Urban Living

Pax, VH and I are looking pretty good, nothing close to us. Plus we all already live in the country.

 

At first glance, it looked to me like one of those zombie outbreak maps - you know, the ones that show the spread of the infected as the zombie hordes consume the cities first and then spread out from there... and I thought "hell to the yeah, I'm in the pink! Bring it on, baby!"

Seriously though... The article below the map starts with the assumption that "we can start with the areas of the country to avoid" - a pretty big assumption, IMHO, as the map shows only firearms-related deaths. Depending on the SHTF event, the availability of firearms might not be very relevant. (And even if it is, it might not be a bad thing. Like in a zombie apocalypse, for example.)

The question posed by Yard Dart is an excellent one, and the article itself makes some good points - but to use recent firearms-related deaths as an indication of what areas will be dangerous is misleading, especially since high crime cities get larger circles on the map. Should we be surprised that most of Illinois shows up in the red or pink because of high crime rates in Chicago and St. Louis? No. But should we expect the corn fields of southern Illinois to be more dangerous than, say, the north pole? Sure, you probably won't get shot up there, but is freezing to death really any better? Good article, great question by YD, bad use of a map. Unless we re-name it "mapping the undead", in which case I'm all excited about it again.

As for me, I'm in the pink and I'm comfortable here. I'm not in a town, and my primary BOL is not very far. Yes, there are neighbors - but is that in itself necessarily a bad thing? To some extents, it's probably better if you don't have to face the zombie hordes alone.

 

I understand folks temporarily having to live in highly populated areas because of jobs, etc.; but once they get the chance to get away, they need to "git." I did that. While I was in the military, my choices were limited; although for my last six years, I still managed to live an hour away from the base. I preferred that long commute to living right up under someone. After I retired, living within a city limits, or within a "community" where I couldn't make my own decisions, was not going to happen.

I would prefer to be away from the major population areas; for a host of reasons. I can certainly agree that the right kind of neighbors can be a major asset; but the wrong kind can be a nightmare, even in the best of times. I have a few neighbors, who are, for the most part, country people; who have some basic survival skills. I would not want to be in a city, or even in the suburbs, should the national/world situation degenerate into something more ugly. Most neighbors, by and large, aren't an asset. Even if they mean well, they are a potential drain on resources; and provide a questionable benefit.

If there is someone who considers themselves a "prepper" or a "survivor," and is not at least working toward self-sufficiency; then their idea of a "prepper" or "survivor" is different than mine. Most of the folks that I know, and many of them I count among my small circle of friends, are just victims, waiting to be victimized. If you don't have access to water and the means to purify it, if you can't grow your own food and successfully preserve your own food, and protect what you've put by; then you're partaking in a pipe dream. Just my two cents on the subject.

 

Sure they can, but those zombies are called DHS agents now.

 

Which are in turn called targets. Especially in BT's part of the world...

 

Railroad tracks are safer than main roads.
Caves are safer than tents.
I used to plan on bugging in and trying to defend the farm with family and friends but that has changed. I'll be going walk-about ASAP during full blown SHTF but bugging in if it's just financial collapse.

 

I don't like that map. I have been thinking of moving back East to be near my folks. I wonder how far out the cities would spread if SHTF.

 

How far can a yuppie walk before they starve?
Double that I figure.

 

"How far can you go, into the woods?....half way and no further". The further you run from one city, the closer you get to the next city. Distance make less difference than transportation. if your raiders are mobile, then no distance is truly safe. just less of a risk. Wherever you go, long term or short, covered retreat, or armored bunker, defense matters much more than distance.

 

please let it be wintertime.

 

You're not kidding...wish we had a big fence or drones patrolling the line...
Oh wait...you think they're gonna let you OUT?

 

It will be if it's FF gov induced.'
Frankly I'm curious if they'll use comet ISON to drop an EMP on us.
Glad I saved all those old microwaves for faraday cages for old laptops filled with ebooks.
They want it over as quick as possible too.