This is a question for anyone who is thinking about moving somewhere with the idea of trying to be more self-sufficient, live off the land, turtle up when shit hits the fan, etc. A place where you would be able to survive if stuff went sideways. Where are you thinking about moving and WHY? Or maybe you've already moved there and are setting up your homestead. If so, then how do you like the area? How is your growing season going so far? etc. Maybe you haven't started the search but are looking with certain priorities in mind, what are those? What are you looking for? What do you think would be best for survival? Looking for opinions on these types of questions. It's something Greg has mentioned on the show multiple times. He always throws out Texas as one of his spots. IDK if he ever says why or goes in to it, would be interested to hear. But also wondering what you guys think.
This is something my wife and I have been thinking about and discussing for a long time and I wanted to try and get others opinions on the subject. We've been at this a long time, and honestly have been putting it off even though we have the means to move because we like our current location so much. We live in Colorado right now and it is great. Just everything. But it's really hard to homestead in CO and not to mention upgrading your land situation in very expensive. A lot of west coast states have similar issues, from price to lack of inventory. Not to mention other glaring issues. So we searched and researched and searched and researched. Probably for about 2 years now. And our search we've narrowed it down to a couple different areas that we have started looking at with intensity in the past few months. The areas we've landed on pretty much encompass east Texas up thru Arkansas and southern Missouri, roughly. We decided on these areas based on a certain categories, which are (not in particular order necessarily): prices of house/land (what you get for the money, etc.), farm-able land, water, population density, cancer rates, tree density, local laws and ordinances, state law and ordinances, local/state politics in general, local/state culture (or what we know of it if we haven't been there), gun laws specifically, marijuana/other drug laws specifically, weather, state/local response to plandemic etc. That's a good amount of things, and obviously some things are more important than others, but that's a good list to start with.
Ok so here are some pros and cons I see with these areas....
east Texas - Pros: lots of options and lots of space, Texas probably has the most options when it comes to looking for a house or piece of land, they definitely have the most search results when looking at realtor or Zillow, lots of big pieces of land if that's what you are looking for, if you're looking at east Texas specifically then water and trees won't be a problem, the soil composition is somewhat decent, good state/local response to pandemic, very good gun laws, good population density away from big cities, decent cancer rates (no big hotspots outside major cities and gulf areas), finding pasture land for animals would be easier then other areas, culture in major cities decent
Cons: probably the worst marijuana laws in the country, prices are not what they used to be (I fell like Texas has become "the cool spot" for some reason and the prices of homes and land reflect that, it is not that cheap to buy in Texas like it used to be, although this is true for the housing market in general it is especially true in Texas), if you're looking outside east Texas water and trees and almost non-existent, farm-able land can be tricky as you run into swampy conditions in some parts of east Texas, some laws are weird (like no abortion thing, just a personal preference though), culture outside major cities could be suspect, weather sucks, bugs, etc.
Neutral - seems to be the "figure-head" state of the right which I don't if I like or dislike...
Arkansas and Missouri are similar to me so I group them together - Pros: prices, prices, prices; cheap for what you can get (amount of land, niceness or house, amount of water i.e. stocked pond, etc., trees, already established infrastructure, etc.) there doesn't seem to be a comparison to any other state, the prices in these two areas seem to still be lowest for what you get...
And maybe that is because people don't want to move here, hey I get it, but my question is are there any better places? Or at least, are they places that allow you to survive the best going to be any different? It's going to be in the middle or no-where, and granted you could be closer to a big city like maybe Dallas or Houston (MAYBE Austin, but again find me farm-able land with a good water source and trees for a decent price somewhere around Austin, idt it's possible that far south), but is that any different then being outside Springfield, MO? Idk maybe it is, I've never been to Springfield so let me know. What I'm saying is country culture is country culture no matter where you go. I've lived in Texas and Louisiana, both in the country, and it was racist af. I mean idk how you live somewhere where you can survive and not have to deal with those things. Anyway I digress....
Pros (cont.): water, trees, etc., are plentiful in these areas so no problem there, decent space/selection (especially in Southern MO), decent cancer rates (More so in MO), more farm-able land (less large pasture land), good pop density, decent marijuana laws (MO is decriminalized for 10grams and has medical, similar in AR), kind of forgotten about states which again could be good or bad hard to say
Cons - Culture suspect even in bigger cities? (not sure on this one just heard people say it sucks), not a lot of pasture as mentioned above, WEATHER, bugs, etc., can still run in to swampy land/pasture that periodically floods, etc., not as good gun laws (don't think MO or AR is constitutional carry), still has some weird laws (abortion, etc.), Tornado ally when getting in to more northern MO
So this is probably way too long already but these are some of things that are factoring in to our decision on where to move. Our goal is to buy somewhere that would ultimately allow us to 100% self-sufficient at one point. This is easier said than done obviously, but even if we could get 60-70% and still have to buy paper towels or w.e., that would be a huge accomplishment itself. On our current urban homestead we are maybe 30% self-sufficient, but we are working on a MUCH smaller piece of land (basically a big yard in the city, you can check out our youtube if you want High Altitude Homesteading https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ0wK9t1_DIwJMQdTC51xoA).
Anyway, really wondering what others out there are thinking on this subject. If you're thinking about moving, where are you thinking about moving and what are your reasons? Do you have pros and cons? Are you looking for something other than survivability, or is that your main concern too? Strange times we live in, wondering how others are thinking about dealing with the upcoming upheaval? (if there is one that is, no pessimism here, just preparedness).
if i may...
i can appreciate any one using all of their powers of intellect to 'decide where to go'.
however, i have found from over 40 yrs of searching and vibing this beaitiful country - from the mendicino coast of northern cali, to the sangre de cristos mountains of new mexico, to the puget sound of washington state, to the oak forest rolling down upon the atlantic ocean at murrel's inlet south carolina, to the hidden beaches of maui, hawaii - and how found the oft repeated adage to be true: wherever you go, there you are.
for me, the most important place on the planet to go right now is: inside the self.
we humans have not even come close, i don't think, to awakening our own powers of manifestation.
and to be sure, i believe a 'close to nature' location could be crucial for that awakening.
(which is why i am on some level freaked out to be in a rather large urban environment!)
anyway, best of luck to you and yours and your quest for a wonderful home.
i've often wondered, and heard it suggested that the civilization that built all of these jaw dropping cathedrals - now gone - were breatharians.
give me fresh water and some woods - i think i can make it.
🙂
@jadeheart Right on jadeheart thank you for the great response. Unfortunately that doesn't really help me much. I'm down with the whole finding yourself journey and whatnot, but it can't be what everything is about. Think it was an Alan Watts quote or Ram Dass maybe, but it had something to do with being too materialistic or too spiritualistic and having to pay bills, etc. I think either can be a bad thing, and this case I think we may be getting in to the realm of too spiritualistic. I don't agree with the statement of give me fresh water and some woods and I think I can make it...I think that is idealistic thinking. If you look at homesteading in general, and people coming here from the east to populate the west, it was not easy to survive. Heck it wasn't easy to survive for a long time for a lot of people in almost any area, and they have knowledge that we don't have anymore. In other words, I think really having to survive without having the modern conveniences we take for granted, is A LOT harder then we think or imagine. Just read some old diaries from people homesteading in the east, or people trying to homestead and come over to populate the west. It was extremely hard for them, and I think it would be almost impossible for most of us today.
So not trying to be negative about the answer, I just don't know if it does anything for the conversation. Idk, I think the spiritual aspect of things is nice when we are all comfy and warm and fed in our homes with heat, a/c, w.e., but when you haven't ate in weeks or had a drink of water in a day, I think that feeling would quickly change to something a little more animalistic. But hey, maybe you've shaken all that junk off and you can just survive with what's inside you, some and water and little woods, idk man not trying to judge. But as far as this post goes, I'm looking for objective real world things that people are doing or looking for to survive, and even though I've come a long way in the "finding yourself journey" thing we call life I still don't think I could survive long without a preparedness.
Again, I appreciate your post though. Thank you for the insight.
@astronautrob Actually, Rob surviving is pretty simple if you break your addiction to modern amenities and build up some rudimentary skill sets. Problem is the average modern American has no basic skill sets. So in the event of a complete 100% reset the concept the useless eater becomes apparent. Many people take this as a nasty insult, but at the end of the day it's just the truth. Most of this world is filled with useless eaters devoid of anything that brings any sort of value to the table in the event of a reset. These people would die quickly. Everyone who would rather bitch than lift a finger to help their own cause. For example look at the shear amount of grown men in this world that can't change a tire or do an oil change on their own vehicle. Have never killed and butchered an animal for food. Never grown a plant in their life let alone know the native plants that are good food. I'm not sure where you live, but here in STL I walk past fields of green onions just growing in lawns on my way to the grocery store. This whole world is full of food, water and shelter if you know where to look. If not well I'd almost be happy to see the return of survival of the fittest. You have all of the combined knowledge of man in the palm of your hand. Use it wisely. Or watch cat videos. I don't care.
@skore Right on James, thanks for the great opinions. You seem to have a similar take as jadeheart, which I respect even if I don't agree with most of it. We are all allowed to think what we want, that's one of the great things in life. Thanks for taking the time to express it.
Just some thoughts - we do have knowledge at our fingertips yes, but not much experience. Sometimes the hubris that comes with too much knowledge and not enough wisdom (knowledge+experience), can be more of a detriment than an advantage. I'm sorry but an anecdotal story about walking down a road and seeing a field of onions doesn't really mean anything. It definitely doesn't back up the statement that the "whole world is full of food, water, and shelter...". I just don't believe that. It doesn't line up with actual stories and accounts of people trying to survive in either modern or "pre" modern times (whatever you consider that to be). Can you point me to some historical account or story that shows how easy people had it when trying to survive? Idk, but when I read accounts of survival there's a lot of famine, death, exposure to elements, etc. Even cultures that had been surviving off the land thousands or years (e.g. native americans, etc.) had famine, lack of food, dieses, etc. Granted it's not all doom and gloom or anything like that. There was feast along with famine, of course. Idk I think we as modern humans view everything from our civilized ivory towers and can't even imagine how it is to have to truly survive. I don't think it's something we can really get past unless maybe you were born in the woods and never saw "civilization", idk. Maybe you can simulate it...idk, but as with all things a simulation is never the real thing.
But really only time will tell and when SHTF I honestly hope that people like you and jadeheart are correct. I hope it is easy to survive if you have enough knowledge, etc., I truly hope you guys are right on this.
Either way, this thread wasn't really aimed at arguing about whether it's easy or hard to survive, because we can't really answer that question for sure, it's more just getting people's opinions about where they think is the best place for survival (i.e. easiest place to grow food or have livestock, fresh clean drinking water supply, good access to caves or other natural shelters, etc.). If you're under the impression that survival is easy, and can be done anywhere by anybody with the right amount of knowledge, etc., then I can see why location would not matter to you (which is a fine opinion to have).
@jadeheart I might agree except having experienced loss of personal freedoms and severe restrictions due to emergency order never being rescinded. In addition pending legislation is absolutely frightening. We’ve been sold out by corrupt gov Gavin. We were forced to go inward because he made it a crime to go outside. Even beaches were closed police issued tickets/arrests for surfing. Leaving home and going into nature could be a crime. Keeping your job almost impossible. None of this going away and masks indoors back again. Kids having psychiatric issues.
@noeljeanette
hmm.
i am very sad to hear that you are experiencing an unpleasant external reality - i was out of my mind when that kind of oppression was bubbling around me here where i live.
i'm not sure what about my post "you might agree with except [for your] having experienced loss of personal freedoms..."
i was saying "the most important place to go right now is inside the self".
along those lines, i wonder if it is helpful for you to consider that, no matter how frightening or intimidating it looks "out there", NOBODY has any right to refuse you your god-given birth right: to live a peaceful, free, bountiful life on your home planet.
we are facing an unloving energy that dominates mostly by bluffing and intimidation. yeas they pull real, harmful stunts, but maybe keep in mind that the only real power they have is the power given to them by those who comply, acquiesce, or otherwise "do as they're told". in fact, the entire enslavement of humanity is, in legal terms, based on what is called "the non rebuttal of compliance". from that perspective what's happening now is really not a new phenomenon.
ANYWAY, getting back to your point: the loss of personal freedoms.
what is your is yours and can never be taken away - unless it is given away. i know it looks bad out there. but in regards to the inner journey and awakening our powers of manifestation: you can do it, noeljeanette!! maybe it would be helpful to announce out loud, in your own space, in a way that feels right for you, that you deserve to be honored and respected. that you are a child of this land and soil and that you deserve to move freely upon it.
and, for sure, if you feel a need to "move" away (kind of the topic of this particular forum, eh?) from this reflection i wholeheartedly support whatever your truth is there. but maybe, if it feels like your home that is being disrespected, you can experiment with working your own magic - calling forth your own personal power and spirit guides who are always right there wanting to help you. and to find a way to open space for yourself, rather than feeling it seem to close in on you.
such conjurings/ceremonies/meditations for me often start with a lot of self compassion and a lot of self forgiveness for my seeming lack of power in the situation. followed by my own declaration of intent to move with the loving light of the universe and manifest with ease what i need for my survival. and this also often involves, for me, some kind of emotional movement that uses non-verbal sounds (as opposed to words) - weeping, wailing, keening, moaning, raging, primal screaming - whatever is appropriate to help release any emotional blockages i might have that may be keeping me locked into unpleasant realities. it could be, for example, that just allowing myself (in private!) to move with non-verbal sounds any intense anger or grief over aspects of a situation that seems out of control can then help bring about unforeseen shifts in that reality.
i wish you all the self love you dare to muster to create the safe and playful space that you truly deserve 🙂 remember, they have NOO fukn right to control you!! they are just ACTING like they have this power. find a way to take your power back, internally. go forth and see how it's working. revise, adjust, improve accordingly. turn the news off - you deserve your wildest dream 🙂
hey, it's kind of nice to get a reply that is, for lack of better terms, politely disagreeing.
i appreciate you taking the time to express yourself without having to trash me. (i've been upset to see that happening here
on the thc site comments. bummer.)
i want to aknowledge your "i" statement: "...it doesn't really help me much"
fair enough. i can relate to your truth
also, you said, "I'm down with the whole finding yourself journey and whatnot, but it can't be what everything is about."
i cldn't disagree more - finding the depths of your personal power and how to create from that place IS the journey. and that can happen right where one is at, without fretting over a map of the known world. just saying.
you: Think it was an Alan Watts quote or Ram Dass maybe, but it had something to do with being too materialistic or too spiritualistic and having to pay bills, etc. I think either can be a bad thing, and this case I think we may be getting in to the realm of too spiritualistic.
hmmm...i never mentioned anything about spiritualism.
you: I don't agree with the statement of give me fresh water and some woods and I think I can make it.
well, you can't really "disagree" with another person's truth can you? maybe you mean that you don't resonate with this statement.
you: If you look at homesteading in general, and people coming here from the east to populate the west, it was not easy to survive. Heck it wasn't easy to survive for a long time for a lot of people in almost any area, and they have knowledge that we don't have anymore.
hmm...have you ever considered that the entire narrative of western history (and ESP the american "homesteading" narrative) is a complete and utter fabrication? you may or may not like jon levi's youtube videos about the san fransico narrative.)
you: Idk, I think the spiritual aspect of things is nice when we are all comfy and warm and fed in our homes with heat, a/c, w.e., but when you haven't ate in weeks or had a drink of water in a day, I think that feeling would quickly change to something a little more animalistic.
like i said, i never mentioned the word "spiritual". but i understand your concerns. i have fasted for weeks (granted in a safe, controlled environment) at a time on nothing but water and i did not turn animalistic. i turned into a buzzing ball of light and love. just saying.
you: But as far as this post goes, I'm looking for objective real world things that people are doing or looking for to survive, and even though I've come a long way in the "finding yourself journey" thing we call life I still don't think I could survive long without a preparedness.
well, i hear you there. but, you might just be surprised how long you could survive without preparedness.(all's i have myself is a wood burning stove, a water distiller and a small storage of grains and dried friut. not sure what the hell i wld do if the whole system collapsed. i have a feeling i cld make it unharmed to a better day.)
anyway, i was giving my best, honest reply to your post. and i hear it's not what you are looking for. it's just that i have spent many years agonizing (not that you are, nec) over "where do i go?? how the hell do i get out of here?? where's the safest place to go?? where do i find the best of nature??" - all legitimate concerns - and have found that tuning deeply into my own vibration in the location where i am (which i don't nec think of as spiritual so much as tapping into the potential of what is) allows me to have the experience i am mentally projecting MUST be somewhere else, someplace better, somewhere without bugs, etc. that's all i wanted to say.
so, thank you for your courteous engagement. such a rare thing.
just to add: i am knocked out by what an amazing job gregg is doing and what a goldmine of info his sight has. lots of his guests do cover "esoteric, magic, etc" which is why i thought it might be helpful to suggest: at the climax of your journey to empowerment, one may find they can effortlessy go where ever they want.
in the meantime, if it were me?, i would - and very well may - pack up my wild foraging foods and herb books, load up my survival gear (including a fire powered and/or solar powered water distiller!!!), and see if i could get a piece of land with a clean river surrounded by deeep woods. in other words - pretty much an hours drive from just about any city above 100 ft sea level in america!!
cheers, astronaut rob, sure hope you get some replies that could be more helpful to your "where to move" dilemma.
ps, i guess you don't need me to tell you, but if you start searching youtube under headings like "bushwacking", "homesteading", etc - wow, it's unbelievable some of the resilient things humans are doing (lot's of couples too!!). might spark some ideas??
best of luck, man!
hey, THC peeps, help astronautrob find a landing sight!!
@jadeheart Right on man thank you for the great response.
Well I guess to answer some of your questions directly...no I don't think the the homesteading/move west history of America is fabricated. I've never heard of the youtube channel you suggested about but I will check it out. But either way, you can find tons of examples of people having to really survive in all different types of scenarios, not just homesteaders who populated the west. I don't believe that all those stories would be fabrications. I think my initial post may have been misunderstood. This is in no way a dilemma or me searching for a place to move or anything like that. To be honest we aren't really searching much anymore, we know what area we want to be in. We've already done a ton of research, figure out or parameters, found area's of interest, developed pros-cons, etc., etc. We have a solid idea of what we are looking for and WHY. Why is really the biggest part and I was wondering if others had ideas on where they would move, or maybe already moved there, and why they picked that spot. I'm interested in people's thought process when it comes to survival. I would like to hear other people's stories and experiences, or maybe just thought processes or plans or w.e., as it pertains to survival etc. For instance, maybe someone would have different ideas because they listen to Ben Davidson or w.e. his name is from suspicious observers and you think that you need to be at higher elevation because of the great flood or something like that. Just an example. But that would be an interesting take on survival because then that scenario comes with a whole host of other problems. Or like taking dual purpose land in to account. This is kind of what we've been doing in our search. It would be those kinds of things I'd be interested in.
Not here to write long paragraphs either so when I use words like spiritualism it's for my wrist and hands sake. Try not to hone in on the words so much. I think we can both agree when we say things like "finding the depths of your personal power and how to create from that place IS the journey" or "for me, the most important place on the planet to go right now is: inside the self.", or however you wish to describe it, we can equate that to "spiritualism". So when I say "the spiritual aspect of things", it's just talking about the journey inside the self, or again however you wish to describe it. I'm not necessarily saying you said the word spiritualism or spiritual or w.e., it's just a quick way to describe the whole thing.
But again I appreciate your response, and your take on survival. I really like the story of you fasting for weeks with only water and turned in to a ball of light. Man, that's really cool. I hope that's what happens to all of us when we don't have food for weeks but I just don't know. Anyway, thanks again my brother and I appreciate the good vibes no matter what.
wow, way cool to have a mutually supportive chat!
i have become enamored with gregs intense, heartfelt interviews and the awesomeness of his breadth of topics covered - i was hoping i cld "meet" some cool peeps on the site. (tho i see there is a fair amount of the usual...disconnect as opposed to engaging in the commentaries)
ya, i hear you regarding your interest in peoples thought processes for survival.
hope you get some cool replies!
saleh,
jadeheart
@jadeheart Yes unfortunately the internet brings out the worst in some people. I feel like some people have lost the art of disagreeing in a respectful manner, or really just having a conversation with someone who has differing views on a subject then you. It doesn't have to be a "disagreement" necessarily. But yes jadeheart, I appreciate your contribution to these threads, I enjoy reading your responses :).
We’re looking at 40 latitude and below for growing, homesteading success. I read above that frost and increasing cold temps can be an issue. Also would want it warm enough for off grid if necessary and power disruptions. In addition access to water, clean air, solar potential and locally grown, sourced food. A community of local farms. Personal freedoms and lower taxes a plus! So far Northern Arizona (Greer area), Taos New Mexico area and Grand Junction area of Colorado meets criteria. Cost of land keeps rising and even higher if property has water rights, well and cistern. Still exploring, we prefer dry climates versus humid. High value topic and discussion!
@noeljeanette Thanks for the great response noel. I liked the places you mentioned, and it's actually where we focused our search originally because the area is so nice. Biggest problem we found when looking at places around those areas was water. Second to that would be finding good farmland, etc., but there are some good areas to farm where you mentioned it just can get a bit expensive. But yea, water is the biggest limiting factor when looking almost anywhere in the west. It's just really hard to find, and if you do find it generally really expensive. Water rights make the price shoot to the moon, and even if you find some decent places with water rights (i.e. Cortez, CO which is fairly close to Grand Junction) a little more research reveals that the stream, creek, river, etc., is drying up or is already dried up. The same holds true when looking at wells. Of course you can find things out like when the well was drilled, how deep it is, etc., but what we can't know is how high or low the water table is compared to how deep the well is drilled. Same thing with cisterns. They are great yes, but if you have an extreme drought how is it going to hold up? How will it hold up if you add a cow or 20 chickens to the mix? Just a lot of places we've looked at in there area's seem like they are already on the edge of their water usage or w.e., and adding any livestock to that equation or a garden that you have to water two times a week, seems out of the question. But if I had an unlimited amount of money I would 100% be looking and want to live in one of those areas you mentioned. I'd want to be on the east side of rocky mountains probably somewhere in southern CO. Arizona is cool too but maybe Ben Davidson is right you never know so I want to be on the front range just in case.
Can I ask, why do you prefer dry climates over humid? Is that a personal preference or something to do with survivability or homesteading?
We live in Colorado Springs now where it is very dry and we LOVE it but it is very hard to homestead here. It just seems a lot harder to grow veggies, etc. Bushes and Fruit trees still seem to do alright IF you have enough water for them, but some veggies just seems to struggle no matter what. I moved here from Louisiana so I've experienced the extreme humid side of things too and it sucks. Bugs, floods, swamps, critters, sweating your butt off, etc., it really sucks, so I'm with you on the dry vs. humid thing but in terms of homesteading I'm wondering what is the preference for a dry area over a humid one? Just in the case of growing stuff it seems like a humid place would be better even though it would suck more in many more ways.
@astronautrob dry over humid climate is a personal preference. Would want to avoid Mosquitoes, cockroach, beetles, spiders, and centipedes etc. If I were choosing east of Rockies I would consider Helena, Butte and Livingston areas of Montana first. Good tips about securing info up front water rights, well production details and projected for drought conditions. Solar potential and water key resources. Hope this conversation continues since it high value during these times.
@noeljeanette Great advice on the water front, those things are very important. Concerning Montana, you don't consider it too cold up there to homestead? I lived in Powers, MT for 8 months or so and man that place has some killer cold. I was younger then, late teens, so I wasn't in too homesteading yet but it did seem like the growing season would be short. Helena looks like a 4b hardiness, while Billings looks like it might get in the 5a hardiness. Just wondering what your opinion is growing veggies in zones like that. We are 5b here in Colorado Springs and I find it very hard to grow veggies consistently. But also it might be that I may just suck at growing anything other than cannabis, so who knows....
I live in Lawrence KS... although being a little boring geographically, KS is pretty awesome, I love it here, it's affordable and fun, easy to purchase land if you want it, veggies grow here and besides tornados, the weather is seasonal, but I like all 4. (I've never been affected by a tornado personally, that's kinda like winning the lotto) ... I lived in FL and hurricanes affected EVERYONE, I'll take my chances with tornados. Eastern Colorado is basically the same as Western KS, gotta be cheap out there, I'm on the east side, near KC, but land is still plentiful, just a little more humid. Anyway... just repping KS out here lol 🙂
@josh785 Right on josh, thank you for the informative response. It's funny cause we were looking at Lawrence for a minute until my wife safe a map that showed "tornado ally" and she was scared off. Glad to hear you've never had a problem with them though, that is very lucky. I feel like Lawrence being on the very east side of KS would have similar topography as west MO, which is where we are kind of looking now. Guessing you guys have a lot of lakes, easy to find water, etc.? I feel like that's one of the biggest advantages of moving somewhere in that area.
@astronautrob .. yeah, Colorado is definitely more "beautiful" but Eastern KS, Western MO is really awesome... we have quite a few lakes and here in Lawrence I can ride a bicycle to three decent sized ones. It's SUPER snowflakey here in Lawrence since it's a college town, but it's a lot of fun and I figure when shit hits the fan, it'll be easier to take what I need from them than a bunch of Trumpers.... hahahahaha ... I just went to Springfield MO for an overland show and it seemed cool, it's like 2 hours away, and read about the tunnel system if you haven't yet. My folks just moved here from Northwest AR, Bentonville is pretty nice, but honestly I like KS the best, and I can drive anywhere from here in one solid day. .. I've delivered art to NYC in 18 hours, and driven back and forth to cali many times (I used to live in Carmel CA) ... out of everywhere I've lived, this place seems to have the most for the money, as much as I'd love to be self sustaining and growing a huge garden and stuff, I'm not that guy... I love living right near downtown, having drinks with friends regularly and enjoying the miles and miles of bike trails we have. ... the trail I live on is named after William S Burroughs oddly enough. It passes right though my back yard. I love it... if you get this way let me know, I'll show you around. I can see how if you din't have a tour guide in these fly over states, they could seem a little boring.
@josh785 Yea only other big thing I'd say that CO has going for it are cannabis/drug laws (We are voting on decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms statewide this Nov), which is pretty big in my book. Population density is another one CO is pretty good on. But yes in terms of survivability, being close to water (the more water the better) is a must and you just don't find that this far west. And even when you do find water the amount does not compare to what you are talking about. Being able to ride a bike to multiple lakes would be pretty clutch in a survivability situation. I think people take stuff like that for granted these days. If you have water on your property it opens up so many more options, and it so much easier to find water when you get in to that Ozark type country.
Gotta ask one question though my man, what about the bugs? Are they terrible?
@astronautrob ... well, we have them for sure, but the first place I moved when I left KS was Poplar Bluff MO, in the ozarks, and I had never seen so many mosquitos in my life! That being said, the bugs never really bother me here, and I'm in a pretty green part of KS. It's all such give and take, I lived in the PNW for 4 years, it is green and beautiful, because of the amount of moisture, but that brings gloom and bugs. Kansas is dry on the west side, not much humidity but no trees or green, and less lakes... so get over here to Eastern KS, we have trees and water, and some bugs, but I feel it's a pretty tolerable amount... get over to the Ozarks and you get more water, more trees, more beauty, but then more bugs! ... funny how that all works. I lived in South Florida and the bugs there were more like prehistoric creatures...hahaha If I was to move, I think I'd look at South Dakota or Nebraska ... possibly TX, but everyone is going there, my work is based out of Houston, so I'm there all the time, it's not for me, love Austin, but the Austin of 20 years ago... might move to Giga-Texas, just to keep an eye on Elon, but for now, Lawrence is perfect for me... great people, lots to do, lots to eat and drink. 🙂
@astronautrob ... to demonstrate growth potential, in 2016 a bird must have dropped a seed or something there on the left, I've been telling myself I need to cut that tree down, but you know, work and life and whatever... now I have a damn full grown tree in my backyard. CRAZY... now I have to call a tree service to remove.
@josh785 That pic wouldn't open for me for some reason but I believe you. I used to live in Shreveport, LA and it was similar there with how things would grow, etc. It's funny because when I mentioned Lawrence, KS to my wife man she got super excited. I guess it where the "Winchester Brothers" are from (they are from one of her fav TV shows Supernatural), so that was kind of funny. But yea, just doing a quick search around that area it does seem to have good amount of water and land for "cheap". How do you feel about Kansas City? After the Daniel Murphy podcast (I think that was his name, it was about the Kabbalist Cross and Shamanism, etc.) and he spoke about KC having a big alternative community (which I would have never guessed) I became interested in it. Have you been there enough to verify this or do you get different vibes from that city?
@astronautrob .. it was a pretty boring picture of a 40ft tall tree lol ... KC is awesome, I haven't been able to break info the alternative community there, but I know they exist... There are a couple conspiracy podcasters out of KS, Whiskey, Beer and Conspiracy. I'd like to meet up with them sometime, but I've been pretty busy lately and haven't gotten to reach out, although I did run over to Denver to meet Greg when he and the family rolled though, that was pretty awesome and I made a lot of friends there... it's a short drive if you don't mind driving.
Back to Lawrence, the great thing is you can get to KC in about 35 minutes, and that is actual separation, there are two small town in-between, and other than that just green space and farmland, either of those towns would be great too, and much cheaper, and more land BUT then you miss the restaurants and night life while we still have it. If you are looking for really quiet, anywhere outside of KC, you have 4 states to choose from... NE, KS, MO, IA... I think any would be a good choice, and as long as you're less than an hour away from the airport, travel is easy anywhere you want to go... drive wise, this is a perfect place to road trip from, you can be anywhere in the country in a one day (24 hour) drive.
I wish we had the cannabis, damn it! ... but Colorado is a quick drive and the county I'm in, it's a $35 ticket unless you get caught with a carload. haha
@josh785 Didn't realize KS doesn't even have medical cannabis...ruff. Glad it's a short drive for you to CO though, prices here seem to be pretty cheap compared to most places. I might just have to stay a little more on the MO side of KC if I move out there haha. I'm and huge stoner and not being able to grow cannabis is a big factor for me. Although I also always wonder how much of a factor that would actually be if you lived out on land. If you didn't bother anyone and grew for yourself, I don't think anyone would bother you. But then again I could be wrong, police do what they do.
@astronautrob I wouldn't worry too much about that here, I know tons of people grow plants, but you didn't hear that from me lol ... but honestly, I love the area, and I think any of the states you pick would allow you to grow crops and have whatever amount of land you want, and you'd be close to water sources. I am not sponsored by the midwest, but I do love it here, has everything I need and I feel pretty safe for the incoming apocalypse.
@josh785 Nobody ever mentions Kansas. Until now. I moved to the state in 2020 after a tornado of synchronisticity swept me up from my home town, Portland Oregon and deposited me here outside of Wichita. It was the last place I ever would have considered but it’s actually chill as fuck and there is a local meat market within half an hour of my place. Part of my decision was definitely the cheap houses. Compared to what I was looking at out west, I found something at least 1/5 the price. Thats my low estimate.
I’m forbidden to encourage people to move to Kansas, but I’ll make an exception for you all. 😂
@skankeowlet ... I love KS! I'm fairly close to you and willing to drive, let's have a coffee meet-up someday. I've been thinking of trying to schedule a "real" one in the meetup group, but I work out of Houston and my schedule is funky at the moment, so I haven't really had the time... but I'll do that soon... but I'd drive 2 hours to hang with likeminded people for an afternoon. 🙂
