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City or Country - which has better survival odds?

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posted on May, 19 2011 @ 04:51 PM
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After reading and posting in the "SHTF date night" aka "question for all you single females" thread...
it got me wondering...

If there is a global meltdown, would you be better off living in a large urban centre, or a rural town well away from a city??

For the record, I live in a rural area, have 2 wells for water, and acreage that we can grow our own food, and livestock, and I would like to believe that makes me and my neighbours in a better-than-most position for survival.

Now I realize that TPTB could come and confiscate what I have and give to the nearest city, but the community I live in is fairly remote, and access is limited, ie, no large airport nearby, one road in (more if you know the back roads), but if that threat were realised, the forest/mountains is my backyard, so retreating to them is not a problem. We have rivers everywhere around us, fishing/hunting is a way of life here, so that's a plus too.

I would like everyone's opinion, please... and thanks for contributing!



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 04:53 PM
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reply to post by misnomer68
 


Neither.

The success of one's survival is entirely dependent on that person's knowledge, there are tricks to use in the city that wouldn't work in rural area's and vice versa, it's the knowledge that counts not the location...



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:04 PM
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A rural town (by a country mile :LOL). Some place small enough where everyone knows everyone else takes the random violence out of the equation and makes mass cooperation more likely. Being rural gives close access to farms and ranches. In the event of a SHTF event, big urban areas are going to be seething pits of chaos, violence, and disease as the power goes out, sewage stops flushing, water stops flowing, food stops arriving on the shelves of the local grocery stores.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:08 PM
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I am going to agree with the rural areas. Smaller community equals better odds. Being in a rural area gives you more time to get squared away so to speak before people from the cities head to the hills. More time to gather wood, store food and dig in for the first winter. Also to form the new mini societies that will be popping up.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:13 PM
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all I can say is I hope you don't get caught in a big city as you will be rounded up and moved to FEMA camps, that is, the ones that aren't killed off by the riff-raff.....My whole place in the country will be booby trapped and awaiting criminal gangs that will be on the move after they killed off and raped everyone they can in the cities...I'm going to set me up a "shooting Gallery" and not the city type shooting gallery which is a drug house that you pay to shoot up drugs in....I have 3 microwave ovens that I have converted over to death ray guns..They are fun to operate and will burn a hole in 3/4 ply wood at 50 feet. You can find the How-to's on the net.... Happy Hunting.....



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:19 PM
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reply to post by misnomer68
 


i read once that if the SHTF you have about 18 hrs to embed yourself in a defensible self sufficient community and start rationing all essential resources immediately.

city is a bad place to be.... initially people with half smarts "will run to the hills" and find themselves an unwelcome outsider in an unfamiliar place, unaware where basic resources can be found they will eventually die off.
back in the city -

initially there will be looting, rape, murder/settling of scores. the gangs will eventually rise to the top (most likley the police who will turn rogue once they realize the SHTF and use their resources/arms/group culture to do this) and start roving for resources - adding to their numbers eventually this hoard will leave the city looting the countryside communities along the way - the trick is to make your community too thorny for the hoard - make your community too much trouble to attack compared to the village down the road.......within the first year of the breakdown of society due to "insert ELE here" only 10% of the population will be left.....apart from those underground that is.....

this book talks about this

one second afteren.wikipedia.org...
www.amazon.com...

and this series is an interesting insight into what happens when the "under-grounders" surface some time later..

en.wikipedia.org...



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:21 PM
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Rural town or farm by a country mile. I would hate to be in a major city when the fecal matter hits.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:22 PM
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Originally posted by misnomer68

If there is a global meltdown, would you be better off living in a large urban centre, or a rural town well away from a city??

For the record, I live in a rural area, have 2 wells for water, and acreage that we can grow our own food, and livestock, and I would like to believe that makes me and my neighbours in a better-than-most position for survival.


If you have people close around you that you trust and will cooperate for survival I think rural is the way to go. Rural alone, imho, would be a very bad strategy. Odds are, packs of roving people looking to get food and supplies will try to target isolated rural homes. Just like farmers were often hit up by the military during wars for supplies.

But a well organized tight group of small towners/farmers willing to guard and defend the group I think would be optimal.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:23 PM
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One of the main problems, at least initially, is dealing with all of the people that haven't prepared and have no idea what to do next. The more people, the more unprepared people. Therefore, at least initially, you are better off distancing yourself from all but your family and close friends and/or like minded prepared people. Facing starvation will cause normal, non-violent people to become desperate and their survival instincts will automatically go into over drive. A rural area with unprepared people that are fully armed could also be problematic, but food will be far more plentiful. You could live on just the weeds in most people's yards for a week. Not gonna happen in the city.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:27 PM
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Originally posted by Death_Kron

The success of one's survival is entirely dependent on that person's knowledge, there are tricks to use in the city that wouldn't work in rural area's and vice versa, it's the knowledge that counts not the location...


You bring up a very good point, by the way. Im willing to be there are a lot of street people who have been living for years as if the S has already HTF will do great when it hits the fan for the rest of us.

They already have groups, they already know all the secret places to hide, and how to survive on crumbs.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 05:29 PM
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Rural parts for sure!!! I live in Brooklyn,NY just looking out your window at pure concrete covering the grounds here is enough to reassure you of your impending death if TSHTF here.

On top having NO open lands to grow your own food, the very common feeble one-tracked mindset alone of a New yorker is enough to deal with. Some people can't function properly out here if their cell phone is on the verge of dying or if their metro card is lost, so in a SHTF situation the cities are the last place you would want to be.

Men, women and children risk being being beaten robbed or raped in such a situation. you guys should see summer time out here. YIKES!!

I am so hoping that after a couple of years of working my ass off (hoping things don't crumble as yet) I can move to a rural town out in the Midwest and live a simple life.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 06:12 PM
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reply to post by Illusionsaregrander
 


Yep, like an urban survivor would be smart and know that water is influenced by gravity and as such cutting the pipes on at the bottom of an empty storage block would most likely offer a supply of water, the same idea doesn't work in the woods although similar ideas exist; tis all about the knowledge.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 06:30 PM
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The country. That is if you do have your own resources(well water, stored food, etc) and or have trusting people close to you that can lend a hand, won't turn on you. Looters on foot, if they survive in the city, would take way longer to get to you. Being in the city is where you'll have competition and the possibility of less places to be safe. Fresh foods vs farm foods can only last so long, if not already spoiled or stolen. Fresh and safe water is usually null-unless maybe in a smaller city. The benefits of the country out number the city by far(sorry didn't add to many), not to mention is much safer, as city pandemics and violence may bring your demise faster than you can hide.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 06:59 PM
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Rural, rural and rural again.

After the collapse and the city goes quiet, THAT's when it MAY be ok to mooch about in the city. As that's where you can go to check out what goodies and stuff might be there. I'd only do that if it was a smallish city and not a major capital or provincial one...



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 07:48 PM
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reply to post by BobbyShaftoe
 


Watch the old Road Warrior movies to get a feeling of how things will be! (Not exactly a joke!)

Historically, raiders do quite well for themselves preying upon unprepared and unsuspecting populations.

Ghingis Khan is probably the best example, or actually, any army of old where they swept through the countryside to sustain themselves by killing, raping and plundering.

My frank view is that if it comes to such terrible times that the meek will not survive and all you can hope for is to take some of those zombies with you. But a good show of intelligence and preparation will go a long way toward survivial.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 08:39 PM
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I love Road Warrior, but I think it's a little over the top to be honest


"The Road" is probably a far more likely scenario, but still, same things happening! Just with no assless-chap wearing motorcyclist or feral child with a boomerang haha.

Personally I think a rural area would be better, regardless of your situation. You have less people around, and therefore less danger of two legged predators getting you. That might change quick once they start heading out into the countryside, but your still better off than living in a City with a bunch of animals, in my opinion.

And this comes from a city dweller.



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 09:16 PM
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Rual area, without a doubt....esprecially when you are surrounded by like minded people who look out for eachother and are well armed



posted on May, 19 2011 @ 09:28 PM
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reply to post by misnomer68
 


An important variable that we are overlooking is the event itself. What takes place and where is key, then one can address how well they may see their way through the circumstance.

As another poster mentioned, ones preparation and survival skills is also paramount to the situation. Even then, what good is being a tough guy ex-military / farmer / survival specialist with a barn full of guns ammo & supplies if your address happens to be ground zero?



posted on May, 20 2011 @ 08:03 AM
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Rural areas are definately the way to go, but only if you have ties to the community. As someone else mentioned, showing up in a random small town would not be a good idea. I live in Houston now, but would leave in a heartbeat for the small town in South Louisiana that I'm from, should TSHTF. For one, everyone knows everyone else. My grandparents went to school with my friends' grandparents. You can't say that in a city. I don't even know who my next door neighbors are now. Secondly, there are more available resources per person in the country (at least where I'm from. Just miles from the Gulf coast, ample fishing and hunting).

So, if TSHTF, you guys are welcomed to stay in my house. It will be unoccupied. Just remember to take out the trash before you leave.



posted on May, 20 2011 @ 08:14 AM
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Personally living in a rural coastal spot I would chose the deep blue over land..

better food prospects.. especially with wind and solar power... considering the rich will be in their city apartments or country cottage I'd opt to borrow one of their sail boats (should mine not be accessible) and put a bit of space between me and the next guy...

tho like every other environment you do need a bit of knowledge to keep safe
edit on 20/5/11 by thoughtsfull because: (no reason given)



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