Would you choose to live near the ocean?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) Preparation Forum : One Thread

If you had a choice between two equally rural areas, both in the northeast US, one inland and one near the ocean, which would you pick and why?

How does being very near the ocean affect farming and gardening? I've been looking at satellite photos and there's not many farms right along the coast.

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), July 20, 1999

Answers

Definitely go inland.

I have several prejudices on the matter, and don't get me wrong, I've spent some wonderful times on the coast in New England.

While it is true that the coast will moderate daily temperature fluctuations to a certain degree, living there in the winter time is no picnic. Yes, you could be closer to the water so that you could potentially go fishing if you needed food, but have you ever fished the Atlantic in the winter time?

You are much more likely to find a place to drill a well for fresh water inland than near the ocean, and FRESH water will be the biggest concern if TSHTF.

The sea air also has an effect on the growth of vegetation. One of the reasons why Connecticut has more trees today than it did 100 years ago is that there are many fewer farms in Connecticut now. Why? Well, one reason is that there is no salt water breeze in Kansas to inhibit the growth of wheat.

I'm sure that others will have good reasons as well.

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), July 20, 1999.


The place I'm considering (near Bar Harbor, Maine) already has a well, and there are some lakes and streams there. I wasn't especially planning on fishing in the ocean in the winter, but may be some of the local folks will. (There are some relatively sheltered inlets there).

-- biker (y2kbiker@worldnet.att.net), July 20, 1999.

Biker, I'll be near the ocean in the southeast. I'm trying to find out about using sea water to drink. There is one filter system-- expensive, but it looks good. We also have a river in the area--not sure how near or how polluted.

-- Mara Wayne (MaraWAyne@aol.com), July 20, 1999.

I live in San Diego (best year-round climate in the US, IMHO) and cannot relo due to illnesses in immediate family. It has occurred to me that de-salinated sea water might be a heck of water source. Currently investigating those US Navy "de-sal" units.

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), July 20, 1999.

I hope someone will share their experiences with desalinizing salt water; my current thoughts on the matter are that it is extremely expensive and uses a great deal of energy. Around here, people who have salt wells (and none of them are as salty as the ocean) will do anything possible to find a better source rather than treating the salt well. However, there are a few people who used a system called "reverse osmosis".

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoff@echoweb.net), July 20, 1999.


joe -

In my research thus far, I've seen numerous references to Recovery Engineering's PUR water systems. Here's their webpage on marine units (for desalinization): PUR Marine Systems The largest unit, the PowerSurvivor 160E, retails for about $4.5K, draws 16 amps@12V and produces 6.7 gallons per hour. That's a bit outsized and very rich for my needs, but PUR have smaller units which cost much less, use less power or are hand-pumped, and of course produce at a lower rate.

By the bye, is your handle by any chance a reference to "Jump Off Joe Creek"? I remember seeing road signs for that many years ago and getting a chuckle out of the name.

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.hid), July 20, 1999.


I choose to live a couple of miles inland from the ocean (on the (mostly rural) garden island of Kaua'i). I expect that there will be more fish than upland game if the excretia really hits the rotating air handler. Both may be somewhat depleted. I can also make salt, if I have to...

If land based transportation is disrupted, coastal transportation may be a lifeline.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), July 21, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ