Escaping Civilization

[Michelle]

Where could one go if one wanted to escape civilization? Factors I am especially interested in are safety, ability to live from the land, manageable climate and peace.

[WanderingOak]

I guess it would depend on your reasons for escaping 'civilization'. Are you just tired of 'urban sprawl' or are you fed up with people in general? I have lived 'off the land' in Kentucky, with no car, power lines, running water, phones, etc., and I survived to tell the tale. I was by myself and got pretty lonely after a while, and I did have to rely on my neighbors for transportation. There are parts of the Appalachian Mountains in the US that are pretty far off the beaten track, where property values are quite affordable. The land would need to be cleared of trees if you were going to farm, though, so you would need a chansaw and either a tractor or a team of horses to do the job right. I had the advantage of living on an already established farm.

If you don't mind cold weather, Upstate New York would be another option. The soil is extremely fertile up that way, and there is plenty of clean water. The growing season is short, but the fertility of the soil comes close to making up for that. Hundreds of farms went under in the 1920s-30s, and many have not been redeveloped. The area is not quite as heavily forested as the Appalachians, although you would still have to do some land clearing. A fair warning that taxes are a bit high in NY, and they have some strict gun control laws. There are many lawmakers who assume that the entire state consists of Manhattan Island.

I am assuming by your wanting 'safety' and 'peace', that you just don't want to live in a war zone, or where there might be Guerillas...

[openeyes]

For starters, I'd recommend this site: (The Anthropik Network)

The 30 theses are particularly interesting: The Thirty Theses (The Anthropik Network)