Freedom
Although here in the United States we are considered the only “free” country in the world… We all live under an illusion of freedom. However some survival places are more free than others. Freedom is tied with government and politics. All politics are local (as they say). However I personally would start with state government and whether or not it aligns at all with you.
Obviously there are some states which are horrendous when it comes to personal liberty. However you can make it work, given your chosen region which may be insulated to an extent from draconian overreach. However you will still be subject to state laws. We’ve all seen the tyranny. Any you don’t get freedom back without a fight. Just the way it is…
Better yet, start with a state that’s well known for its relative freedom. At least then you’re not starting out in a place that will only likely get worse in this regard. Ultimately, it’s about your own locale.
The People Living Around You
When considering any survival places, your day to day life will occasionally interact with the people around you. Your neighbors. Your town. The people and who they are. So, it’s best to try and understand this.
Generally speaking, locals will look upon outsiders and new people in town with suspicion. I’ve heard some real horror stories. Here are a few things to bear in mind.
You will never be a local. Not gonna happen. Accept it. But that’s okay. You CAN be accepted into a rural community with ease, if you do it right, you’re not a jerk, and you understand and mitigate their suspicions. You see, they will think you’re going to come in and want to change things. You’re from the big city (even if you’re from a medium size place). They’re concerned that your ideals will not jive with theirs. So, it’s up to you to prove otherwise.
Population Density
I sure have written about this one quite a few times. Why? Because in reference to survival places and one’s safety, it sure could be important. Here’s the thing… More population dense regions do have way more services. It’s nearly directly proportional. So, living rural there’s less in the way of services. So, there’s both good and bad here. Depends on what you’re looking for.
I live in a very small town / village. But, there’s a grocery store and hardware store (and other services) 10 minutes away in a bigger town of about 3,000. Depending which way I go, a nearest ‘big box’ store is about 30 minutes away in a town of about 6,000. The nearest city with 100,000 or more people is about 2 hours away. The nearest small hospital is 10 minutes away. Nearest high-end top-tier medical hospital is a 20 minute “life flight” helicopter ride, or an hour and 45 minute drive. So you see, it really depends what you’re looking for in this regard.
Among the many, here are a few related articles:
Survival Retreat Population Density
Safer Distance From USA City Hordes
Security
So that leads into security. Crime in general is often nearly directly proportional to population density. Though there are caveats. Almost without exception, rural communities are fairly safe. Also depends on the state’s stance on the 2nd Amendment, Castle Doctrine, etc..
In my state of New Hampshire (for example) a robber / burglar could be (legally) shot dead depending on circumstances. And they know that (most of them). So, given the high rate of gun ownership here, it’s quite a deterrent. So you see how your security can be somewhat tied to the state itself (it’s laws)?
How about a property that’s off the road and cannot be seen from the road or neighbors? That sounds pretty ideal (and much more difficult to find on the market if you’re looking for this kind of place). Again, maybe since mine fits the criteria, perhaps it’s time to cash out? (NOT)(grin).
Anyway, security during good times is not an especially high concern. However, when looking for survival places, it certainly is a very high concern for if and when SHTF! Things affect this such as geography and region. Population. The people there. Demographics. Politics.
Climate
Oh boy this can be a big one. The regions climate will directly affect your life and lifestyle. So be sure it’s right for you. I’ve been all over this country and have experienced the many climates and their pros and cons.
To an extent, just about anyone can adapt to a new climate. But adapt you must. You may be looking at a beautiful ideal rural getaway during the summer months. However it may become VERY different during the rest of the year! Research this.
The climate of your survival place will impact your ability to grow food there. To raise animals. To simply enjoy it there. So, you better think twice! Is it notoriously dry? Wet? Hot and humid summers? Wicked cold and long winters? Windy a lot? Etc.. Again, you can adapt and mitigate. But be sure that’s what you’re okay with.
Water
Since this is in the context of survival places, let me tell you this… Water is VERY important. Ideally, you want water on your property. Year round. I am fortunate enough to have a year-round spring which typically flows 7 – 10 gallons a minute. Maybe you’re looking for a place on a lake. If near a river, you better check if it’s prone to flooding!
Any other place without water on the property will require a reliance upon functioning external system(s). So just be aware of that. And plan for it. This may or may not be a deal breaker, depending on your ultimate concerns and goals.
Medical Facilities
We all would like to think we’re indestructible. However all it takes is a stupid accident and you’re off to the hospital, right? Well, is there one nearby or reasonably close by? Most rural communities have medical facilities ‘somewhere’ that’s essentially shared within the region. But it’s good to check on this. The older we get, the more we think about this too. It becomes increasingly important.
Taxes
As you know, you really don’t own your land. The government does. If you stop paying your taxes, they’ll eventually try and take it back. So, this is a very important consideration, depending on your income, assets, and/or ability to pay.
Some states, and regions within, have terribly high property taxes. Whereas other places can be very comparatively low. Much of this depends on the methods used by the state or region to collect revenue. One way or the other they’re going to get it.
For example my state of New Hampshire has pretty high property taxes. I certainly do not like that. But, there’s no income or sales tax. Depends what’s most important to you. Now that I’m semi-retired, income tax is not really a big deal for me. And I don’t buy lots of stuff for sales tax to have a big impact. However I am increasingly feeling the pain of high property taxes the older I get.
Years ago I wrote several articles about taxes. The data is somewhat outdated. Maybe I’ll update the data one day. However I suspect the general takeaways are still pretty close to the same.
Lowest to Highest Taxes by State
In Summary
Listen, there are lots more things to consider. But this would turn into a book. So I’ll leave it at that for now :=)
It’s often easier to find reasons NOT to live somewhere. I do believe that there really is no perfect or best survival 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 visit them. Often times ‘you will know it’ when it’s right. It will just feel right to you. Trust your instincts.
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. 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!
