Episode-716- Where are you Going to Build that Better Life
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Of course my stance is well known on the best place to live and or ride out a major SHTF but I also say all the time,
“Your personal philosophy is more important for you than mine! You are the master of your own life and if you don’t agree with my views, great, define, understand and implement your own.
The biggest thing you can do is understand that you are in control of your life and that what you do matters. Those two factors have the greatest impact on individual survival across every demographic you can imagine.”
So with that in mind I thought I might do a show about the positive and negative aspects about living and dealing with various levels of disaster in five major types of areas.
Join me today as we discuss…
- Urban – The Good
- Resources rich
- First to receive aid
- Density of social groups
- Easy transportation options
- Help is generally close by
- Abundance of materials
- Urban – The Bad
- Magnets for those in need in a disaster
- Population density risks
- Expensive cost of living – in “safe” areas
- Government regulation density
- Food scarcity
- Crime rates even in “good tines”
- Space is at a premium
- Many city governments are nearly bankrupt
- Suburban – The Good
- Generally solid neighborhood structure
- Land is sufficient for home growing
- Can be affordable
- Reasonable access to career opportunities
- Generally low crime rates (subject to many things)
- Access to the good parts of urban with less of the bad
- Fast responder times
- Suburban- The Bad
- High taxes
- Regulation density
- HOAs
- Nosy/Meddling neighbors
- Population density
- Many are also nearly bankrupt
- Small Town – The Good
- Almost all of the good of suburban with less of the bad
- Generally less regulation dense but that is changing
- Lower crime rates
- Generally more self sufficient people
- More affordable property
- Lower taxes – (sometimes)
- Often still have reasonable access to cities (1-3 hours)
- Reasonable response times for first responders
- Reasonable employment opportunities
- Access to remote and rural areas
- Strong cultures of community
- Small Town – The Bad
- Still have a potential for mob attitude in a SHTF
- Less career opportunity especially for the “employee”
- Less resources available
- Many still have significant regulation density
- False senses of security, preparedness and sustainability
- Many are also nearly bankrupt
- True Rural – The Good
- Affordable living
- Strong community
- Low regulation density
- Low taxes and land costs
- Greater native preparedness
- Greater access to “wild areas”
- Access to larger towns – small cities
- Law enforcement officers are “laid back”
- Low population densities
- Highly self reliant
- True Rural – The Bad
- Generally at the bottom of priority of response
- Poor career opportunities (generally)
- May take time to be accepted in the community
- More likely to loose services or just not have them
- Cost of commuting for resources
- Man made resource poor (comparatively speaking)
- Less “social group” diversity
- Remote – The Good
- Extensive freedom
- Low population density
- Large amounts of cheap and usable land
- Extremely high self reliance quotient
- The community that does exist is strong
- Generally surrounded by “wild areas”
- Natural resources are often highly available
- Remote – The Bad
- Career opportunities may be non existent
- Absolutely the last to receive aid, sometimes never
- Can be flat out lonely
- Distance to supplies can be extreme
- You are easier to victimize if the opportunity occurs
- Difficult to raise children
- High construction costs
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
- TSP Gear Shop
- Back Yard Food Production – (sponsor of the day)
- Fortress Self Defense Consultants – (sponsor of the day)
- Members Support Brigade
- Ron Hood’s Survival.com Magazine
Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.
I really enjoy reading and at time watching info-video’s about survival. I want to thank you and your staff for the good info and hard work that goes into gathering the info for your site.
Please keep up the good work and I’ll pass on your site to others.
That was one of the most well thought out informational podcasts I’ve ever heard. I especially appreciate that it was discussed with an unbiased perspective. I’m much like you; as-in I don’t like large crowds whether it’s in SF or Disney Land, but I welcomed your detailed breakdown of each type of environment. You gave the pros and cons of every single one and as far as I can tell, you used facts not just your own opinions.
That was a great show jack, its kinda funny that you said that large groups of people make you feel claustrophobic,man I been feeling like that for so long now its unreal.. I kinda figured it was just me LOL, the wife and I have been trying to sell our place in the town of 6000 so we can get out into the country even more, one place we checked out was corn across the street and woods behind it was does it get any better..
I am a yuppie in the sense that I am a young urban professional. I don’t buy $6 coffee’s, but that is beside the point. I am just curious…for those of us in my position who are dependent on big cities for professional employment, how can we find remote/rural place close enough to be a usable BOL from a big city. In any large-scale bug-out disaster I’d think I’d have more odd’s of being stuck on the highway than making it.
Daniel Glazer,
I live in Nevada, but was looking at the maps section in the grocery store last night for L.A. escape route info, because I have projects that require my frequent presence here.
You could always print out detailed Google maps, but inkjet pages still need protection to prevent water smearing.
I passed up a $24.95 detailed map of California, but bought a cheap general U.S. atlas and Western States regional map for alternate road routes.
But the best deal was a $6.95 So. Calif. “road and recreation” map of scenic routes with the best detail showing routes to nearby lakes. In my case, I have my eye on Lake Matthews near the 91 and 15 fwys. 15 is the customary route to Nevada as well. The 60 takes me close to Lake Perris State rec. area. South of both of those is Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Diamond Valley Reserve Lake and Lake Skinner. I’ve got a bugout location on private land in mountains in the middle of all that.
To start, try looking for anything within an hour’s drive.
If the roads were really carmageddoned, I’d walk the ten miles to the ocean. I’ve got a fishing pole, salt water bait, a bugout backpack and two piers to try. Perhaps not the brightest idea, but at least I wouldn’t be inside a government run zone like the Superdome during Katrina.
Jack, when did you work at MCI? I worked there from Oct 2004 until the 2005 Christmas Layoff under the Verizon purchase. I worked in the Vienna office, next to Tyson’s Corner mall. It took me 2 hours each way by car to commute the 25 miles from my home in Maryland. I moved to New Hampshire in 2007 for the Free State Project, following the annexation of my unincorporated neighborhood by a city. They promised the gullible “services”, but instead raised taxes, enforced codes and increased traffic stops. I hear my old house was taxed at $11,000 last year! There was a forest next door with a herd of 8 deer, but the city plans to turn it into a soccerfield! I thought New Hampshire would be in the middle of nowhere, but it has tons of culture and I can have anything I want in 20 minutes. In fact, this morning, I went to visit the site of the first CSA and Permaculture Design Course in the country! Cool things abound, just ask around!
One thing we do have a problem with are “Massholes” – massclowns who move up from Massachusetts, with their attitude, and then change NH into the hell hole they left.
Forgot to mention- I ordered a Cilantro Lemonade from the CSA’s cafe – thought Dorothy would like to know! Ever try a Cilantro Margarita?
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