The BEST Post-Peak U.S. Locations Thread

pip

I would much rather worry about staying cool at 105F than worry about staying warm at 5F. I don't think most people spend enough time outdoors to know what an extended period of time at either extreme is really like.
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pstarr

Deep frost kills and that is good to combat agriculture pests and human diseases. Farm infestations and epidemics ravage tropical lands and always will. That is why civilization started in temperate climates.

You can not grow tropical foods without fertilizers and biocides. On the other hand, wheat is easy to grown organically and was the first commercial organic product in the US.
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director

ree rah rip ram. sunofabitch godamn. hidey didey christ almighty. rah rah crap wav

bulletproof

pstarr

Bulletproof, I know exactly what Permaculture is. I have studied it and I own Mollison's book by the same name.

It is a nice approach to small-scale intensive gardening and theoretically could feed the world's population. However, given the ghetto-ization of most of the worlds people, either in teeming slums or vast suburban sprawls, I don't see it making an impact.

Please, if you have evidence to the contrary let me know. Can you name me one tropical country or region (or temperate or a aboreal) that depends on 'permaculture' or organic methods today? I understand Cuba has made great progress in this direction, but I see no evidence the country has weaned itself from petroleum.

Tropical infestations are fought with chemistry and pharmaceuticals. While theoretically interesting, permaculture remains a marginal middle-class white person's idealization of traditional farming methods. It is no panacea.
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director

ree rah rip ram. sunofabitch godamn. hidey didey christ almighty. rah rah crap wav

azreal60

Not to break from the threads topic, but a page ago someone asked about subdivisions and Mc Mansions and what they meant to people who actually see them.

I think this is an important topic to define, so I'll put it like this. In my area ( South central Wisconsin USA) alot of farms no longer wish to be farmers. They then sell that land to developers, who Subdivide it into little .5 to 1 acre lots, and sell it off for like 10 times what the entire plot of land cost them to buy, making huge profits. People then put houses on those small plots of land that effectively take up the entire plot of land, leaving no room for any food cultivation. These houses are as someone pointed out, totally dependant on cheap and available fossil fuels for heating and just about everything. And they are popping up everywhere, hence giving rise to the name Mc Mansions.

There you have it. There is a reason this type of housing for the most part isn't seen in Europe. It's because it's really really not sustainable in the long term. In 40 years, you won't see it in the US either.

As for the discussion of locations, honestly, if your looking for sheer geography, I do like my location in SC wisconsin. Lots of people starting to make the changes nessesary to survive, if you make an effort lots of community. Decent growing season, winters are survivable with huge wood lots all over. Deer in abundance so that I could eat venison most of the winter for a food supply. ( heck the DNR would probably love me for reducing the herd)

I guess the most pro factor for me is it's home. It's a place I've spent alot of time in and know it's in's and out's. To me that's the biggest factor. If your the type that can make anywhere home, well, that's more germane. But home is where my heart and body are, and will stay. =)
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Azreal60

benzoil

I'm surprised no one has mentioned how global warming/climate change will affect current locales.

US Climate Change Overview

There's some excellent ones for specific regions as well. Great Lakes Region

It might not affect *you*, but with decreased mobility following P.O. your kids might be stuck farming the same land you did.

This assumes you either have kids or are planning very long term. Also, note that climate models vary widely. You can't use them to pick lotto numbers.
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TANSTAAFL

Pops

thanks for that link ben!
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bulletproof

medicvet

I think that if you can find a place that is at least an hour drive in any given direction to a major city, and at least 30 miles away from the nearest interstate, and has a thriving small town community, with a major water source easily accesible, and people already used to making do on the land they have, be it cattle or corn or what have you, then you are talking about the area from eastern Oklahoma on through to the Ozarks. Only thing I am personally concerned about is that there is an air base less than 50 miles in one direction and an Army weapons depot less than 50 miles away in another direction..not good if there is to be an all out nuclear war. One of the things to look for where you want to live, is how much of a community atmosphere there is. If people are independent to the point of not caring for their neighbors, then it isn't a good one to be in. But if you have a community that always has a jar out for whoever lost their home in a tornado or fire, or for someone going through cancer treatment or recovering from a car crash, then it isn't too far of a step from that to organizing a small militia made up of volunteers..especially if there is already a volunteer fire dept., so there would already be a precedent for it.

And yes, I know this is an old thread, but I have been perusing through a number of the threads here, and thought that maybe this one could be worth a second look.
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Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.-H.G. Wells