Wow! Things sure have changed lately, haven’t they?
There’s a good chance that the virus will be gone and done sometime relatively soon (a season or two, maybe a year or two) but it may also be with us for good. I’m thrilled I’m not living in a 350 square foot apartment in Brooklyn like some of my friends are, but even a half acre of real estate in the suburbs seems too small, especially for self-sufficiency. Growing food here is impossible because of rampant deer, protected by people who’ve watched Bambi and think it’s normal to have them as lawn ornaments. So I’m beginning to wonder where there might be more resilient communities, places that have a sense of social cohesion (e.g. not Trump country), aren’t desperately poor and full of meth and opioids (again, not Trump country), where people live more closely to the Earth (this is very important). Ideally, it’d be somewhere in the Northeast (so it could be a second home as we live in northern NJ) and be kind of affordable (I know, I’m dreaming). As I’m in my early 50s, there should be a real hospital there.
Places I’m considering:
The Hudson Valley
Vermont (a bit far, but probably the best bet)
Maine (quite far, but a good choice)
The Berkshires (I grew up there, so it’s a real possibility)
Bucks County, PA
Western NJ near the Delaware River (the least interesting, but the most accessible)
Definitely NOT a city of any size.
Am I missing anything else?
Is anybody else out there looking?
