Shaun Richardson

I've spent some time going through a book called "Strategic Relocation" (which one poster recommended above). While I'm not overly paranoid about a nuclear holocaust, there are other reasons the author points to places like Colorado/Utah/Idaho for preferred living. The combination of politics, climate, taxes, etc. make Utah and Idaho both ideal for us. Land is more affordable there than in Colorado. It was encouraging to check out Joseph's site and see how he pays homage to his ancestors.

East Tennessee is the runner up - the climate seems to be more temperate than the south. Winter actually exists there. It doesn't exist in Houston.

I've seen a number of posts mention the importance of people, which is also something I'm coming to realize. My wife and I have both been loners for a long time. In part that's because we never had the right people to hang around. As an industrial construction worker, I am simply not surrounded by people who share my interests. My occupation is another reason we want to change things - I don't want to contribute to the industry any more than I have to in order to pay down debt and get out!

I'm so used to thinking only about us, not realizing that hey, there actually are other people out there, and we will be able to help each other. That's part of why I sought out this forum and joined. Without a strong network, humans can't sustain themselves. In the internet age it's easier, but it's still taxing being alone.

It'll be weird going from a 6 year self-imposed exile to actually working with other people again!

My wife and I will be documenting our journey from industry to more sustainable living, though it will be a long-term project for sure.

J Davis wrote:
There is a good book by Joel skousen called strategic relocation that you might find useful.

Thank you, I will check this book out. East TN was actually already on the list, too...from what I've read, it has a pretty temperate climate. Comparatively speaking, anyways.

F Agricola wrote:

The World economy has proven to be cyclic, so it’s only a matter of time before there’s another downturn and times get hard again.

Not only is the world economy cyclic, but so are world powers. At least, when they follow similar trends. Political gridlock, as well as concentration of wealth and power, are recipes for disaster. Not saying humans will repeat their past mistakes; just saying they probably will. When you rely on the number of centralized resources that we do, it's very easy to get a disastrous chain reaction. Paired with a currency that is manipulated and controlled, the chain reaction is worse.

This is one reason we are actually looking at more rural areas, but unlike some people who just want to unplug, we still want to interact with the marketplace as necessary.

That reliance on centralized resources IS what makes me hesitate when considering an extremely cold climate. However, I don't know if you've been to southeast Texas, but it is unbearably hot and humid in the summer. Having grown up in the cold, it does seem easier to heat a home than to escape this heat, no matter how economical your house is designed.

Temperate is best when not relying on central air/heat.

Carla Burke wrote:Hubs and I just bought a place in MO, in October. We'd originally been thinking (dreaming, is more accurate) of CO

I grew up in Aurora, and I love Colorado. But you're right about the cost of real estate - it's insane. You'll see in the post above, someone is selling a 3 bedroom house (with acreage) for $179,000. You could hardly get a one bedroom townhome in Aurora for that price.

Looking at multiple factors is a must. As much as I love mountains, I don't love them to the point of giving up everything else. And the political climate will DEFINITELY make a difference - I love freedominthe50states.org, which describes the general orientation of each state. If it weren't for the heavier restrictions in the east, we'd be near the east cost, most likely. Upstate New York looks beautiful.

James Landreth wrote:From a preparedness perspective, to some extent it would make sense to buy the land before real estate prices crash, depending on when that will be, so that you can get your system set up and your trees (very important) planted and established sooner than later. Waiting until a recession might be poor timing. Around here wood chips, wood for hugelkultur, firewood, compost, etc all become scarce when times get hard. Things get unpredictable and unstable, which makes building the base of your homestead very difficult.

Being so fixated on land prices, I hadn't thought about this. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Mike Jay wrote:You can narrow it down a lot by figuring out your ideal summer highs and winter lows and also your max and min for those.  That should narrow you down to a much smaller chunk of the country.

For this reason a more temperate climate is ideal. Extremes are tough, but we both tend towards cold. And we definitely DON'T love humidity, so places like Mississippi would be out of the question. We prefer colder weather, hills (or mountains, but water is higher on the list of priorities, and the cost of living in Washington is currently prohibitive).

I'll check out Wisconsin and Michigan.

As far as the crash goes, that's precisely why we're trying to hold off as long as possible. From my understanding, the country has recovered relatively well since the 2008 fiasco, but we're headed towards more trouble for a plethora of new (and old) reasons. Better to wait until then.

Tyler Ludens wrote:From my experience, it's important to think about if you plan to live there for the rest of your life, what will you be able to do at, say, age 80.  If you don't live in community (family or others) how will you manage in the most extreme conditions that climate will present?  When you're 80, will you be able to shovel snow or tote firewood in the freezing dead of winter?  Will you be able to sit quietly in the shade with a wet cloth on your head in the roasting dead of summer?  

That's the real kicker, in the long run. You won't be able to shovel snow or deal with the heat at 80, imo. That's why establishing being community-oriented, doing good work in the world, and being a good person are so vital for your "retirement"!

Boy, that sounds awesome. It will be out of our range though.

Hello Permies, and thanks for having me. I'm new to this place and thrilled to be here.

My wife and I have taken an interest over the last year in alternative living/homesteading/permaculture/etc. We're also in a position where getting land is a real possibility.

As I also tend to pay attention to economic issues, I suspect that we're headed for a rough ride over the next decade. Maybe worse than rough. With that being said, if you had the opportunity to choose ANYWHERE rural or semi-rural to live (within the U.S.), where would that be? If you were as self-sustaining as possible, what location would be most favorable? Ideally, we wouldn't be all that far from a mid-sized city; we'd be in a place that tends to foster self-sustaining communities and/or ideas; and it would be a little on the chilly side (right now we're in southeast Texas and can't wait to leave).

Obviously there are issues to consider like heat/cold, water supply, soil type, etc...as a Colorado native I'd love to live there, but water is a real issue. As is cold, but I would think dealing with harsh winters without electricity would beat dealing with harsh summers. I could be dead wrong.

I look forward to hearing from you guys.