10 Safest Places to Live when the SHTF

There is plenty of talk in the preppersphere about surviving the collapse of society, and much of the planning in that regard revolves around bugging in or bugging out.

This is reasonable enough, but especially as it pertains to bugging in, it is rarely discussed that certain regions are entirely unsuitable for the purpose.

As with most life-or-death situations, positioning is critical to ensuring success, and if you live in a place that is going to present you with far more obstacles and disadvantages than it will resources and better chances for survival.

No matter how prepared you are, no matter what kind of home-field advantage you think you might have under the circumstances, the odds are definitely against you in some places.

It makes sense, then, if one is truly committed to affording themselves and their loved ones the best possible chances to survive the societal collapse that will invariably erupt out of our ever-widening cultural schism, you’ll need to stake your claim in a place that will resist the effects.

In this article I will tell you about five such places throughout our once great nation.

Be Warned: No Place is Safe, Only Safer

Before we get to the list, I want to make something of a disclaimer. Although we as humans love absolute, tidy, and simple answers to complex questions, life rarely works that way. It works this way on this topic, that’s for sure.

When considering a paradigm-changing event like a genuine societal collapse, it is almost impossible to forecast all of the things that will occur as a result of it and, more importantly, where they occur.

That means that harm could come to you anywhere, even in such places as I have listed below that have shown to be historically stable during times of trouble.

No place that has humans living there is ever 100% safe, and even if you are surviving 100% by yourself you could still face many dangers. You could arrive at a place to find it worse than the place you left.

When that happens, it is time to go to Plan C. Being prepared to deal with grueling and unexpected setbacks is what prepping is all about!

The Safest Places to Live when the SHTF

The following regions represent a cross section of some of the very best places to live or if possible retreat to during a societal collapse.

Obviously, this is a theoretical exercise and things could turn out to be particularly awful at any of these places in which case I might have egg on my face.

However, notwithstanding a particular threat endemic to any of the regions below you will find that they have much to offer preppers.

Each has excellent suitability for agriculture, hunting, and procurement of water but is also culturally largely homogeneous, has smaller populations that trend toward being widespread, and feature generally mild, livable climates that will not pose much in the way of major challenges toward survival.

Additionally, with few exceptions, each will afford you plenty of room to get away from high-order military and civil targets as discussed above.

Here’s a quick table of all of them first before we talk about each:

Southern Idaho	Mid-South
Northern Texas	Northern Arkansas
Appalachian Mountains	Southern Alaska
Vermont & New Hampshire	Northern Louisiana
Wyoming	Southern Missouri

Southern Idaho

Southern Idaho is one of the best-kept secrets among the states as far as I’m concerned. A beautiful, varied biome that is suitable for all kinds of farming, reasonably mild weather even if the winters can get a little challenging, and a broadly similar culture throughout the entirety of the state.

Even better, what population there is outside of the two major cities is pretty well evenly distributed, and there are plenty of places to go if you want to get away from it all and everyone else, or make a go of it as part of a smaller community.

Perhaps the only thing that one should be aware of is the proximity to the west coast, and in the event of a nationally challenging societal collapse, you could be facing hordes of refugees from leftist strongholds.

Northern Georgia and Alabama, Southern Tennessee

The Mid-South has much to recommend it for those who desire self-sufficiency and plenty of breathing room between you and a major city. Balmy, hot summers, and mild winters make this an excellent place to live without worrying about the worst of climatic extremes, and the entire region is a veritable cornucopia of agriculture and hunting.

Perhaps of more interest to seasoned preppers is the region’s friendliness and amiability towards property rights, water rights, and more, with Alabama in particular having extraordinarily affordable land throughout the state.

No matter what kind of terrain you prefer, you can find it in this region, and plenty of water to go along with it.

Strong conservative culture along with equally strong views towards personal freedom and gun rights means that this tri-state area might well be a bastion of freedom and civilization when everything else starts to crumble.

Northern Texas

Everything’s bigger in Texas. The portions, the guns, and apparently the freedom. There is a lot to love about Texas even in normal times, but the state might have special advantages in times of real trouble.

Compared to the southern and gulf coast part of the state, northern Texas is seen as boring and does not get much attention. It is sparsely populated, but this might work to our advantage in our case.

The weather is somewhat milder, the terrain gentler, and just as amicable for growing crops as it is for raising a variety of livestock. There is still plenty of opportunity for hunting and reasonably ample fresh water to be found throughout.

The only thing that might snare folks who would consider a move to this location is that property taxes and other costs can be quite high in certain specific areas, but considering there is so much land to be had this is probably a trifling concern.

It’s not all good news, and if you were already worried about major domestic problems here at home the relatively close proximity to the Mexican border could give you pause.

However, compared to the southern parts of the state you’ll have a lot of distance to go between you and there.

Northern Arkansas

Northern Arkansas makes up the lion’s share of a region colloquially known as the Ozarks, a huge swath of interior highlands that is as renowned for its natural beauty as its bounty.

Lush, fertile, and minimally populated, comparatively to the rest of the region, no doubt this place looks like a proper paradise compared to most places that you’re likely to be fleeing during an SHTF event.

The climate is probably the best part of this area, though you’ll be overflowing with natural resources, both plants, and animals, and should not want for great cropping opportunities or game hunting.

Plenty of wide open spaces and an abundance of other resources means you should have everything you need if you’ve got the skills and a few good people as your neighbors.

Something to keep in mind is that this region might be considered the geographical crossroads of America, and you likely aren’t the only one who has had the idea of retreating to this place…

Western Carolinas, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee

The Appalachian Mountains are known more for their rugged and mysterious beauty than their towering and imposing height, but that does not mean whatsoever that they are unable to help residents resist the intrusion of outsiders.

Fleeing to the mountains in times of trouble has long been a good choice when humanity is faced with existential dangers, and that remains true today.

But instead of rocky and mostly barren slopes you’ll have abundant forests with fertile soil and an amazing natural bounty along with copious freshwater resources at your beck and call.

Sure, they might be easy enough to navigate so long as you keep to the highways and interstates, but the farther you get from will traveled routes and tourist destinations the more remote and mysterious they become, perfect for giving interlopers and intruders the bamboozle.

Concerning the weather, this area is relatively mild throughout though higher elevations always bring with it the risk of particularly harsh winters.

One should also keep in mind that living on a slope means that the risk of avalanches and mudslides will be a particular danger when precipitation is high.

Southern Alaska

At first glance, southern Alaska might seem like it is in violation of our “No harsh climate” rules, but this area in particular has an awful lot going for it, and the average temperature in December is usually above zero.

With a small population, abundant resources (including oil!), and the sort of remote harshness that will dissuade all but the most dedicated or motivated people, southern Alaska is a great place to ride out the collapse of society.

You definitely won’t want food so long as you have the skills to get it because marine and terrestrial wildlife is abundant. 

Perhaps the biggest problem with southern Alaska is that you’re going to have a very hard time getting there if you don’t live there already.

An overland trek takes you through some very harsh and very remote country from the lower 48, and the locals are generally wary of transplants as a rule.

Vermont & New Hampshire

In probably the most surprising inclusion on this list, most folks don’t think of New England when they think about places to ride out a societal collapse.

Most preppers think the opposite, wanting to get as far away from there as possible on account of large leftist cities like New York City, Boston, and Buffalo.

But if you travel up farther into the furthest reaches you’ll come to States like Maine and, in particular, Vermont and New Hampshire.

These states have low populations, are absolutely covered with forests, and have abundant natural resources that can make surviving the harsh winters comparatively easy.

Away from the largest cities, there is a not altogether surprising culture of preparedness and self-sufficiency, one that echoes the frontier lifestyles of yesteryear.

As you might be expecting, the general proximity to some of the largest metropolitan areas in the country is cause for concern but the deeper you travel off the beaten path into either of these states the more secluded and remote habitation becomes, serving as a natural defensive measure.

Northern Louisiana

The stereotypical image of Louisiana is that of the state that resides on or near the Gulf of Mexico.

Northern Louisiana is quite a bit different, but one that has much to recommend it for riding out the collapse of society. Louisiana is rightly famous for its various ecosystems that are host to an amazing variety of flora and fauna, but that isn’t all that it has going for it.

Land in this part of the state is cheap, and although water rights might vary from the highly restrictive to the highly inclusive depending on where exactly you are, most folks that desire seclusion or living as part of a small, tight-knit community will like this region.

The general accessibility from other neighboring states with similar mindsets makes this a natural choice for a “Plan B” if you live anywhere in the near southwest or deep south.

Another added advantage is that staying well away from the coast means you will likely be spared from the worst that frequent hurricanes have to offer.

Wyoming

Wyoming is the closest thing that we have in the lower 48 to a proper frontier state. Wyoming is host to a very small population that is spread out all over the place, and even the largest settlements don’t feel big compared to many other cities.

Plenty of land, ample resources, and manageable weather that is particularly pleasant and mild in the summertime means you won’t be battling mother nature too often. This is a great place to raise livestock or homestead and will pay dividends the earlier you get started.

As a rule, the state and bodies strong conservative values and engenders attitudes of self-reliance and self-control.

You have to really want it if you want to get to some places in Wyoming, and living in these remote areas means that most trouble is going to give up well before it reaches you.

Southern Missouri

Southern Missouri is something of a best-kept secret in my book. Incredibly lush, pleasant weather, and a fantastic region that exemplifies biodiversity and agriculture potential, this is an area that is rich with resources of all kinds.

In fact, part of the Ozarks region covers much of southern Missouri, and this makes it a natural complement if you don’t want to live on the Arkansas side. 

Whether you want an on the grid house in a small community where everyone knows each other or off the grid retreat, Missouri’s amiable property laws, water rights and more will help facilitate that reality.

Start Looking For Land Today

One should not attempt to ride out the collapse of society in a place that is going to suffer the most when that event takes place.

You’ll have plenty to worry about when it comes to survival even under ideal circumstances, so you shouldn’t make things harder on yourself than you have to.

Living in a place that is culturally unified with abundant natural resources and less competition from other survivors will set you up for success.