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14 Places To Hide Out During The Apocalypse





(Joshua Berlinger)  Well, the 5125-year Mayan calendar comes to an end on December 21, 2012, and no one knows what will happen next. True believers suppose we might see cataclysmic solar flares or an incident involving a black hole or a collision between Earth and a planet called Nibiru.

To prepare for these scenarios — or, if you prefer, more conventional fears like economic collapse and nuclear war — we have identified some places for you to hide out.

They won’t keep you safe if the world is completely destroyed, but they’re good bets if there’s some kind of post-apocalypse.

Bugarach, France

This small town in the south of France will be the only place on the planet that will survive the Mayan apocalypse, according to some doomsday cults.

Although it has a population of just 176, apoca-tourism has been booming. But better get there soon: the town’s mayor reportedly plans to shut the hamlet down ahead of the waves of expected doomsday believers.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

All you really need to know is that this idyllic city in the North of Thailand is where famous investor Marc Faber makes his home. Faber is one of the most gloomy people you’ll meet in the investment world, constantly issuing warnings about where you should live if the war comes (rural farmland), and what will happen to the dollar (it will be worth less than toilet paper).

What’s more, while Southeast Asia has been a hotspot for war, heroin, massacres, and political turmoil for decades, Chiang Mai has remained a stronghold of peace and stability. That’s a great sign that it can probably survive no matter what history throws at the rest of us.

Necker Island

This is the island that Virgin mogul Richard Branson owns. If you call him up, we’re sure he’ll let you live there when everything collapses.

Branson completely rebuilt the island after its main house was destroyed in a fire last year, so even if things get messy during the apocalypse, you can be sure Branson won’t let things stay that way for long.

Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha

This Island chain in the South Atlantic is the world’s most remote inhabited archipelago. The population is just 271, so we’re sure they’re looking for new people. It’s known for excellent fishing — the perfect kind of self-sustaining career if times were to get really bad.

Greenbrier Resort, West Virginia

On the surface, the Greenbrier  — located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia — appears to be a florid, luxurious getaway for the D.C. metro area’s elite. But the resort is truly famous for its bunker.

Beneath the resort is a Cold War-era bunker that was built in 1958 in case of a nuclear holocaust. It remained a “top secret government relocation facility for Congress” for over thirty years, but was exposed in 1992 and has since been declassified. It’s still open for tours today.

Warsaw

Warsaw’s Soviet-era concrete apartment buildings could probably stand an apocalyptic blast.

But if that’s not enough, the city is also home to what sounds like the ultimate safe house, a concrete bunker with sliding exterior walls and an aluminum rolldown gate made by a company that normally supplies shipyards.

Geneva

Geneva

Hear us out here.

The Large Hadron Collider, located in a 27-kilometer loop on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva may not seem like the perfect place to spend the apocalypse. One of the world’s largest scientific experiments that can create conditions colder than deep space, it sounds more like a place where the apocalypse would start.

But it’s 100 meters underground, and you’ll have a front row seat to some of the most impressive scientific discoveries to humankind. If scientists at the LHC are studying the “fundamental building blocks of all things,” they’ll probably have a better idea of what caused the apocalypse — and how to survive it — than your average Joe.

Puncak Jaya, Indonesia

Puncak Jaya, Indonesia

This mountainous region of Indonesia wouldn’t seem like a very hospitable place to live. But then, remember, in a time like this you’re not exactly looking for hospitable. You’re looking for survivable.

And it turns out that the largest gold mine in the world is in Puncak Jaya, which means there’s going to be tons of work and trade if you play your cards correctly. It also houses the third largest copper mine in the world.

Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Wind patterns make this far-southern city in South America a perfect place to avoid any nuclear fallout. Again, there’s a benefit of extremity. Nobody will bother with you there.

Yukon Territory, Canada

Yukon Territory, Canada

The Yukon is the westernmost of Canada’s federal territories. It is sparsely populated and these days the economy is heavily dependent on government and tourism. But if things fall apart, the area is certainly capable of sustaining small, thriving communities. There is plenty of wildlife for hunting and trapping, which will be very important in the early years following a global catastrophe when farming is not really a viable option.

As civilization rebuilds itself, the areas rare metal mining will be a boon. Lots of rivers mean you’ll be able to get around easily.

The weather is harsh, especially in winter. So bring a warm coat. And if you are on your own in the wilderness, you’ll have to be especially careful of bears.

Mount Weather, Virginia

Nestled in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Mount Weather currently serves as FEMA’s National Emergency Coordinating Center. Its high altitude and remote location makes it ideal for avoiding most natural disasters or invasions. The high frequency radio is great for contacting other survivors, and the underground facility supposedly includes a hospital, crematorium, dining area, sleeping quarters, reservoirs of drinking and cooling water, an emergency power plant, and a radio and television studio.

It is also where then-Vice President Dick Cheney was moved after the 9/11 attacks.

Site R, Pennsylvania

Site R, Pennsylvania

Site R, also known as the Raven Rock Mountain Complex

AP Photo/Paul Vathis

Also known as the Raven Rock Mountain Complex, Site R is located about six miles away from Camp David, Pennsylvania. It was built in the 1950s and is still shrouded in mystery.

We know it has a presidential weather support facility (presumably for Air Force One) and probably electromagnetic pulse protection, according to Wired. But it’s rumored to have an entire underground city too.

Sederot, Israel

Sederot, Israel

Iron Dome rocket defense battery near Sderot

Wikipedia Commons

In its recent conflict with Gaza, the Iron Dome Missile System in Sederot, Israel proved incredibly effective at stopping rockets headed for population centers — a useful tool if the apocalypse is coming.

Perth, Australia

Perth, Australia

Shutterstock / R.Age

Perth, on the western coast of Australia, is considered to be one of the most remote cities in the world.

It’s also exploding as a hot spot for the rich, thanks to a giant new wave of wealth being generated by the region’s booming resources industry. And it’s close to a major diamond mine, which could provide work and cash flow in the even that you survive.