relocation

RELOCATION
For lack of much new and exiting, by default I’m visiting some of the old and familiar themes. Yesterday, bribing a buddy for a place to stay. Today, a bit on where to relocate. E-mail me at jimd303@netzero.com or leave a comment here if you have any ideas you would like me to address which belong to the old school survivalism/prepping. Perhaps we can get a week long thing going here. For instance, I’m sure you would all love me to berate you once again on how your arsenal should be bolt action and revolver. Can’t get enough of that, right?
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Creekmore (http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/ ) had an interesting article on Mel Tappon a week or so back. I never knew he married into money, the Mack truck fortune. See, just as I was spewing venom into my minions ears about him, he turns around and gives me a neat factoid like that, titillating my brain. So I quickly have to cancel the smear campaign orders which is a real pain. Paperwork has to be filled out in triplicate. Anyway, enough about my clerical problems. The point was made that old Mel was nothing more than a Yuppie Scum Survivalist who could buy whatever toys his heart desired and thus his advice might be suspect. Good point. I guess that is why no one is rushing his books back into print, since the family doesn’t need the cash. Even his good advice on relocation has financial strings attached. If you don’t have non-employment money available, it is a lot harder than it used to be to live in a small town.
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Living out in the boonies is not the greatest idea unless you have a group. Even then there are a lot of problems. I know this is going to piss half of you off, but follow me here. Boonies requires gasoline which requires oil which requires that we live in a time that isn’t looking at 9% oil import declines a year. I know you are tired of hearing this, but what disaster is happening determines your prepping strategy. If you plan on living out in the middle of nowhere, you need to be able to get into town for supplies, or else you must grow or stockpile everything you ever need. You aren’t rich enough to do that. Even the rich guys aren’t rich enough to do that which is why they work in the big city and plan on bugging out to a retreat. That is just as fraught with problems as the frugal method is. No strategy is close to perfect, whether it costs you a few thousand bucks or several hundred grand. Living in the boonies requires a gasoline supply that won’t be there much longer. And here is the problem. Long after consumers run out of gasoline, the local government will still be around collecting property tax. A mortgage on a boonies retreat is an invitation for repossession. Even a paid for piece of property might become uninhabitable if it is too far from supplies. If you can’t walk it or bike it, it is too far away. Our car centered life is already in the process of ending.
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Small town living is also not viable with a need for employment. Either there are no jobs there to begin with or the casual employment you find will end soon. If the trade isn’t in necessities, the business will go bankrupt. Marble countertops, video rentals, gas stations eventually, building suppliers ( perhaps even lumber mills ), etc. will all close down. If you can even find the mom and pop businesses anymore. I haven’t visited true small town America for some time, but I imagine a lot of shopping is done miles and miles away. My last small town was twenty years ago. Good luck finding a job there now. I’ve pretty much had to resign myself to middlin size towns, around twenty or thirty thousand rather than two to five thousand. Not what I’d prefer, but by living past the edge of town I maintain the illusion of country living. As I’ve said before, even in a really small town of a few hundred, if just one person knows you have supplies you are screwed. True isolation is impossible because of soon to be impossible commutes. Small towns have no jobs. Middle size towns are most likely the best you can do if you need employment. Just try to be far enough away to avoid the sewer breakdowns, water main breaks, fires sweeping out of control and grid failures.
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It is far from ideal, but a few miles from a middle size town solves the problems you have now which are employment, affordable land, and being out of the big city. Soon, there will be no gasoline for driving in for supplies. An isolated retreat fully stocked with MRE’s and semi autos and underground tanks of gas are great in theory. But you and I can’t afford it. Aim within reality, and keep in mind the energy equation.
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