This is a good conversation string that deserves a little more input.

Wyoming - "The way America used to be"

Winters are brutal.

Summers are NOT mild.

Soil is alkali and needs a lot of intervention.

Thanks to the UN, Agenda 21 and eastern liberals, our forests are full of wolves and grizzlies.

Lots of meddling out-of-staters who want to decide what Wyoming is and will be.

The Yellowstone caldera. If it blows we'll all be dead within minutes.



Now on the plus side.

Open carry.

CCW permit not required.

Sheriffs are the chief law enforcement officials.

Some of the best game hunting and fishing anywhere.

Less people in the state than in a square mile of the Boswash corridor.

No income tax.

Low sales tax.

Self-reliance IS the word and lifestyle.

I may be biased, ah what the heck, of course I am! Living in Iowa has many pros when it comes to survival post-collapse.

Soil - can't get much better than the black gold covering most of this state.
Rainfall - ample, otherwise all those crops wouldn't grow every year
Low population - avoid the few bigger cities and you have plenty of elbow room
Forests and lakes - well... ok, so not all are pros
Weather - summers aren't bad, winters suck

Well, I have the rainfall and the weather concerns covered here. Population density is a minor concern since I live far enough away from the large urban center that it will not be as huge a problem as living right at the city limit. Mountainous terrain is quite a ways north and west of here but game is plentiful even in the suburban/rural area where I live. More small game than big game but, a food source nonetheless.
I wouldn't mind having a more mountainous piece of land so that I could maybe burrow into a mountainside to create a bunker type living arrangement. The possibility of natural caves occurring would be another plus for the site.
If my fantasy ideal location were obtainable, it would be more of a valley type location but high enough that flooding is not a concern no matter how much rainfall occurs. Ringed by rugged mountains with travel lanes over and through, a fair river, some streams and a lake or two, all full of various types of fish. Both wooded and plains type areas to carry different types of game, natural caves in a few strategic locations, reasonable weather to make ranching workable but not routine weather. Various resources around the area to make continuing life a bit easier than if all is lost. And rich, arable land such that I'd better be sure to step back quickly when planting crops to keep from being poked in the eye when it suddenly sprouts.
It's a fantasy but it would certainly be nice if it was real and I had it.

Here are my personal priorities for the best place to live in a societal collapse:
Number one priority is sufficient rainfall to supply quality drinking water and year round streams.
Number 2 is mountainous terrain with heavy forest growth and lots of big game.
Number 3 priority is very low population density and no large cities nearby.
Number 4 is weather, mild winters and not too hot of a summer.

Anywhere east of the Rockies is out of the question. Its too overcrowded and the weather is miserable. West Virginia is OK but for me it gets too darn cold to be living outdoors during the winter months, same with rural Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. If the winters will kill you when your forced outdoors then its not a good choice for a survival situation.

Texas and Alaska might be good choices seeing as how there are large numbers of independently minded folks already there. Of course, that may prevent many from even getting there in the first place, unless they know someone well enough.
I'll just set up housekeeping right here. I know my area, where I can safely get into, where to avoid and where there are items that may be useful for what may come.
Realistically, anywhere else may not be logically a good or appropriate choice. I think the best location to live when or if there is a collapse of society would be most locations that are as far from a major metropolitan area as is possible. Most of the government dependents and others who are not so independently minded, the ones who are more likely to be rioters, looters or brigands, my opinion of course. That and an area where any of us has the most familiarity, the home field advantage ya know.

Florida may turn out ok , has now a tough new Gover... Rick Scott who is doing all the right stuff cutting waste and government any way he can... this will do great good down the road ... also Florida is Very strong on American values ......... the storms you can make out if you do not live ocean side and build strong buildings ,,, lots of people get hurt because they try to live in mobile homes, or on the cheap... they did not use good planning or buildings at all... WE will see........and it's not so cold as to kill you with out electric , you can live year round without heating... summer can get hard ,, but it's not a killer.......lots small farmers to supply food etc. lots unused land still ........