Strengths and Weaknesses of your location ?

[The Stig]

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current location?

Mine...

Strengths
In small town of less than 4000 people
Quick access to very rural areas
Very mild winters
Close to large extended family for mutual aid
Very close to several major creeks, a river and even the Gulf of Mexico for water/additional food sources
Very gun friendly environment
Reduced LPHP quotient (Liberals Per Hundred People)
Within 1 mile of major state highway to move North/South very easily. Not all that far from Interstate.
Lower cost of living means more money for preps
Hurricanes mean people are used to ideas like extra water, food and generators on hand.

Weaknesses
In small subdivision of 75 to 100 homes
Medical services in town are limited (small hospital, small clinic)
Access to local government services are limited (public works, water department, etc)
Next county north of Gulf Coast means the coast evacuates into our backyard
Hot summers
Everybody knows everybody's business meaning OPSEC is harder.
Sandy soil...not sure if that works for gardening.
Hurricanes

[bacpacker]

Some good thought into this one Stig.
Here's mine
Pros somewhat rural town of 1100
Good land. Have been able to grow anything I've tried
Some good neighbors
2 large spring fed ponds nect door
Lake 1.5 mi down the road
2 Hospitals within 15 mi
Approx 20 miles to NS and EW interstates
Several 2 and 4 lane highways leading most any direction
Several large farms around
Mild winters
Low prop taxes
Low cost of living

Cons
HOT summers
Mid size town 35000 10 miles away
Large town 100000+ 25 miles away
3 major nuclear facilities with 40 miles
ANG base less than 10 miles
2 other ng bases less than 10 miles
Local gov is crazy
Some illigel neighbors

Home site nearly indefensable

[TEOTWAWKI13]

OK: here's mine.

STRENGTHS:

Good weather, mild winters
Low cost of living
I'm in a rural part of a growing town
10 minutes to the N/S interstate
5 minutes to major highways
Creeks and lake nearby
Multiple like minded neighbors (farmers, livestock, etc)
Not too far from Bacpacker if i have to BO

CONS:

The local cops are asshats
One of Northern Hemisphere's largest power plants is virtually in my back yard.
My house in too close to the road for my liking
The town as a whole is around 20k people, larger towns within 30 miles
There is a small "airport" that does Gov contract training (I"m not sure how I feel about that.)
The local cops are asshats
Some, but not too many illegals
The mainstreet/downtown section of town is just a mile or so off the Interstate
The local cops are asshats

[The Stig]

I know you are saying the local cops are asshats somewhat jokingly but that is good information to gather prior to a SHTF event going down. General asshat behavior might escalate to some seriously bad actions in the midst of a bad event.

Also, something those of us in small towns should consider is the availability of supplies in a bad event. Basically I'm relying on one WallMart, one Pigley Wigley and a small town hardware store for my supplies. Its not like I can hit 15 different places in search of needed items if push came to shove.

[x-cop]

Strengths
Know My neighbors
separated from the main city by the river and interstate
near a large commercial distribution hub
near a large gun store
just a few hundred yards from the police and fire station
good garden in the back
near the river

weaknesses
to close to down town
to urban
not enough land to be self sustaining
several large factories near by
within riot distance of a couple of bad neighborhoods

[bacpacker]

Good point about the leo's stig. When I was running our local EmComm group we had a reserve officer as a member. Thru him, I got to know a few of our local's and worked with them at a few events we helped with. Mostly they seemed OK. However our county sherriff is a drunk asshat and I'm sure that there are plenty of others just like him, probably in major leadership positions. Something to keep an eye on.

A couple other pro's I thought about:
Parents live about 45 minutes away, good and bad
local gun laws aren't bad
cost of living is pretty cheap
no major natural disaster typically, an occasional tornado, small earthquakes under 4.0, biggest problem is flooding at times. However where we are is in good shape for all that.
Supplies come from a lowes, home depot, tractor supply, ace hardware, krogers, walmart, aldi all within 15 miles.

[alaska]

Aights:

Up a hill = tsunami safe Where I am at
12 Miles out side of Anchorage the biggest town so I can have a small jump on traffic if I had to BO
all main stores I need are here
3 gun stores
LE are awesome(everywhere for that matter)
Fire station 1.5 miles away
Nearest Nuke plant is by ya'll (neener neener)

Bummers:
On a regular neighborhood street.
Pretty sure all my neighbors on my particular street are retards & sheep and Im smack dab in the middle
Hospital is 15 miles away
Winters are slightly cold now and then
Gas prices blow whale chunks. Currently 3.93 and that was yesterday. havnt checked today

thats for starters

[TEOTWAWKI13]

I know you are saying the local cops are asshats somewhat jokingly but that is good information to gather prior to a SHTF event going down. General asshat behavior might escalate to some seriously bad actions in the midst of a bad event.

Also, something those of us in small towns should consider is the availability of supplies in a bad event. Basically I'm relying on one WallMart, one Pigley Wigley and a small town hardware store for my supplies. Its not like I can hit 15 different places in search of needed items if push came to shove.

Yeah, I don't deal with the Sheriff's dept much as I drive through city limits to get to my place, but I don't get the feeling these guys give 2 rats butts about the Constitution of a person's rights. Every time I drive by one who's pulled someone over, I've seen them violate the 4th, or so I assume. I highly doubt in a town where literally every other vehicle has a "don't tread on me" sticker that these people don't know their rights. One day, I sat and watched a cop field sobriety test a guy at lunch time, from what I witnessed the kid passed. I mean, if your drunk or inebreated, you're not gonna stand on one leg for very long. The cop cuffed him, put on the gloves, and went to searching the guys van.


Another guy watching told me his son was pulled over and searched as well, and told if he didn't allow it, they'd suspend his license. Now, I'm pretty sure that's illegal, right? I mean, if Joey Box of Donuts pulls me over for 10 over the limit and says I want to search your car, and I say no, he can't arbitrarily suspend my license.


As for supplies, there's 2 local farm supply stores that have been around for years, a Tractor Supply, an Ace, Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Ingles, Kroger, Publix, a few smaller discount chains, etc. Seems overkill for a 20K person town, but my data is a few years old. It could be a few thousand more. I'm also right around the corner from an animal farm that has everything from donkeys to camels. They're the local petting zoo, Christmas light, Christmas tree place, and I guarantee these people are preppers. Plenty of folks with cattle around the area.

I do plan on trying to do the CERT program with the county, to get an "in" that way. Hopefully I get this job tomorrow and have more free time to do so.

[The Stig]

Thought of a few more:

Strengths:
Not in major flight path to airport
One major international airport and two regional ones within 80 miles (more options to get wayyy out of town)
Major SeaBee base within 60 miles (in the event of localized devastation they'd be on hand to assist)
Despite being small city they have emergency management plan, equipment and crew

Weakness:
Rail line through city (chance for derail/spills)
Airforce base and minor space center within 60 miles (possible target?)
Heavy pine forests and very dry weather (fire hazard)

[alaska]

More Bummers.
Airforce Base and Army post 7 miles away
Lots of bridges that could be taken out