# Where You Don’t Want to Be When It Hits the Fan



## UncleJoe

http://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-p...dont-want-to-be-when-it-hits-the-fan_09052013

Recent U.S. census data indicates that out of the 3000 counties in the United States, fully 50% of the population lives in just 146.

If you want to have any chance of surviving a wide-spread catastrophic event by avoiding the hordes that will be searching for critical resources in its aftermath, then check out the following map to get a visual reference of the areas you want to stay away from (in dark blue).


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## Turtle

Very interesting statistic. It's about what I suspected; I live smack on the middle of the dark blue blob around the DC area. Hopefully, my wife and I will get my transfer to go through soon and I can remedy that situation.


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## ksmama10

Wouldn't you know, the one blue blob in my state, and that's MY county. On the bright side, we're not more than a mile or so from the next county line.


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## zimmy

I live close to one of those dark blue areas, but if and when the SHTF, I hope to be right here on my property.


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## Toffee

I live next to a blue spot, but then I know it's gonna be tough to bug in anyway. It's the decision we have made though.


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## dixiemama

Hahahaha I don't see one in KY. That's good news at least


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## NooB2ItAll

Yea I live right outside the big blob in the mitten, and I agree I'm not going anywhere


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## Sentry18

Ahhh the midwest. Clean living, low crime, low cost of living and very few blue dots. Most of the blue dot sheeple / evacuees who decided to migrate to the midwest will die before they ever make it here. I know that sounded morbid, but I believe it to be true. The ones who do make it will not do well when winter arrives. Those who survive were apparently meant to be here.


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## rawhide2971

Odd I thought I had already posted in this thread.....however I will repeat my thoughts....The map is pretty much what my own cyncial view of our country echo's. All the blue areas are where you will find a large number of Grasshoopers so we, as a group that finds being prepared (ants) would make a simple equation : Blue =grasshoppers Grasshopers are bad for ants so blue would equate to a bad place for Ants.....ants to avoid blue areas at all costs.
My spouse wants to visit certain areas as we grow older but I am resisting because those areas are so Blue that there is no way I will be going there since they won't let me carry my own protection....nuff said.


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## siletz

The map wasn't surprising with all the blue blobs where you would think they would be. However, I thought it was interesting that 50% of the population lives in those 146 counties! It is helpful to realize that our prepping needs are affected by those around us. Thanks for the info.


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## boomer

Wow! Look at the con trails.


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## goshengirl

dixiemama said:


> Hahahaha I don't see one in KY. That's good news at least


There's one around Louisville. You're still good! :2thumb:


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## PrepN4Good

I'm next to a blue area too...& need to drive around it to get to my BOL. vract:


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## justme

I am two counties away from a blue area in my state but as I see the thought of me moving to the midwest were correct. I can't wait to move there.


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## dixiemama

I'm on my phone so its hard to see. I'm 4 hours from Louisville so its all good lol


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## CrackbottomLouis

zimmy said:


> I live close to one of those dark blue areas, but if and when the SHTF, I hope to be right here on my property.


That's one heck of a nice solar set up you have there


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## Jimmy24

Well if the map holds true, I'm in great shape for being in the SE USA. Closest blue to me is 5 hr drive time at 70 mph. That's a long walk....

Jimmy


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## Turtle

boomer said:


> Wow! Look at the con trails.


I think all if the trails from the cons lead to DC....


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## MDsapper

Turtle said:


> Very interesting statistic. It's about what I suspected; I live smack on the middle of the dark blue blob around the DC area. Hopefully, my wife and I will get my transfer to go through soon and I can remedy that situation.


i live in carroll county so its not blue but way to close to bodymore for comfort


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## mdprepper

MDsapper said:


> i live in carroll county so its not blue but way to close to bodymore for comfort


 Hazard County is blue. Hopefully, TSHTF after we move to WV where there isn't a blue dot in site!


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## UncleJoe

siletz said:


> However, I thought it was interesting that 50% of the population lives in those 146 counties!


That caught my attention too. I'm nearly 3 hours from the blue blob of Philly. About the same for Balt/DC.


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## majmill

No blue dots in sight, but smack dab in the hurricane zone!
I'm more worried about hurricanes than zombies.


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## jeff47041

I have the Indy, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Dayton blue dots all around me. Nice when I need something, but wow, I need to secure my perimeter!


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## crabapple

To my surprise, Greenville & Rockhill are the nearest blue dots, not Camden,Columbia or Lexington,
S.C.
I am better off then I thought, but there are still a lot of people in the three counties around the 
midlands.


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## brightstar

I'm really surprised the nearest blue dot to me is 5 hours in any direction. Thought for sure there would be one closer.


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## cqp33

I live over 100 miles to a dot! I love where I am at, no where!


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## Navajo

12 hr drive to a blue dot and that would be thru some very rough mountain ranges with the continental divide between me and them.

I'm good with that...


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## BillS

There are some limitations to the map. Where I live is in one county and we're right next to the other county. The total population for the two counties is about 350,000. Or more people than in the 15 counties of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The population is spread out here in NE Wisconsin but there are still a lot of people within a few miles of where I live. We're bugging in. I'm hoping to hide in plain sight.


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## Tweto

I live in Nebraska, I don't think I need to say any more.


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## BillS

The map would be more useful if they were more color coded for population. For example Loving County, Texas has 71 residents. Here in Wisconsin, only two counties are colored blue yet Waukesha County has 389,000 and Brown County has 248,000. I would consider those to be highly populated but they're the same color as Loving County, Texas with 71 residents. Also, the size of the county needs to be considered. There are some counties in California that are blue but they're bigger than some states in the North East.


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## GrinnanBarrett

If you are within fifty miles of a major metro you are too close. When things go really bad in the city there will be a period when the evil will eat the weak and once they have eaten everything and burned the rest they will look outside the city. The suburbs will go first and then the adjoining counties and on and on. There are some major metros that will be far worst than others. NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, New Orleans, Miami to name a few. 

I truly feel for the ones who cannot get out now. GB


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## crabapple

GB the problem with eating the weak is you let your guard down & sooner or later, someone going to eat you or drop you where you stand so your pack will stop to eat you.


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## prepperdave

Read the book called "Strategic Relocation" by Joel Skoulsen . The book is the perfect bugout book!!!

Idaho is where you'll find me....


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## gypsysue

A map by people per square mile would be more useful. Counties come in different sizes, acreage-wise, so that scews the numbers some. When we lived in SE Kentucky there were a bunch of tiny counties, but here in Montana there are 56 counties in as huge of a state as we are. Little ole Kentucky has 120 counties. 

That being said, I loved looking over the map!


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## sailaway

Im 50 miles from a blue county, but living in the middle of a city of 25,000 half of whom are zombies. I am looking for somewhere away from here.


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## lotsoflead

it will be 3-5 days where the blue is before the people who live there wake up and find out that this isn't a drill, by that time it will be too late for them to go anywhere, if a real economic collapse hits, all the stores will be cleaned out in a couple days, all the autos will be left where they ran out of gas setting in some line two miles from the pumps.
the smarter people will have left before FOX tells them what's happening. I've always been pretty much a loner and find that most people are greedy, stupid and depend on others for their survival in one way or another so even if you're 5 miles from the blue and if a lucky person makes it to your door, they'll most likely be on their hands and knees to weak to do any harm.


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## TheLazyL

lotsoflead said:


> i I've always been pretty much a loner and find that most people are greedy, stupid and depend on others for their survival in one way ...


Why did you drag my wife and in-laws into this?


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## LincTex

I'm a pretty fair distance from DFW, Austin or Houston. As long as gridlock occurs, I won't have to worry too much about vehicles, and the few that arrive would be dealt with individually (by the various ******** in the area, I am sure). Ain't nobody coming this far on foot (at least short term). The ones that DO make it after so many weeks/months might be handy folks to have around.


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## Sarasyn

I agree that the map isn't exactly the best example. We live a fair bit out from DFW, but close to a college town. If we don't get stragglers out of the metropolex, we're likely to see the college crowd and the local low income crowd that makes up most of our nearest city. It's a little misleading. Still makes me want to move even farther away from where we are.


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## HarleyRider

In 5 months I'm moving out of Miami to a small Tennessee town with a population of only 7,500 people. In Miami, there are at least that many people stuck in traffic within a 10-mile stretch. 

Also, practically no one in Miami speaks English... only Spanish. It will be great to go anywhere in the county and be understood.


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## brightstar

HarleyRider said:


> In 5 months I'm moving out of Miami to a small Tennessee town with a population of only 7,500 people. In Miami, there are at least that many people stuck in traffic within a 10-mile stretch.  Also, practically no one in Miami speaks English... only Spanish. It will be great to go anywhere in the county and be understood.


Just wanted to say yay for TN


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## jeff47041

HarleyRider said:


> In 5 months I'm moving out of Miami to a small Tennessee town with a population of only 7,500 people. In Miami, there are at least that many people stuck in traffic within a 10-mile stretch.
> 
> Also, practically no one in Miami speaks English... only Spanish. It will be great to go anywhere in the county and be understood.


I went just south of Miami to Coral Gables one time for a week for work. I was amazed that there really was no one that spoke English. I love Cuban food though, so I would just go into restaurants and point to the picture on the menu what I wanted.
Talk about feeling like a complete stranger.


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## jeff47041

brightstar said:


> Just wanted to say yay for TN


Hey brightstar, what's that in your avatar? Awesome!


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## Immolatus

I've started a secret thread for us DC suburbanites to decide exactly whos house were coming to. We will make quite the horde!
I'm voting for Sentry's house!

I'm about 20 miles outside DC, and pretty sure none of them are making it this far. More worried about my own neighbors.


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## Turtle

Immolatus said:


> I've started a secret thread for us DC suburbanites to decide exactly whos house were coming to. We will make quite the horde!
> I'm voting for Sentry's house!
> 
> I'm about 20 miles outside DC, and pretty sure none of them are making it this far. More worried about my own neighbors.


It really is amazing how quickly the setting changes once you are out of the city/endlessly-sprawling-suburb. My wife and I have been house hunting lately. She being from Maine, has said more than once, "Aaargh! I hate this state!" But, as soon as you head 20 minutes out from the liberal mess that is the cluster of Baltimore/Anne Arundel/Prince George/Montgomery/Howard counties... We crossed into Carroll County and she said, "wow! It's like a whole different state! I like it out here!" Same with Frederick County and the Eastern Shore.


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## Xlegionnaire

I am right where I want to be! Just far enough out of town and close enough to the rockies to disappear!


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## brightstar

jeff47041 said:


> Hey brightstar, what's that in your avatar? Awesome!


That would be my son  just turned 6 months


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## LincTex

Turtle said:


> It really is amazing how quickly the setting changes once you are out of the city/endlessly-sprawling-suburb. .....


What stinks about being out in the country that close to the city is that the folks that know about it (including you and your wife) would be predispositioned to head to that area if something bad happens. I would hate to be in that area if there is a large outflux from the city.


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## Outpost

Turtle said:


> Very interesting statistic. It's about what I suspected; I live smack on the middle of the dark blue blob around the DC area. Hopefully, my wife and I will get my transfer to go through soon and I can remedy that situation.


Transfer up here to NH!

We can *always* use LEOs with their heads screwed on straight and their hearts in the right place!
(Even if they're Feds!)


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## TheLazyL

_"Where You Don't Want to Be When It Hits the Fan"_

Not at the sister-in-laws......PLEASE not at the sister-in-laws!!!!!!!!!


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## merks

We live 4-6 hrs from any blue on the map. But as others have said, there are to cities that are 60-75 miles away that I consider to be blue. The one I feel we would be fairly safe from, because they would have to go those 75 miles over a mountain pass. If they had to walk, they most likely would not make it, especially in the winter or summer. There is nothing between here and there except a few ranchers and they will likely defend their property to the fullest. As for the other town, if they make it, I believe they will be handled on an individual basis.


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## Ridge-Runner

It'll be 7 years ago this month that I up and moved from a blue blob to a rural location. However, looking at the map I see a blue blob that is far too close for comfort.

Ultimately I'd love to be in WV, but it's looking pretty good out west too.


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## BillS

crabapple said:


> GB the problem with eating the weak is you let your guard down & sooner or later, someone going to eat you or drop you where you stand so your pack will stop to eat you.


You can put it this way: Maybe 30% of households have guns but only about 3% of people are prepping. I would expect there to be a lot of gun battles only for the perps to find out the people they killed have no food. And I would expect attackers to take casualties.


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## LincTex

BillS said:


> You can put it this way: Maybe 30% of households have guns but only about 3% of people are prepping. I would expect there to be a lot of gun battles only for the perps to find out the people they killed have no food. And I would expect attackers to take casualties.


That's one possible scenario. Maybe not at first... but after a few weeks?


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## redhorse

Best to have a support group... Safety in numbers. In most two people or small family house holds, who's is going to stand watch all of the time? How many is enough? Will we see the huge pillaging gangs that the fiction writers pen about?  Chaches help, but once your garden/crops and livestock are decimated, it is hard to replace them. Maybe after the first year you can rebuild the gardens with saved seeds, but what if there is another catastrophe the following year? Even if you save a few animals and get to safety, inbreeding and/or old age could be an issue down the road. I have a feeling wild stocks will be in short supply for a few years after SHTF. I wish I could afford to find a homestead way out in the boonies.

Yeah I'm on a downer week, sorry. Keep on prepping on, something is better than nothing.


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## Padre

Outpost said:


> Transfer up here to NH!
> 
> We can always use LEOs with their heads screwed on straight and their hearts in the right place!
> (Even if they're Feds!)


I would.like to second that


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## Sybil6

Ugh. This brings back my CDC dread. I live two hours from Atlanta. My dread started when The Walking Dead started and I realized thatCDC would have HUNDREDS of people flock to it. Uggghhhh. So glad we're not even a cross through town for people bound to Atlanta! Just hope that if shtf it isn't because the CDC messed something up and let a serious virus run amok.


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## Turtle

Outpost said:


> Transfer up here to NH!
> 
> We can always use LEOs with their heads screwed on straight and their hearts in the right place!
> (Even if they're Feds!)


Thank you! Believe it or not, NH is on our list of possibilities. Maine is at the top, as that's where my wife's family is located, but NH, RI, and MA are up there, too.


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## Tweto

I'm just trying to add a little more thought on this. When SHTF, the whole New England area will be bad. There is maybe 70 million people in that area including Boston, New York, Philly, and surrounding areas that will consider the New England area as their refuge when they realize that they will need to BO.

New Hampshire has only 1.4 million now but could have 10 million after SHTF. I think most people that live in metropolitan areas get conditioned by being around millions of people and then when they go to the "country" they think that 1.4 million in a small state like New Hampshire is rural.

My perspective (being from Nebraska) is that New Hampshire is a beautiful state but is very populated, so is Vermont, New York state, Conn, and Mass. Maine is the only state that maybe OK, but I doubt it.

All I'm saying is that if a person with no experience with thinly populated areas would get their minds blown if they came to North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Montana.

Sorry Texans, you have 25 million people (almost as many has Canada). West Texas is the exception.

Ask yourself one question. Do you think that anyone that lives here (central US) would even consider moving to New England to BO? It would never happen!


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## hiwall

That's why I like Arizona. Warmer in winter, only six and a half million people, 60,555,737 acres of public land.


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## BillM

To quote Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz", "There's no place like home !"


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## LincTex

BillM said:


> To quote Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz", "There's no place like home !"


Yes, as long as you can keep others from making your home become their home!


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