The Best Places To Be When SHTF

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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

If the grid were to collapse and America turned into an apocalyptic zone, where would you go? In North America, some places are easier to survive in than others.

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There are obvious hotspots that should be avoided at all costs. For example, the major cities along the east and west coasts, which not only would be obvious enemy targets but would also turn into total chaos if the grid were to go down.

But there are many other places that would be dangerous, too. For example, northern California and eastern Oregon and Washington may seem like ideal locations, but where do you think everybody else is going to flee to when the cities are hit or become shut down? Exactly.

As Canadian Prepper explains in this video, there are a few areas that will be safer when the SHTF. Here's his list:

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains are teeming with natural resources and agricultural land. Granted, they are relatively close to the east coast, and you could argue that hundreds of thousands of people would flee from the coastal cities towards the Appalachians.

However, as a mountain range, there are numerous places to hide and where you can be well secluded. Preferably stick to the western side of the Appalachians away from the eastern coastal cities as much as possible.

Idaho and Montana

Idaho and Montana are located right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains while also being a good distance away from hot spots such as Seattle, Portland, and Denver. A lot of people who flee those cities would likely spread throughout Washington, Oregon, and Colorado, but Idaho and Montana would likely remain a bit more sparsely populated.

Already, there are vast swathes of land throughout these two states that are very sparse and packed with natural resources, agricultural land, rivers and lakes, and wildlife. As an added bonus, both states are pretty conservative in comparison to the rest of the country (especially Idaho) which means taxes and regulations are low and gun rights are respected.

The Dakotas

With Idaho and Montana, the Dakotas are both sparsely populated and come packed with natural resources. They're also far away from any major urbanized hubs that could be targets of an EMP attack or nuclear strike. Just like Idaho and Montana, both of the Dakotas are conservative with low taxes and low regulations.

Arizona and New Mexico

Contrary to what many people think, not all of Arizona and New Mexico are deserts. The southern halves of these two states are dry, arid, hot, and near major urban centers such as Phoenix.

You’ll be wise to avoid those places during SHTF, but the northern regions have more forests and closely resemble the Rocky Mountains in many ways. Here there are fewer people and an abundance of natural resources and agricultural land.

Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire

Last but not least, the woods of Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire are also viable options to outlast an SHTF scenario. They have solid agricultural land, dense woods packed with natural resources, and are relatively well secluded.

The biggest negative to them is that they are pretty close to the east coast and the hot spots that are there, especially in Massachusetts and New Jersey. But still, when it comes to the Northeastern regions, the woods of Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire are arguably the safest places to be.

This post is merely a short summary, so to hear more about the pros and cons of these areas, be sure to watch the video by Canadian Prepper below.