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I'm getting a little tired of "hacking" my paleo lifestyle and would like to relocate in the next couple of years to somewhere that I can:

  • see the full night sky (zero light pollution)
  • not have to use blackout curtains to get a good night's sleep
  • not have to use earplugs
  • go barefoot 90% of the year
  • walk/cycle to acquire everything I need
  • hunt big game in my own backyard

BUT with a couple of modern trappings:

  • super-fast internet availability (FiOS-speed)
  • cultural center within 100 miles -- concerts, people doing creative stuff (film, music)

Does it exist? Will it exist (optical fiber rollouts, etc.)?

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if you build it, they will come........sorry :) – sage_ Sep 3 2011 at 16:23
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I'm from the W. Coast, raised in WA state and probably: Idaho. Canada. Alaska. Northern CA near the Redwoods. – jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com Sep 3 2011 at 17:17
May I ask what do you do for a living? I am still undecided on a career path and would love to one day have the freedom to do what you are trying to do. – JS Paleo Sep 3 2011 at 17:20
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Zero light pollution and 100 miles to a cultural center? I think you're going to have to revise your constraints. – smcdow Sep 3 2011 at 19:18
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co.humboldt.ca.us/portal/about.asp – Atkins-witha-loincloth Sep 3 2011 at 21:45
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14 Answers

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Possibly somewhere near Flagstaff, AZ? Flagstaff is a Dark Sky city (because their economy relies partially on the Lowell Observatory). I was there for two and a half weeks earlier this year and it was rather quiet, rather dark, and I was able to walk everywhere I needed (including to major stores and the "natural foods" store that sold all sorts of meat including elk and ostrich). I think there is hunting nearby, so if you lived just outside of town it's a possibility that you could hunt in your backyard. FiOS is probably available. Flagstaff is a college town, so pretty much anything you need is readily available.

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The Ozarks. We live 3 miles from a small town, but the county seat so, everything we need, including a little WalMart and a Pizza Hut - population 900. No traffic lights, but a couple of stop signs. 30 miles from WalMart headquarters, and the UofA. We have 20 acres with deer sightings daily and live on the river. It is so dark out here, I can barely find my way to the car at night. $300 property tax (take that CA!). High speed internet though I don't know what FiOS is. We can barefoot 350 days of the year. (Don't be scared by the twice-mentioned WalMart. This is WalMart country.) AND I buy my grass-fed buffalo directly from the farm 50 miles away for $5 a pound!

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too bad about all tha wal-mart pollution – sage_ Sep 4 2011 at 0:55
you forgot about the culture parameter... i would curl up and die. honestly, i can't think of anything right now that sounds more terrifying than Walmart in the Ozarks. – g. Sep 4 2011 at 2:15
I'm also in NW Arkansas, but in one of the cities proper. Have 50MBPS cable internet. That's the main thing. You can get the hunting area/darkness pretty quickly as you go outside the main cities, but it gets a little harder (not impossible) to find cable internet. – Crate Sep 30 2011 at 0:11
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Australia. All the big cities are on the coast. The sky is BIG there.

Or outside Denver/Boulder.

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very hard to get good internet outside the big cities though... – LiamDownUnder Sep 3 2011 at 22:52
Damn! That's the other side of the world! – Korion Sep 4 2011 at 15:23
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I used to live here. Its in southeast Utah - the four corners region. I've lived in al sorts of places in the US - this is by far the most remote and generally people don't give a crap what you hang in your backyard. There is no light pollution because there are no lights. Stargazing is excellent here. Mountains are close enough for elk and deer hunting. Rabbits are plentiful.

It's the desert so it's warm and very sunny most of the year. But watch out for those goathead thorns. They'll lodge right into your foot and make you mad that you decided to go barefoot. Sandals may be better here.

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Salmon Idaho would be fairly close.

3 hours drive south of Missoula Montana and three hours noth of Idaho Falls. Basically three hours from civilization. A town of 3000. Have your cows, chickens.

go barefoot 90% of the year

Snow would keep you from doing this...

walk/cycle to acquire everything I need

We useally stay 10 miles out of town. As you get closer it may see some light polution.

hunt big game in my own backyard. Not a problem.

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Maybe a rural outpost of Seattle, WA or Portland, OR. I'm not sure of the big game but you'd catch nice fish up there.

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Th Olympic Peninsula meets most of these requirements, if you can stand the relative lack of sun. Areas near Sequim are good--in the rainshadow, but a very fertile valley. Close to Seattle & Victoria, B.C.

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Sounds like Hawaii to me. No big game of course, but lots of shark-fishing!

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of course...you would need to take into consideration future drought projections. They're pretty scary, and have led me to consider buying land somewhere far north of here (here being NYC). – Futureboy Sep 3 2011 at 17:47
Native Hawaiians don't appreciate anyone fishing for & eating sharks. I would strongly advise against it. – Patrik Sep 3 2011 at 17:54
I guess there's lots of big tuna out there too, right? – Futureboy Sep 3 2011 at 17:58
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From what I have read, Northern Idaho/Eastern Washington seems to be nice. Many outdoor activities, but within driving distance to Spokane. You can still find acreage without the cost/taxes being too restrictive. Although the convenience will depend on which job you have (might have a long commute). Might get a little cold to be barefoot 90% of the year.

I was just out in Colorado (Boulder and Estes Park area) and was able to get a great view of the night sky. Quiet, with people biking all over. Again, might be hard to go barefoot 90% of the year, and the soil will most likely not be as good if you want to start a garden/raise chickens. It is very dry in the area.

With modern conveniences comes population growth. If you find a place that has all you want, except for the conveniences, that is your best bet. You can't have the conveniences without the population/traffic and vice versa. Sometimes all it takes is a high speed rail line between the rural place and a large city.

For something in the Northeast, I would mainly look towards Northern New England and Maine.

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I live here - much too long of a winter for extended barefooting. – none Sep 3 2011 at 17:40
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The Rockies or the Canadian Badlands might work.

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Saskatchewan, Canada, where hubby and I live, 80 acres, surrounded by forest, no close neighbours, brilliant night skies, a lot of wild animals, huge gardens, grass fed flesh foods, 2 cities (one small, one about 1/4 million) within 1.5 hours, and yes, high speed Internet.

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But the snow!!! Oh god the snow... ;) – Bex Sep 5 2011 at 17:34
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Sounds like Santa Fe, NM. Biking/walking might be a bit tough, but some neighborhoods are more conducive than others. As for big game? I don't know if they have elk, but there's deer and antelope. Maybe bear?

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Lots of places in South America like that but without the fast internet. That's why they have some of the biggest/best telescopes down there. Also lots of unadulterated beef and seafood.

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Not sure about the hunting either... – saiklón Sep 30 2011 at 1:05
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I don't know if you can pull off going barefoot 90% of the time up there.

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this looks like a comment rather than an answer--who are you answering, Papa? – Zev Averbach Sep 3 2011 at 18:37

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