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Ok, this is my thread, and I'm glad I've gotten so many great responses. Thanks! I really do appreciate it. Here is a response to a few things that have come up.
My vision of the future: I'm not worried about a nuke, only marginally worried about pandemic, but mostly worried about what happens as our economy breaks down under the strain of hyperinflation and crushing energy prices. As those things happen, people will keep losing their jobs, and become gradually more desperate. Food, water, warmth supplies will be reduced for some at the margins. Those people will be increasingly restless and start looking for ways to improve lives for themselves / their families. This happens in a trickle. They may resort to stealing from community gardens where possible, increasing use of wood for keeping warm, etc. At the same time, police are spending more time trying to provide for their own families, and the populace will be harder to control. During this time, I don't want to be in the city, in a home that depends on natural gas fuel, without a garden of my own. In Russia, they survived economic collapse in part because many people had their own garden plots to supplement the government supplied bread (which often included sawdust at this time as filler). I want to be surrounded by people who can provide for themselves, or at least has enough of "salt of the earth" types that they can figure it out as it happens. I don't pretend to believe I can hold out in a "fortress" or that I could even build one. I believe strong local community, with church, loyal people, people prepared to help themselves will be the best solution. Will it be resilient enough to withstand full government military force? No. Will it be resilient enough to allow someone who is integrated in the community to stand a slightly better chance of managing some of the resulting problems? I hope so.
I welcome debate on my thoughts, but in short, I'm thinking it will be a gradual breakdown with some smaller groups of people trying to take from others, perhaps increasing over time. But if I can live in a community where at least some are like-minded and willing to band together to help friends/neighbors, I think it will be better than my urban home without much space for a garden, and no real heating other than nat gas.
Here are some of the places mentioned:
Vernonia: I like. I've been there, even looked at some land in the past. Seems like a nice little town. I'm a bit concerned about previous comments regarding lack of self sufficiency though. Would love to hear more from others with experience. It was already on my list of areas to look at.
North Plains / Forest Grove: I'm intrigued. I'll take a look.
South Hillsboro: There are some areas toward Tigard, in the hills, that I've been to before. Scholls seems like a neat area to me. Also, my daughter could still attend St. Mary's if we drop her off at a bus stop or carpool with someone. Dalep, PM coming your way.
Yamhill County: I've been through wine country a few times, and kinda like it. I've also purchased my dog from a rancher down that way, and liked his land; it was pretty with streams & waterfalls. I would want south-facing land if possible, and it would need to be north county for commute purposes.
Battleground Area: I'm now extending my search into that area. One nice thing about being north of the columbia is that the land tends to slope toward Southern exposure. (Side note: Ideally, I would build an ICF solar home, which would benefit from south exposure.)
Clackamas County: I hate taking Portland's bridges during commute hour. That said, the area is beautiful. Really pretty. I do know less about it, so inputs here are good.
The Pearl: I do like flats down there. I do think heating of some of those places won't be as much a problem as elsewhere due to common walls. However, if we have a breakdown in food supply, those folks will need to travel quite a bit to get food. And water. Not saying I think the infrastructure will break down completely, but I do believe any potential breakdown will put people at risk. Further, for my own life fulfillment, I would actually like to grow some of my own food and feel that I could live with minimal energy inputs if necessary. Finally, I've met a lot of people who live in or around the urban areas that I feel do not live wholesome lives. Much fewer God-fearing folks who strive to love their families more than themselves. Maybe just a bad experience, but I've had better experiences in the country (I used to live in the Sierra Mountains in Cali).
I really do appreciate the inputs here. Feel free to argue whether I'm right or wrong. Feel free to provide inputs on other areas. Also, I would really like to hear more details on Vernonia, North Plains area, or the area in South Hillsboro.
My vision of the future: I'm not worried about a nuke, only marginally worried about pandemic, but mostly worried about what happens as our economy breaks down under the strain of hyperinflation and crushing energy prices. As those things happen, people will keep losing their jobs, and become gradually more desperate. Food, water, warmth supplies will be reduced for some at the margins. Those people will be increasingly restless and start looking for ways to improve lives for themselves / their families. This happens in a trickle. They may resort to stealing from community gardens where possible, increasing use of wood for keeping warm, etc. At the same time, police are spending more time trying to provide for their own families, and the populace will be harder to control. During this time, I don't want to be in the city, in a home that depends on natural gas fuel, without a garden of my own. In Russia, they survived economic collapse in part because many people had their own garden plots to supplement the government supplied bread (which often included sawdust at this time as filler). I want to be surrounded by people who can provide for themselves, or at least has enough of "salt of the earth" types that they can figure it out as it happens. I don't pretend to believe I can hold out in a "fortress" or that I could even build one. I believe strong local community, with church, loyal people, people prepared to help themselves will be the best solution. Will it be resilient enough to withstand full government military force? No. Will it be resilient enough to allow someone who is integrated in the community to stand a slightly better chance of managing some of the resulting problems? I hope so.
I welcome debate on my thoughts, but in short, I'm thinking it will be a gradual breakdown with some smaller groups of people trying to take from others, perhaps increasing over time. But if I can live in a community where at least some are like-minded and willing to band together to help friends/neighbors, I think it will be better than my urban home without much space for a garden, and no real heating other than nat gas.
Here are some of the places mentioned:
Vernonia: I like. I've been there, even looked at some land in the past. Seems like a nice little town. I'm a bit concerned about previous comments regarding lack of self sufficiency though. Would love to hear more from others with experience. It was already on my list of areas to look at.
North Plains / Forest Grove: I'm intrigued. I'll take a look.
South Hillsboro: There are some areas toward Tigard, in the hills, that I've been to before. Scholls seems like a neat area to me. Also, my daughter could still attend St. Mary's if we drop her off at a bus stop or carpool with someone. Dalep, PM coming your way.
Yamhill County: I've been through wine country a few times, and kinda like it. I've also purchased my dog from a rancher down that way, and liked his land; it was pretty with streams & waterfalls. I would want south-facing land if possible, and it would need to be north county for commute purposes.
Battleground Area: I'm now extending my search into that area. One nice thing about being north of the columbia is that the land tends to slope toward Southern exposure. (Side note: Ideally, I would build an ICF solar home, which would benefit from south exposure.)
Clackamas County: I hate taking Portland's bridges during commute hour. That said, the area is beautiful. Really pretty. I do know less about it, so inputs here are good.
The Pearl: I do like flats down there. I do think heating of some of those places won't be as much a problem as elsewhere due to common walls. However, if we have a breakdown in food supply, those folks will need to travel quite a bit to get food. And water. Not saying I think the infrastructure will break down completely, but I do believe any potential breakdown will put people at risk. Further, for my own life fulfillment, I would actually like to grow some of my own food and feel that I could live with minimal energy inputs if necessary. Finally, I've met a lot of people who live in or around the urban areas that I feel do not live wholesome lives. Much fewer God-fearing folks who strive to love their families more than themselves. Maybe just a bad experience, but I've had better experiences in the country (I used to live in the Sierra Mountains in Cali).
I really do appreciate the inputs here. Feel free to argue whether I'm right or wrong. Feel free to provide inputs on other areas. Also, I would really like to hear more details on Vernonia, North Plains area, or the area in South Hillsboro.
