Big city, smallish town or isolated village?

Moped

I voted for a big city, I'll take my chances with the masses.
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"I'm here to fight for truth, and justice, and the American way" - Superman
Moped

vision-master

alfonso2501 · Coal Joined: Oct 10, 2007 Posts: 8

I suppose if you’re expecting an EOTWAEKI scenario a small shack (or bunker) in the middle of the woods does make sense. I however don’t see things progressing that far. At worst I feel the ability to get to your job will be criteria for maintaining your job. This is where big city living will have its advantages over the shack in the woods plan.

Heineken

What makes you think that "your job" will still be there for you to get to?
_________________
"Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog

"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother

Ludi

I work at home, thankfully, so I don't have to worry about getting to my "job."

I expect my paying work to disappear when times get tough. I hope that won't be anytime soon. Shocked

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vision-master

MarkJ · Heavy Crude Joined: Mar 25, 2008 Posts: 180

Having lived or spent much time at many my properties in the cities, villages, suburbs and rural areas, I'd pick the suburbs or rural areas. Although my city properties are in good locations, there are too many uneducated, unskilled, unemployed/under-employed, non self-sufficient have-nots without transportation that live within walking distance or that can take public transportation to my neighborhoods.

The non self-sufficient types don't have the skills, knowledge or discipline to seek self employment opportunities, hunt, fish, farm, build, repair, maintain etc. When times get tough, they look for handouts or steal since they have no education, marketable skills, work ethic, savings or assets. Many of these people wouldn't know how to handle a disruption in water, sewer, electric, natural gas, heating, hot water, public transportation etc.

We also see the opposite that many other areas are seeing. More homes, developments, condos, townhouses, industrial parks and shopping are being constructed in the suburbs and rural areas since that's where the large tracts of undeveloped or underdeveloped acreage, farm land and large building lots exist.

max_in_wa

Ferretlover

Heineken

Revi · Fusion Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 3255 Location: Maine

I think a walkable village is the best place to be. Spend money on a house, not a car. As it gets harder and harder to get all the resources to keep a car going it will make more sense to live in a place where you can walk. The economics will force us to either live in town where we can walk to things or live rural and produce things that pay for your once weekly trip to town. Farmers used to tuck 10 punds of butter under the seat and fill the trunk of their cars with tradeable items when they came to town.

I am starting to think that way. I love to find more btu's in wood than I went with. When I go to the transfer station I always check out the pile of wood. I take it up to the sugarhouse to boil next year's maple syrup. The really good stuff keeps the home fires burning. The only rules are no pressure treated and no nails. I really like to fill the back of my small pickup to make the trip worth it.

I think a small town with a public library and a hardware store is the place to be when the money gets scarce. We'll be spending a lot of time there.
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Deep in the mud and slime of things, even there, something sings.

Heineken

You can tell that Revi is proud of how and where he lives. This comes through in many of his posts.

I wonder if the residents of Hackensack, NJ, and a zillion other urbanized places, could ever feel that way about their faceless, ugly, blanched wastelands.

Those mazelike suburbs that go meaninglessly on . . . and on . . . and on, just like Hell's eternity.
_________________
"Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog

"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother

AgentR

allenwrench · Intermediate Crude Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 868

Myslef?

I live in the city / country on 2/3 acre. I am near a small city of 10,000 but am close to the woods. I wish I had more land, but when I bought this place I was not aware of peak oil. In any case, am very happy where I'm at all things considered.

MarkJ · Heavy Crude Joined: Mar 25, 2008 Posts: 180

Some of my village properties would be my third choice since they have wells, septic systems, oil tanks, propane tanks, natural gas, municipal water/sewer, generators, fireplaces and multiple sources of heat and hot water. They're also close to farms, lakes, ponds, streams, wooded land, fish and game.

My neighbors in the villages, suburbs are also a closer knit group and many are fellow builders, developers, skilled tradesmen and other self-sufficient types.

I've seen how some city residents residents panic when they have no water, sewer, heat or hot water during a disruption of municipal water or natural gas service during sub freezing temperatures.

One problem with many city apartments buildings is that one careless tenant can displace dozens of families by accidentally or intentionally setting the building on fire. Some city homes are so close together that if one burns, other neighboring homes may burn as well.