Today, millions of American families are considering a move to another part of the country because of the growing economic problems that the United States is experiencing. In the past, most Americans would normally just ride recessions out and would be able to safely assume that things would get back to “normal” sooner or later. But for many Americans, this time just feels different. Unemployment has never stayed this high for this long since the Great Depression. Thousands of our factories and millions of our jobs have been shipped overseas, and many of our formerly great cities (such as Detroit) have been turned into deindustrialized wastelands. The federal government and most state governments are essentially bankrupt and continue to get into more debt at an accelerating pace. Meanwhile, Helicopter Ben Bernanke and his cohorts at the Federal Reserve have fired up the printing presses in a desperate attempt to revive the U.S. economy. Many believe that by flooding the financial system with paper money that they are setting in motion a series of events which will eventually lead to the death of the dollar. With so much wrong with our economy, is it any wonder why more Americans are deeply concerned about the state of the economy today than at any other time since World War II?
As the economy continues to crumble and as millions of Americans find it nearly impossible to find a good job, many of them have been wondering if things are any better in other parts of the country. And without a doubt, some areas of the U.S. are complete and total disaster zones at this point. For example, so many houses have been abandoned in Detroit that the mayor has proposed bulldozing one-fourth of the city. In Las Vegas, it was estimated that approximately 65 percent of all homes with a mortgage were “underwater” at the height of the housing crash. The number of people unemployed in the state of California is approximately equal to the populations of Nevada, New Hampshire and Vermont combined.
Unfortunately, there is every indication that the U.S. economy is going to get even worse.
So if the economy does collapse, where should people go? What would be the best U.S. state to move to?
Well, in choosing a place to live, the following are some of the factors that you will want to consider….
#1 You Need To Make Money
Unless you are independently wealthy or you work for yourself, you are going to have to find a way to make money. For most people, that means getting a job. Unfortunately, jobs are only going to become harder and harder to get in the years ahead. In fact, right now there are not a lot of areas in the U.S. where jobs are plentiful. It has been said that there is some work up in Montana and in the Dakotas because of all the oil that has been found there, but other than that there are not a whole lot of bright spots out there. Many Americans are trying to become independent and build their own businesses, but that is not always an easy thing to do either.
#2 Lower Housing Prices And A Lower Standard Of Living
Many Americans are packing up and moving from states that have a very high cost of living (such as New York or California) and are moving to areas where housing is cheaper and where it doesn’t take as much money to live. After all, why pay half a million for a house when you can get the same house for $200,000 in another part of the country? Many people are discovering that a lifestyle with fewer bills and a smaller monthly budget can be extremely liberating.
#3 Food And Water Independence
More Americans than ever are becoming concerned about food and water independence. After all, if the U.S. economy does totally collapse someday, how will we all feed our families? 100 years ago, most Americans grew at least some of their own food. Today, very few Americans do that. Fortunately, a growing number of Americans have started to grow “survival gardens” and/or have started to store up emergency food supplies. If the inflationary policies of the Federal Reserve do end up totally trashing the U.S. dollar, the food that you and your family have stored up will end up being a great investment. In addition, in 2010 many Americans are looking for a place where it is possible to grow food and where water is plentiful when picking out a new area to move to. Owning a fertile piece of land is going to be a great asset to have in the years to come.
#4 Community And Crime
If the U.S. economy does collapse, rioting and gang violence will turn many American cities into war zones. Just remember what happened to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit. That is a Sunday picnic compared to what could happen if the U.S. economy falls apart. Many Americans can see what is coming and they are moving out of the big cities. But wherever you move to, you will not be alone. So do your research ahead of time. Are you moving to an area where the people are friendly and helpful? Will you have family and close friends in the region? It is always good to have a support system around you – especially when times get hard.
#5 During Hard Times Weather Makes A Difference
During good times it is fairly easy to live just about anywhere, but if the economy falls apart the elements will become a bigger factor. For example, if you plan to totally rely on the power company, do you really want to live some place where it gets down to 20 or 30 below on a regular basis? What is your backup plan if basic services shut down for an extended period of time? How will you provide power and heat for your family? In addition, do you want to move some place incredibly hot if you can’t always count on having air conditioning? The truth is that weather can make a huge difference in your lifestyle. The desert or the mountains may sound appealing now, but when you are trying to grow food they may not seem so great then.
These are just a few of the things to take into account when choosing a new place to live. There are certainly many others to think about as well.
But all of us should be starting to think about these things. Now is the time to prepare – not later. When the U.S. economy does collapse, millions of American families will be scrambling to come up with a plan, but by then it will be too late.
Unfortunately, we are already starting to see signs of inflation. The price of gas has risen 6 cents a gallon over the past week, and a recent CNBC report detailed some of the shocking price increases that we have been seeing for agricultural commodities….
The Standard & Poor’s GSCI agricultural commodities index is up 25 percent for the year and 16 percent in the last quarter alone. Among the big gainers: cotton (90 percent for the year), coffee (45 percent) and Kansas wheat (31 percent). Sugar’s price has zoomed 26 percent in the fourth quarter, while corn, which is used to make so many other products, is up 20 percent for the year.
So what are some of the states that many Americans are choosing to move to?
Well, in no particular order, the following are some of the states that Americans have been moving to in an attempt to insulate themselves from the coming economic problems. Please feel free to debate the pros and cons of these states (or make additional suggestions) in the comments section following the article….
*Montana
*Idaho
*North Dakota
*South Dakota
*Wyoming
*Colorado
*Nebraska
*Kansas
*Alaska
*Oklahoma
*Arkansas
*Missouri
*Tennessee
*Kentucky
*West Virginia
*Maine
*Washington
*Oregon
*Vermont
*New Hampshire
*Virginia (the mountains)
*North Carolina
So what do you think about this list? Which state do you think is best for those Americans who are seeking to insulate themselves from the coming economic meltdown?