Mr. Rawles,
I read your book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation“, which is a very good resource. In it, you didn’t mention one area that interested me a little bit, and that was the area around the Lincoln National Forest, near Cloudcroft, New Mexico. I’ve driven through there a few times, and it might do well in a depression. Of course, it’s too close to the Mexican border, which might lead to a problem, though I’m not sure which direction the refugees will be heading. You probably heard that the mayor of Juarez has sent his family to El Paso to live. Here in Florida, it seems that many of the immigrants are heading home.
There’s game and some water in these parts, but water is still an issue when the rain is insufficient. The towns of Weed and Mayhill are worth considering. The mountains offer the usual advantages in keeping strangers out or unaware. By the way, I know of people making a living in nearby Orogrande from the gold, as well as the great rock hounding. There’s a moderately large Indian reservation north of this area, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as it’s largely empty. Of course, Alamagordo, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas are too close, but, in a meltdown scenario, the roads could be blocked fairly easily. – Paul in Florida