Category: Retreat Locales

Updated: Opportunity to Live on a Secure Kansas Family Farm/BOL

Late last year a consulting client asked me to help him find potential members for a retreat group membership at his family farm/bug-out location (BOL) . That opportunity is still open and his family prays to be able to find a like-minded family soon. Please read the entire post as the retreat owners have opened up their search to include many more families and that may potentially include your family to have a safe place to retreat. After much prayer, the farm owner has decided again to open up his request concentrating on families who are able to move to …


What To Do in 2024?, by SaraSue

There has been a tremendous amount of change in our country, just in the past three years, not to mention the years and decades before.  It’s as if, the worst of the worst scenarios have accelerated, and many of us feel it in our bones that things are going to get worse in our country (America).  I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, and it was a wonderful childhood. But, as I look back, I can see how the gross inflation and economic problems of the 1970s affected my father, while he insulated us children from most of it.  …


Why We Should Dread a Second Civil War

Introductory Note: In a SurvivalBlog essay that I wrote back in January, 2019, I warned that there were signs that a Second Civil War might be brewing. I’d like to update and expand on that theme, in this essay. — The recent release of the first trailer for the scheduled April 2024 release of the A24 Productions movie titled Civil War has prompted considerable conjecture. The film reportedly had a $75 million budget. Commentator Tim Pool posted his thoughts on it, and then followed up with a more in-depth panel discussion, and then another. Dozens of others have also chimed …


SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, a special look at touring destinations in the region. I often have consulting clients from the eastern United States ask me “What is it like”?” questions. You really need to come and see for yourself.  Schedule a lengthy trip! – JWR (The photo above was …


Buying and Developing Rural Land With Friends or Family, by Jonathan Rawles

The current real estate market, economic situation, and high interest rates continue to limit options for buying real estate. While prices have come down from their peak in many areas, the recent increase in interest rates means that affordability has not improved for the average buyer. There is also very limited inventory on the market, as many would-be sellers are choosing to stay put. Many buyers have to look in more affordable regions, go even more remote, or consider homes or properties that are smaller or in poorer condition. With all these challenges, many would-be property buyers are turning to …


The 21st Century Geopolitical Chessboard

As we approach the end of 2023, I’ve been assessing world events. In short: The world is an increasingly dangerous place. There are numerous current threats, most notably: The Western debt-based financial system is overextended and nearing a collapse. The rise of the BRICS bloc. Pandemics are being used as weapons to reduce population, control citizenries, and as excuses for a wide range of social engineering projects. Note that Avian Flu is still spreading and a new pneumonia strain broke out in northern China, and it is already jumping national borders. There is also a new canine respiratory illness and …


Subtle Changes in Rural America, by Hollyberry

My husband and I first moved to Maine eighteen years ago from New Jersey. What a breath of fresh air and change from a crowded, polluted environment. We moved to a small town that was the county seat for an area that is approximately 4,300 square miles and has a very low population. Most folks were really nice but there is a “your from away” mentality with some of the more stubborn folks. I gently reminded some of the more hardcore folks that although I may be “from away”, New Jersey is still part of the United States. I understand …


Building a Retreat Kit, by Mark C.

Anyone who has seriously considered preparation for TEOTWAWKI knows that the ultimate preparation is to have a well-outfitted retreat located in a remote location. Unless you are rich and you can purchase one with all the trimmings or you’ve been working on it for several years already—you’re feeling significant apprehension as current events imply time is short and you are unprepared. Now, if you are the diligent one who built a well-stocked retreat, but find that over time civilization has overtaken the area; this is also for you. Finally, if you have your retreat, it has not been encroached on …


SurvivalRealty.com is Expanding!

Jonathan Rawles (my #1 Son) has announced that he has set aside his other career and will now be devoting all of his time to SurvivalRealty.com, and related ventures. This means that he will be able to greatly expand the number of listed properties and have properties listed in the majority of the 50 States. He also plans to make the website a more comprehensive source of information for preparedness-minded families who are planning to relocate. I’ve encouraged Jonathan to write a regular column for SurvivalBlog on retreats and relocation topics. He has already co-authored one book with me (Survival …


Update: Retreat Locale Selection: Seek a Diverse Economy

JWR’s Introductory Note:  This post is an update to a short post that I wrote for SurvivalBlog, back in August, 2005: — A diverse local economy is of great importance when evaluating potential retreat locales. Unless you are retired or about to retire, the opportunity to find steady work pre-TEOTWAWKI is also very important. Of course, if you are self-employed or a “Work From Home” telecommuter, then this is less of an issue. These days, with the advent of Starlink Internet and affordable photovoltaic home off-grid power, you can live just about anywhere. Depending on the scenario you envision, you …


Risk Mitigation in the Mid-2020s

Looking at the manifold threats facing the world in late 2023, as an American citizen I cannot help but feel overwhelmed. In a nutshell, these threats include: The threat of regional or world war, stemming from the Iraq, Ukraine, or Taiwan conflicts. Out-of-control government spending and indebtedness. Corruption at all levels of government. Federal agencies running roughshod over our constitutional rights. Selective and vindictive prosecutions driven by politics. High inflation and an increasingly unaffordable cost of living and healthcare. Urbanization and over-complication of supply chains. Malinvestment and misallocation of government spending. Chronic homelessness and growing encampments. Uncompensated Federal mandates on …


Hospitality in Exigency: Opening Your Home, by Jonathan Rawles

The tragedies of the wildfires in eastern Washington and on Maui, followed by hurricanes and flooding in California and Florida brought a secondary topic to mind: hospitality in exigency. It’s often alluded to, but it’s worth exploring the practicalities. How can a prepared household effectively support friends and family who have to leave their homes? If you successfully make your household productive and resilient, it will assuredly become a refuge to others at some point. It’s wise to consider what this might look like now. Types of Scenario Let’s start with considering the cases where you might have to offer …


Some Elements of American Redoubt Culture

It has been said that most regions of the United States have distinct norms and cultures. Though we lack a distinctive accent, Redoubters definitely have our own culture. To sum it up in one sentence, I’d say the culture is marked by: fierce independence and conservatism, but with a kindly streak.  I’ll try to articulate that more fully, in the rest of this essay.


The American Redoubt: America’s Empty Quarter

A major part of my consulting work revolves around relocation and retreat property selection, for my clients. When I have conversations with clients from the eastern United States, they often have difficulty grasping just how empty The American Redoubt is. Their view of “The West” is often skewed by the teeming masses of California that they see on television. I’d like to quantify, describe, and anecdotally illustrate the American Redoubt in this brief article.  As our friend Joerg Sprave would say: “Let me tell you about its features.” Vast and Lightly-Populated First, let’s discuss basic geography. The American Redoubt consists …


Exiting Babylon – Part 2, by The Watchman

(Continued from Part 1.This concludes the article.) The third path: come out What does it mean to “come out” of Babylon? To exit Babylon means to no longer seek the culture’s favor or approval, to no longer seek its desires, to no longer seek its wisdom or counsel, to no longer seek its good or advancement, and to put no more trust in it. It means to put as much emotional, mental, physical, and above all spiritual distance between your family and the culture. Like Gideon, we must depose the idols in our own houses (Judges 6:25-27). We must abandon …