Entry: Why South Dakota Is A Great Bug Out Location

This guest post by Cindi N and entry in our non-fiction writing contest.

I’ve been reading the entries for a few months now. At first I didn’t feel I had much to contribute because everyone seemed so knowledgeable and way ahead of the curve on preparations. Frankly I was a little intimidated by the level of preparations some people were at. Me, not so much, but not for lack of trying. I just started at a much lower point and I have a lot of catch up to do. I’ve learned a lot reading the entries into the contest and I would like to offer my humble opinion as to why the upper Midwest is a great Bug out location.

I live in the SE corner of South Dakota. It’s not an area high on anyone’s list of desirable places to live and I think that is why it’s a great bug out locale. First and foremost we have lower populations in this area. Midwestern values are of strong self-reliance. Where I live specifically is on the road to no where. Sioux Falls has a population of around 150,000 and is the largest town in South Dakota. Strong agriculture and pioneer spirit are still proudly claimed. The climate is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. We here are proud of our resilience and think the weather keeps the wimps away. If you lived in Minneapolis, Chicago or Omaha you really wouldn’t need to come through here, so unless you’re making a big east-west move you’d never see the area.

So many small towns dot the state it is impossible to sell just one. But using my own small town as an example, when I read Patriots I realized immediately my own little town is the perfect in town retreat. Population of 850, surrounded by fertile fields, where cows outnumber people. I would bet most people have multiple firearms and think nothing of it. We lost our local police officer years ago but the crime rate is so low that the county provides our law enforcement and isn’t real busy here. Home values are dirt cheap by most standards.

Our own home, 1450 sq feet on a half-acre cost us 47,500. The home across the street for sale right now is being offered at 65,000 and includes 4 bedrooms. We’re a mile from one state road and 8 miles from another. There is no reason to drive through here and the same can be said for many small towns in the upper Midwest. If we need anything we have the aforementioned big cities to travel to easily. Local employment relates to the growing ethanol industry and businesses that support agriculture. To say we would love to have some new businesses to replace the ones where the owners retired is an understatement. My town alone used to have a second grocery store, a second restaurant, a meat market, a coffee shop, a bridal store and a movie theater. If starting your own business and living locally is your dream you’d be highly welcomed in most upper Midwest towns.

If 850 is too small then two towns of 12,000 are within an hour. Across the state are many small to medium towns with lots of available real estate and self-reliant attitudes. Hunting and fishing rule outdoor activities and the state is generally divided by the Missouri into east river and west river. West river will have many more large ranches and open spaces; east river is more agricultural and urban.

Natural resources wise, Native Americans lived here for thousands of years before settlers did. Most farms have wells. We have an unused well in the back yard that we could reclaim if necessary. The sun shines frequently and the wind blows often, making solar and wind power very viable. If you plan on using wood you’d need to plant it. Our friends use a wood furnace to heat and have a 20 year supply of wood in shelter belts around their property. Most people here grown their own vegetable gardens, raise their own livestock and make their own decisions without the interference of local government.

We have a long history of 1 room school houses that were abandoned about 30 years ago and the idea that parents are more important in a child’s education than the government is. I have the room to set up my own archery range in my back yard and not bother anyone. Residents on the edge of town have permission to have small livestock. We don’t have the booming oil and gas industry that North Dakota does so we don’t get a lot of transients here. We do have a local medical clinic, a chiropractor and a nursing home. Auto repair, body shop and hardware store are also thriving.

Another plus: Every small town in small town America has a volunteer ambulance and fire department. I belong to one, where I received my EMT training FOR FREE in exchange for responding to calls and helping out. We buy our beef locally and get a say in how it’s fed; our chickens also come from a local supplier that raises organic. Our milk is raw from the local dairy and our honey comes from a farm 5 miles away, as does our eggs. We bought a lamb from the local farmer and butchered it in our garage. To say we live the spoiled life when it comes to the quality of our food is an understatement. Within 12 miles are 2 other towns that have small town cafes, a milk processing plant, manufacturing, bars, more grocery stores, a private Christian school, Ag businesses and farm supply. If I was really bullish on local businesses I wouldn’t have to drive more than 12 miles to get anything but clothing.
On the negative side there is a lot of GMO crops being raised in the area also. The spring is wet and you can’t leave a house unattended or the basement will flood and grow mold. It would be easy to hire a caretaker to keep the sump pump going however. Many people really hate the icy cold winters. The climate is too cold to grow any nuts and fruits need a lot of TLC. You’ll need to be masterful at public relations if you want to make any big changes but if you just want to blend in you’d have no problems. There are local contractors in virtually every craft but they sometimes get a little possessive and know they’ll be there eventually to fix what you messed up and you’ll pay for that. As I mentioned there are no clothing stores in the local areas and if your child needs a white shirt for school you’ll be driving 35 miles to get one. No local food is delivered, so if you have that late night craving for pizza or Chinese food you’ll be out of luck.

So there you have it.

This contest will end on April 22 2013  – prizes include:

• First Place winner will receive - A $500 dollar gift certificate courtesy of LPC Survival that is good for $500 off anything on their site. And  a Wonder Junior Deluxe hand-mill courtesy of Kitchen Kneads,
• Second Place winner will receive – Two cases of MRE’s courtesy of Camping Survival and a $150 gift certificate off of Hornady Ammo from LuckyGunner.
• Third Place winner will receive –  a one year subscription to Personal VPN service courtesy of unspyable.

Well what are you waiting for – email your entries today. But please read the rules that are listed below first… 

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