One of the many books I have related to the concepts of Preparedness and Survival is Strategic Relocation. Mr. Skousen is a political scientist, by training, specializing in the philosophy of law and Constitutional theory, and is also a designer of high security residences and retreats. I had heard about Mr. Skousen several years ago when I purchased another of his books The Secure Home which I plan to review later.

I purchased my copy of Strategic Relocation in May of 2012 and wanted to give a review of the book and my thoughts on its usefulness as a resource to Preppers. I plan to do the same to many other books I have purchased along the way as I continue to build my library of reference material.

Strategic Relocation was rewritten in 2011 and expanded to 400 pages. I did not have the original version but this new version is a treasure trove of data for anyone looking to either better understand where they live and the potential threats they face or the Prepper who wants to move to a new location.

The book is broken into sections dealing with information from a high level going down into finite detail on the various countries and ending with each State in the US. The first section is called “Essential Criteria” and covers big picture information as related to the concerns of your average Prepper. Mr. Skousen takes this opportunity to present his worldview, makes the case for what he is saying and I must admit I agree with him on virtually every point. I think that this section is a great overview to the reader who needs to be sold but may be redundant for someone who I expect knows what the subject matter of the book at large is for. Nevertheless, I think there is a lot of good information in this opening section and it may offer something to people that already consider themselves Preppers

After setting the stage for why you should be considering your relocation options, Mr. Skousen goes into Geography and Climate. Strategic Relocation explains the benefits and risks of each facet of climate and how it could impact your decision on where to relocate. Earthquake and Volcano data is presented on a global scale so you can see how your location stacks up against the competition. Politics, Crime Rates, Standards of Living even potential War gaming from Mr. Skousen’s perspective. Strategic Relocation finishes off the first section of his book with an analysis of different countries and geographic zones titled “Selecting a safe Country”.

Section two offers more detailed information on climate, taxes, Nuclear Plants, Missile silos and the political environment of the US. The final section is a state by state analysis and rating. For each state, Strategic Relocation offers between 0 and 5 stars for its relocation rank. Spoiler Alert!! California and New York are not the highest rated states.

Each state’s page offers general information on Climate, Cost of Living, Private Land Availability, Building Permits, Food Production, Heath, Politics, Urban Planning (Agenda21), Taxes, Corruption, Gun Liberty, Homeschooling and Military targets. There is some really good information here and Mr. Skousen does an excellent job of presenting factual information he has backed up with data. The book is packed with maps and diagrams. The nail in the coffin are his “Strategies for Populated Living Areas” where he tells you what areas to avoid and “Retreat Areas” where he shows you almost to the highway boundaries where to move if you have to move to that state.

This book offers a ton of information and I am glad I purchased it. In doing so, I already knew, in general terms some of the information covered in Strategic Relocation. For example, no one in their right mind would want to relocate to New York City if you are planning on putting yourself or your family in anything remotely resembling safety.

What I did learn was a lot about my state and the neighboring states that I didn’t know. I learned that one state over held a much higher potential for retreat security so I was able to adjust my plans. This book is also highly valuable if for example I am forced to move to another state due to a change in work. I can use this resource to plan where I should move to and what to stay away from.

In terms of a resource for Preppers who want to gain valuable intelligence into virtually all areas of the globe and succinct guidance on where to move, this book is for you. I highly recommend you get a copy for yourself.