City Data as a Retreat Locale Search Tool

SurvivalBlog Readers:
Are you trying to find small towns to evaluate for potential relocation? I’ve been wrestling with the process and have found it tedious at best. There is a web site, however, that can be a valuable resource: City Data. If you follow this link you will come to a page that has the states listed. Click on the state you are interested in Idaho, for example. This link takes you to a list of cities with a population over 6,000. There is a link at the top of the page that lists towns and villages with a population between 1,000 and 6,000. Follow that link and your are presented with a list of towns and their population (Bovill and Troy are under 1,000). When you select a town it will display detailed demographics (try Orofino). While the amount of detail varies, it contains a wealth of data that we are interested in. In general you will at least find population, gender, age, ethnicity, education, and income statistics. Some pages also contain information about occupation (is this a farming town?) the nearest medical facilities, population density, distance to major population centers, crime, climate, local government and more. It is a fantastic starting place to refine the search for your ideal location. – Scrod

JWR Replies: It has been several years since City Data web site has been mentioned in SurvivalBlog. It is still a good one! I also like the Moving.com web site’s relative cost comparison calculator.

OBTW, take a look at this population density map of the US, Mexico, and Canada. Sometimes a picture truly does tell a thousand words. And on a global scale, The Human Footprint Composite Map hosted by NASA’s web site is similarly enlightening.

See my Recommended Retreat Areas static page for some detailed retreat locale suggestions. And even greater detail (including some useful maps) is available in my book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation“. OBTW, although it is now a bit dated, I also recommend the book Strategic Relocation by Joel Skousen.

Choosing a retreat locale is a not a “one size fits all” process. A lot of your decision making will be predicated on your work and family situation, your stage in life, and your preference for a particular climate. Differences in gun laws are important to many SurvivalBlog readers. (See Boston’s Gun Bible by Boston T. Party, for a detailed state-by-state comparison.) Taxes are another determining factor. For some of us, property taxes are more important than income taxes.
I suggest prayer and extensive study before traveling to look for retreat property.