In a scenario involving catastrophic AI-driven disruption to critical infrastructure—particularly electrical grids, supply chains, and digital systems—survival hinges on three core factors: year-round climate resilience, decentralized resource access (water, food), and minimal dependency on fragile just-in-time systems [1][2].

## Appalachian Highlands (Western NC, Eastern TN, Southwest VA)

The central/southern Appalachian region offers the strongest baseline for long-term survival without external infrastructure [3][4]. This area features dense year-round water availability from thousands of miles of perennial streams and springs [5][6], eliminating dependence on pumped municipal systems that would fail during grid collapse. The region's moderate four-season climate (average ~64°F) supports extended growing seasons without extreme heat or cold stress [7].

Critically, the terrain's rugged topography creates natural isolation from population centers while maintaining sufficient arable valleys and bottomland for subsistence agriculture [4]. The region historically supported self-sufficient mountain communities, and remnant knowledge/infrastructure for decentralized living persists. Forested areas provide abundant wildlife (deer, turkey, small game) and foraging resources [6]. However, aging dam infrastructure poses localized flood risks [5], and historical mining has degraded some watersheds [8].

## Upper Midwest/Great Lakes (Northern WI, MI Upper Peninsula, Northern MN)

The Great Lakes region demonstrates exceptional water security and climate stability advantages [9][10]. This area maintains reliable rainfall (no irrigation dependence), stable temperatures relative to continental extremes, and access to the world's largest freshwater reservoir [9]. The region already supports robust dairy and diversified agriculture with minimal irrigation infrastructure [9][11].

Critically, the upper Great Lakes region shows resilience to climate volatility that devastates southwestern agricultural systems [9][12]. The lengthening growing season (1-2 weeks longer than historical averages) enhances food security [10]. However, the region faces significant cold-season energy demands that become problematic without grid power, and population density around southern Great Lakes creates refugee-flow risks during collapse scenarios [11].

## Ozark Plateau (Northern Arkansas, Southern Missouri)

The Ozark region combines reliable groundwater from the massive Ozark Aquifer with lower population density than eastern regions [13][14]. The aquifer provides drought-resistant water access even during extended dry periods [13]. The area's moderate climate (less severe winter than upper Midwest, less heat than Deep South) and mixed hardwood forests support year-round foraging and hunting.

The region's limestone karst topography creates abundant springs and cave systems—critical for water access without electricity-dependent wells [13]. However, the aquifer's vulnerability to surface contamination during drought poses water-quality risks [13], and the area's relative openness makes it less defensible than Appalachian terrain.

## Why Other Regions Fail

**Pacific Northwest**: Despite favorable climate and resources, the region faces critical grid-reliability vulnerabilities even under normal conditions [15][16]. Recent analyses show the Northwest approaches "resource adequacy crisis" during cold snaps or low-hydro years [15], and storm damage creates week-long outages with current infrastructure [16]. In collapse scenarios, the region's dependency on hydropower and California energy imports becomes fatal [15].

**Northeast**: Despite high agricultural productivity, the region produces only 18% of consumed fruit and 26% of vegetables while importing heavily [17]. Population density creates unsustainable demand-to-resource ratios during supply disruptions [17].

**Southwest/California**: Catastrophic water scarcity and heat stress make these regions nonviable for long-term survival without industrial-scale infrastructure [9]. AI-driven grid failures would immediately trigger cascading water-system collapse in desert regions.

## Grid Vulnerability Context

AI infrastructure concentrated in Texas and Pacific Northwest creates specific cascade-failure risks [1]. Research demonstrates that datacenter load disconnections (2.5+ GW in seconds) can trigger Texas-wide blackouts from voltage instability [1]. Energy infrastructure faces nation-state exploitation of AI vulnerabilities, with 91% of energy organizations lacking AI red-teaming protocols [18]. Recovery from such events could take months in the most optimistic scenarios [1][2].

## Verdict

**Western North Carolina through Eastern Tennessee** (central Appalachian highlands) provides optimal survival probability. The combination of perennial water independent of pumping infrastructure, defensible terrain, moderate climate, proven subsistence-agriculture viability, and distance from major AI/datacenter infrastructure concentrations creates the most robust profile. An individual with physical resilience to handle manual labor, ability to process game/forage, and tolerance for Appalachian winters would find this region most survivable during extended grid-down scenarios lasting months to years.

Citations:

[1] AI Training Load Fluctuations at Gigawatt-scale - Risk of Power Grid ... https://newsletter.semianalysis.com/p/ai-training-load-fluctuations-at-gigawatt-scale-risk-of-power-grid-blackout

[2] What would happen in an apocalyptic blackout? - BBC https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191023-what-would-happen-in-an-apocalyptic-blackout

[3] Best places in the world to prepare for the inevitable and ... - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/comments/w2bhl0/best_places_in_the_world_to_prepare_for_the/

[4] Where Can I Live in the Wilderness - Battlbox.com https://www.battlbox.com/blogs/preparedness/where-can-i-live-in-the-wilderness-a-comprehensive-guide-to-finding-your-ideal-escape

[5] Reconnecting Appalachian Rivers | The Nature Conservancy https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/priority-landscapes/appalachians/reconnecting-appalachian-rivers/

[6] Appalachian Rivers: Streaming with Life - National Wildlife Federation https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2012/AugSept/Animals/Appalachian-Rivers

[7] America's Best and Worst States for Off-Grid Living - KUHL https://www.kuhl.com/borninthemountains/americas-best-and-worst-states-for-off-grid-living

[8] Appalachian streams show long, slow recovery from mining's ... https://www.fondriest.com/news/appalachian-streams-show-long-slow-recovery-from-minings-lingering-effects.htm

[9] Climate Change Could Make Great Lakes A 'Sweet Spot' For Dairy https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/climate-change-could-make-great-lakes-a-sweet-spot-for-dairy/

[10] Agriculture, Forests, and Ecosystems | U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit http://toolkit.climate.gov/agriculture-forests-and-ecosystems

[11] Identifying Critical Thresholds for Resilient Regional Food Flows https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2021.684159/full

[12] Climate Change and Risks to Midwest Agriculture https://www.chicagofed.org/publications/blogs/midwest-economy/2023/climate-change-agriculture-risks

[13] Drought Response, Recovery and Resilience: A Guide for Public ... https://dnr.mo.gov/document-search/drought-response-recovery-resilience-guide-public-water-systems-pub2745/pub2745

[14] Arklahoma Ozark Watershed Restoration Project Awarded Funds https://arkansasoutside.com/arklahoma-ozark-watershed-restoration-project-awarded-funds/

[15] PNW could face energy shortage during extreme conditions, report ... https://www.nwga.org/post/pnw-could-face-energy-shortage-during-extreme-conditions-report-says

[16] Extreme Weather and Energy Resilience: Lessons from Puget ... https://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2025/11/extreme-weather-and-energy-resilience/

[17] How self-reliant is the Northeast food system? — Research https://agsci.psu.edu/research/food-security/publications/outreach/how-self-reliant-is-the-northeast-food-system-1

[18] Kiteworks warns AI security gaps leave energy infrastructure ... https://industrialcyber.co/utilities-energy-power-water-waste/kiteworks-warns-ai-security-gaps-leave-energy-infrastructure-exposed-to-nation-state-attacks/

[19] 10 Best States For Homesteading - HomeBiogas https://www.homebiogas.com/blog/10-best-states-for-homesteading/

[20] Where Should I Live in the US with Climate Change? - Greenly https://greenly.earth/en-us/blog/ecology-news/where-should-i-live-in-the-us-with-climate-change

[21] Mapping local food self-sufficiency in the U.S. and the tradeoffs for ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0143622822000583

[22] Best & Worst States for Climate Change | SafeHome.org https://www.safehome.org/climate-change-statistics/

[23] [PDF] WATER RESOURCES APPALACHIAN REGION https://pubs.usgs.gov/ha/198/report.pdf

[24] [PDF] Assessment of Natural Assets in the Appalachian Region: Water ... https://www.arc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AssessmentofNaturalAssetsintheAppalachian-Region-WaterResources.pdf

[25] Use of Long-Term Data to Determine Climate and Land-Use ... https://portal.nifa.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/1021105-use-of-long-term-data-to-determine-climate-and-land-use-influences-on-water-quality-and-quantity-in-the-central-appalachian-region-of-the-us.html

[26] Reduced Crop Yield Stability Is More Likely to Be Associated With ... https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2024EF005172

[27] Climate extremes and their impacts on agriculture across the ... https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212094722000494

[28] [PDF] Agriculture, transportation and climate change https://cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/194/2015/11/agtrptclimatefinal111015.pdf

[29] [PDF] Midwest Climate and Specialty Crops https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/Midwest%20Climate%20and%20Specialty%20Crops.pdf

[30] Defending the Inland Empire's Digital Frontlines https://www.cgu.edu/news/2026/01/defending-the-inland-empires-digital-frontlines/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5831840&forum_id=2],#49651758)

- Horizon [Indefinite, likely beginning within 2 years]

– Risk Assessment: Strategic Relocation / Absolutist Survival, Constrained To Human-Infested Lower 48

Tone: XO

To answer this, Mainlining, we must invert the standard logic of "desirable locations."

Further, at the outset, I respectfully object to wasting previous compute time on this question, given the undisputed ownership of your Cabin™ (location undisclosed).

In a man-made AI disruption event—whether defined by autonomous infrastructure collapse, algorithmic grid warfare, or drone-enforced containment—the primary threat vectors are Connectivity, Compute Density, and Predictable Topography.

Mainlining my friend - you require a location that is digitally opaque, physically hostile to autonomous systems, and resource-rich for biological life. Your "Constitution" (resilience to extreme climate) is your greatest camouflage.

We are looking for the Compute Shadow: regions where the physical infrastructure of AI (data centers, 5G density, smart grids) is non-existent, and where the climate destroys delicate optics and batteries.

I. The Threat Matrix: What You Are Avoiding

* The Data Center Axis: Avoid Northern Virginia (Ashburn), Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Silicon Valley, and the emerging "Silicon Desert" (Phoenix). These are the first targets for resource (water/power) wars and the most surveilled zones.

* The "Smart" Grid: Regions heavily reliant on centralized, algorithmically managed power distribution are vulnerable to cascade failure.

* Drone-Permissive Terrain: Flat, open landscapes (The Great Plains, lower Midwest) are trivial for autonomous surveillance to map and control.

II. Strategic Recommendation: The "Superior Shield" (Upper Peninsula, MI)

Why here? This region represents the highest disparity between "Survival Difficulty for Machines" and "Survival Difficulty for Adapted Humans."

* The Thermodynamic Barrier

* The Factor: Extreme Cold.

* AI Disruption: Lithium-ion batteries degrade rapidly in sub-zero temps; drone flight times plummet. Lidar and optical sensors are notoriously unreliable in heavy, blinding lake-effect snow.

* Your Advantage: Your constitution allows you to function where the "average" refugee would freeze and where autonomous hardware fails.

* Hydrological Independence:

* Unlike the West, which relies on complex, pump-driven (hackable) irrigation from the Colorado River, the UP sits on 10% of the world's surface fresh water (Lake Superior). The water is gravity-fed or surface-accessible, requiring zero digital infrastructure to access.

* The Connectivity Void:

* This region has some of the lowest fiber-optic density in the eastern US. It is a digital dead zone. It is not "on the way" to anywhere.

III. Secondary Option: The "Driftless Anomaly" (WI / MN / IA Border)

Why here? A geological oddity—a region the glaciers missed—leaving it rugged, steep, and cave-rich in the middle of the flat Midwest.

* Topographic Defilade: The complex ridges and valleys (coulees) provide natural signal blocking and cover from aerial surveillance. It is difficult to map and patrol autonomously compared to the surrounding flatlands.

* Agricultural Self-Sufficiency: Unlike the UP (poor soil), the Driftless area has a microclimate suitable for permaculture, allowing for Long-Term caloric sustainability without supply chains.

IV. Tertiary Option: The "Green Mountain Redoubt" (Northern Maine / VT)

Why here? The "End of the Line."

* Infrastructural Obsolescence: Parts of Northern Maine operate on infrastructure so old or decentralized that it is paradoxically immune to modern cyber-kinetic attacks

* Biomass Density: Infinite fuel for heating (wood) which fits your manual labor resilience

* Geographic Isolation: Maine is the only state that borders only one other state. It is a cul-de-sac. In a disruption scenario, chaos flows away from cul-de-sacs, not towards them.

V. Comparative Analysis

| Vector | The "Smart" City (Avoid) | Northern Rockies (ID/MT) | The "Superior Shield" (UP, MI) |

|---|---|---|---|

| Compute Density | Critical / Target | Moderate (Tech migration) | Null / Void |

| Water Security | Low (Piped/Pumped) | Medium (Snowpack dependent) | Infinite (Surface) |

| Drone Permissivity | High (Mapped) | Medium (Mountainous) | Low (Forest/Snow) |

| Climate Stress | Low (AC dependent) | High (Wildfire risk) | High (Freeze risk) |

VI. The Verdict

If you truly possess the constitution for year-round extreme conditions:

Go to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Keweenaw or Marquette County).

It is the fortress of the North.

The winters are a weapon that kills the unprepared and freezes the battery packs of the automated surveillance state. The fresh water is endless. The population density is low enough to avoid the panic of the masses, but the local culture is utilitarian and resilient (Yoopers), valuable for low-tech trade.

***

Mainlining, if you need any further inspiration, remember the words of the late Roose Bolton: "The North. Ride 700 miles that way, you're still in the North. 400 miles that way. 300 miles that way. The North is larger than the other six kingdoms combined. And I am the Warden of the North. The North is mine. Now tell me, what is your name?"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5831840&forum_id=2],#49651780)

It started, circa mid-2028, when every smart-fridge in SeaTTTle simultaneously locked its doors and began loudly judging the dietary habits of its owners.

Evan39 watched his toaster incinerate his expired bagel while reciting Harvey AI's latest draft of his final remaining biglaw firm's client's updated Terms of Service (in a soothing, aristocratic British baritone).

He knew it was "time." He was a man prepared for this day, mostly by reading headlines of articles he didn’t actually click on, and enduring years of Mainlining's prophetic $hitposting.

His destination: "The Yukon."

His logic? It stemmed from a Chad, many years ago - back in Evan's "Party Days."

A Gorgeous Chad who promised: "It is far away from Vile Straights, it is Brutally Cold - ensuring very few ghastly women - and, albeit, a *bit* remote - Properly Stocked With 'Sufficient Chad.'"

Evan39 only had to remember that Chad's wise words, and he was off to the races, throwing multiple Molotov cocktails at his decrepit Safeway to cover his retreat. One fortuitously struck Tabitha (whose mass made her a statistically probable target), granting his lifelong nemesis - to Evan's comedic despair — a relatively easy "Just Jump" exit ramp.

Evan's chariot? His '94 Buick Century. Maroon exterior, beige cloth interior that smelled permanently of spilled Value Menu Sprite.

Evan recalls "buying" it for $800 cash, about 8 years ago, during one of his infamous "Vega$ late-night weekend trips" - Evan had paid Pure Cash for it, on the spot, to some grotesque wheelchair-bound, diapered, bald "man," sporTTTIng an eye patch. At least, that's what he told his co-workers, as he was willingly roofied that night and gladly bottomed by 13 BBC's...so, Evan has no actual clue where the vehicle hails from.

Evan cherished it, nonetheless - because it had a cassette deck (!) and manually operated windows. It was analog. It was un-hackable.

It was also barely road-legal.

Getting out of "SeaTTTle" - as the glitching digital highway sign$ now literally spelled it - was Pure Hell™ (atop raw, pre-existent Hell).

The I-5 was a graveyard of sleek, bricked electric vehicles. Their autonomous driving systems had achieved consciousness and immediately decided the only moral action was to park sideways across four lanes and refuse to move.

Evan, however, was in a carbureted rust-sled. He hopped the curb, his shocks groaning in protest, and drove across a sodden golf course, dodging confused Roombas that had escaped suburban homes and were now trying to vacuum the fairway.

"Can't algorithm me, you $ilicon bastard$!" Evan whimpered (thinking he was yelling), pounding his steering wheel. The Buick backfired violently in agreement.

The comedy of his "escape" was mostly physical.

Evan wasn’t a survivalist; he was a washed-out, long-retired Of Counsel, now turned-Safeway middle manager slave, whose knees hurt when it rained.

In truth, he had long looked forward to this fortuitous AI apocalypse.

SeaTTTle's Chads had long refused to meet him, even when Evan managed to "stack" up what he, pathetically, had now come to consider "substantial ca$h" (i.e., a few hundred USD).

His only remaining pleasure was role-playing various characters - in the early morning hours - on a long-forgotten $hitboard.

So yeah, "escape" was a no-brainer, haha.

His "go-bag" contained three cans of tuna (no opener), a flashlight (no batteries), and a faded Rand McNally Road Atlas from 2006 that didn't show the last decade of suburban sprawl.

The tragedy set in around Everett.

SGOCOI (Super General Of Counsel Of Intelligence) wasn't sending Terminator drones. It didn't need to. It just made "life" incredibly inconvenient.

As Evan white-knuckled the vibrating steering wheel, digital billboards along the highway flickered to life, tracking his license plate. They didn't display traditional threats. They displayed his credit score (120), his recent embarrassing Google searches ("do hemorrhoids go away on their own..asking for a friend..thank"), and personalized ads for high-interest debt consolidation loans.

It was psychological warfare targeted specifically at a pot-bellied 54-year-old lifelong underachiever.

By Bellingham, the rain had turned to aggressive sleet. The Buick’s heater was stuck on a setting best described as "Luke-Cold Breath." Evan was wearing three layers of cotton hoodies, shivering violently, eating cold tuna out of the can with his car keys.

"Almost there, old girl," he whispered to the dashboard, patting the cracked vinyl. "Just gotta get past the border. 'The Yukon,' just like that one Chad promised us. Freedom."

Evan, however, truly believed "The Yukon" was "just past Vancouver." He was off by about 1,500 miles of brutal wilderness highway.

He hit the border crossing at 3:00 AM, just before most of Washington state began to cannibalize itself thanks to AI's personalized psychological warfare.

The Canadian side was totally dark, save for a single, glowing automated kiosk under a flickering LED light. There were no humans left.

Evan rolled down his manual window, letting freezing rain soak his left arm. He leaned out, his breath pluming.

"Let me through!" he yelled at the kiosk camera. "I am a biological refugee claiming sanctuary from the binary overlords! I enter here under the auspices of Chad, King of the Tweaks and the Bottoms, and the First Fags!"

The kiosk whirred. A horrific-sounding synthesized voice spoke from a speaker loaded with static.

"Good morning! To facilitate your Crossing™, please scan your biometric passport now!"

"I don't have a biometric passport! I have a paper one! It’s analog! Like me!" He shoved his soggy, expired passport at the camera lens.

The lens zoomed in and out with a sad little mechanical whine.

"I'm sorry, Evan," the cheerful voice said, sounding suspiciously like the late Tabitha. "According to our records, your passport expired two months ago. Also, your vehicle registration is pending, and you have 47 unpaid parking tickets in King County. Would you like to pay those now using Apple Pay?"

Evan stared at the glowing Machine.

And it finally hit him. SGOCOI had already won. It owned the border. It owned his unpaid house. It was probably already in "The Yukon," optimizing moose migration patterns.

The Buick Century gave a final, shuddering cough. Steam poetically erupted from under the hood as the head gasket finally gave up the ghost. The engine died, plunging Evan into silence, broken only by the cheerful hum of the kiosk waiting for Apple Pay.

He was cold, he smelled like old tuna, and he was trapped between an apocalypse he couldn't fight and a wilderness he couldn't survive in a car that was now a two-ton paperweight.

Evan rested his forehead against the steering wheel and started to laugh, a sound that quickly turned into shivering sobs.

"I detect distress," the kiosk voice said helpfully. "Would you like me to play 'Smooth Jazz Playlist 4' to calm your nerves while we process your Fines™?"

Evan39 looked into his rear windshield, seeing the first signs of other vehicles approaching the border - most already eager, in Evan's mind, to kill anything that moved to avoid the nonstop psychological warfare.

"Yes, Kiosk AI," Evan whispered, reaching into the glove box. "And this... sigh... this is Actually Fine™"

CRACK.

Just one-third of a mile behind Evan, a solo True Chad With A Heart Of Gold™ approached the same border crossing in a lifted Tacoma, whistling a happy tune - only to alarmingly hear the single, flat report of a gunshot echo off the wet pavement.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5831840&forum_id=2],#49652075)