i have been reading about these sanctuaries and i thought i would talk about mine. first off, i have a small place located outside of kelso Washington. it is a manufacture home on three acres with 1 outbuilding. i used to have a condo in downtown portland (oregon) but sold it when i saw the market getting saturated (which is ironic, i build condos for a living). i chose the area i live now because i grew up here and i know the area intimately. another reason was for the economic infrastructure. the longview kelso area has a deep water port, rail lines, and is located on the I-5 corridor. i know most of you would think of that as a bad thing, but in case of an recovery, i believe this to be good. also, my home is in the hills with only one way in (there are actually a few, my property is surrounded by weyerhaeuser timber property, but they have locked gated on thiere roads) and is easily defend able. i have a year round creek 100 yards from my home, and a seasonal creek 20 feet away. i have good neighbors that i know real well and we always help each other out (i am also stocking some provisions for them: just not to the extent that i am for my self). this place is nice, but this is not my main retreat.
now for the main retreat. about 20 miles from my home is our family property. it is a 250 acrers tree farm with one farm house and 3 outbuilding (actually 5 if you count the wood shed and pump house). water is a 180' well with electric pump that supplies the house. there is an addition well with a manual pump out by on of the barns. the house was build in the mid 1920's and is structurally sound. the road in is a dead end (actually it is not, county road ends, but private forest road begins) and this place is one of the last houses on the road. all neighbors are family members or friends. during the great depression, everybody helped each other out here, and basically it is all still the same families. though the property is primarily timber land, we do have room for a garden and for livestock. the current garden plot is 50' x 100' but we could easily quadruple that. there is pasture (about 15 acers worth) that hasn't been used for 20 years, but with a couple of goats, the brush could be cleared in one winter season.
i would have to say one of the most important things about a safe place is, make sure you have friendly neighbors. don't let them now to much and don't completly put your trust in them, but make sure you know them well.
