I don't know how this post will go, and hopefully I can get my point across in a way that makes sense.  

I live in Utah, more specifically northern Utah County.  My town has app 13,000 people in it.  Just me with a pretty educated guess would put the town to be 98% LDS (Mormon).  For those that don't know, LDS are typically very prep oriented (taught that from early on), mostly very conservative, and mostly pro-gun.  I would say that my town is even more conservative and pro-gun than your average mostly LDS town.  And yes I did just over-use the word mostly.

Let me explain how the town is set up.  In my town there are three units called stakes.  Each stake I would guess has around 4,000 people.  Within those stakes are individual units called wards, each ward has app 500 people in it.  There are leaders of the stakes, and leaders of the wards.  Any information church (or survival) related would come down from the top down to the wards.

My ward, app 500 people.  I know, by first name, almost every single person in my ward.  I know their spouse's names, I even know most of all their children's names (which is a lot).  I know what they do for work, I know where they stand on political issues (for the most part).  I know which ones are shooters. I also know that almost all of them have preps in one degree or another, from a few weeks worth of preps to several years worth.  It isn't some freaky deal where everyone is in people's business.  Think of all of your close friends, you probably know a lot about them due to your association with them over the years.  Well, that is how it is with my ward.  I have known most all of these people for years, and have associated with them on a regular basis.  The VAST majority of us are very like minded.  If there was an emergency, I would feel comfortable with sending my kids to anyone's house around here.  IF we had to for some reason patrol our streets armed, we could have that set up very quickly with people I know and trust.  ANYONE.  I trust almost all of them.  Not a blind trust, but a trust built on years of knowing them.

My folks live a few miles away, in the same town.  Different ward.  Well, they also know all of the people around them, just like I know all the people around me.  If something happened and I was in their part of town, all I would have to do is say I am so and so's son, and I would be welcomed right in or helped without any problem. In actuality they would help a complete stranger as well. I know many of them anyway.  We also have a lot of friends in other parts of town (different stakes and wards).  Once again, those people that we know in other parts of town also know the vast majority of their neighbors and are very like minded in most things, mostly all with preps from one degree or another, gun owners, conservative, etc.  As you can see, we are all connected through friends and through our church and how it is organized.  The entire town is connected this way.  Everyone knows someone who knows someone from any ward or stake in town, and that person knows all of the neighbors in their area as well.

I guess my point is that if the SHTF, I would much rather go at it and deal with it with my entire town on the same page, all doing whatever they can to help each other then having to go at it alone.  We are VERY organized at the church level, ands since my town is 98% LDS, we are VERY organized as a town.  If there was an emergency, I could round up dozens of able bodied men in a matter of minutes.  (depending on what was going on) (LDS folks will get that)

Anyway, this isn't about religious beliefs or doctrine, it is just about how if the SHTF I want to stay right where I am and deal with it.  Unless of course for some reason (natural disaster) we can't stay here.

So, when things get real ugly, if you need to you can head on over my way.

Any openings?

We would help anybody out, you wouldn't even have to join our crazy church.

Where in Northern Utah county do you live? I live there as well- just a short throw from the Timpanogos Temple (Im LDS also). Its good to know that there are fellow arfcommers/SF'ers close-by.

Sounds like a wonderful sommunity full of people who care for each other. Be glad you have each other. You are where this country SHOULD have stayed. As the older generation of my town is dead or dieing that close knit community dies with them. So goes the common sense of how to wort togather to LIVE.

Its gone from dozens of families to a small handfull of hold outs.

You dont need info .. u dont need advice you already know how to make it work!

Alpine

And to further illustrate my point, I could hook up with you in your neighborhood in a big emergency or SHTF and you could plug me right into your church/neighborhood network.  I would be able to get with hundreds of other like minded people that I didn't even know beforehand.  Likewise, you could come 10 minutes up the road to my house and I could plug you right into my area.

I guess the theme would be the network of mostly like minded people that our church provides.

So how far from Sandpoint ?

My ward down here is hit and miss. A bunch of obama voters.

I'd join but I don't want to give up wine and coffee. Nice country, BTW. I lived in SLC for four years and made many LDS friends. Good folks.

Great concept .... would never work where I live atleast to the extent you describe but then again there are probably very few places outside of your state it would work, correctly.

never feel good about a woman with leg hair.

well, if the shtf, it would be better than a man with leg hair  


TXL

I lived around LDS folks as a kid. good people. I now live in NM and no one around me thinks about prepping. I think you all have a great system. It would have to be religious oriented because otherwise people just arent that commited to one ideal on a global level. I work on a reservation here and see that if SHTF they would pull together as a unified people for their own tribe but none of them think of prepping now. I guess that is the way it has been historically, tribes pull  together with their own.

Have you thought about the Yellowstone Park eruption SHTF scenario? You know that thing is ready to go off at any moment and Utah seems pretty close to me, at least close enough it would be affected in a major way. Just a thought-

LDS are the model of prepper society!

Thanks for sharing the info and good luck to you, MDI!

I'm jealous.  Now adding Alpine, UT to list of places the wife and I might move to in 3-5 years.

In our little corner of North Central Florida,  things are 'organized' ;less formally, but there are enough folks, family and friends, that we would be able to carry on just fine.

The above statement is what I truly adore about your church. I'm not LDS but I have nothing against you or your church. I've met very few, but they all seem to be of the same mind.



I may have to check out Utah sometime. I'd love a neighborhood like yours. I'm envious.




 

I am a protestant who is very involved in ministry. I have been to the LDS cannery a few times and have always been amazed at the generosity of the Mormons. Protestant Christianity could stand to learn a lot from you.

In a truly respectful situation... the "learning" will go both ways.

When I lived in South Carolina, and dealt with many friends of "Protestant Christianity" I personally learned quite a bit...

When respect and dignity are part of the conversation, and the Spirit of God as the guide, and worship of Christ as the foundation... Amazing things happen!

The network of the LDS church goes beyond our immediate area... It stretches globally...

Responding to Katrina... We only had to find the LDS wardhouse, and go from there...

Communication, leadership structure, and material resources are already in place...

Hey OP, could you gather some guys to help me move?

On a more serious note, I grew up thinking that NOT prepping was wierd. Good way to start off in life.

I live in Gilbert AZ. Lots of you crasy Mormans down here.  But I give you guys credit where credit is due. You have your you know what together when it comes to prepping. I have many friends that are LDS. I have an interesting  obsevation. You have lots of seeds in storage down here to grow food. I assume that is something all LDS members are supposed to have? Well umm Arizona is a desert. NO WATER! In a massive SHTF, aint nothing going to grow here. The soil is very fertile, but aint no water. We have modern irrigation systems that supply water to the crops that are grown here. Phx gets a avg 4 inches of rain from the big guy each year. Maybe I am missing something here but u cant grow food without the water!

VERY GOOD POINT

If that happens its game over for all of us!

Thats why I like LDS people, I don't have any desire to join but I like the people

Exactly. If I was on vacation 1000 miles from home in anywhere USA and something happened all I would have to do is track down the local church and I would be good to go.

You have lots of seeds in storage down here to grow food.

It is probably because of your dry climate... I am not sure if that is the case, but there are areas in the USA that put too much moisture in the air for good long-term silo storage... They pump air into the silos to dry it out every so often... Imagine trying that in Georgia, or South Carolina... It would all go bad pretty quick... The LDS church has preps in place in the South, but you won't see silos like you do out West...

NO WATER! In a massive SHTF, aint nothing going to grow here. The soil is very fertile, but aint no water.

The funny thing is that Arizona provided habitat for natives for centuries before we all got there... The Arizona climate can indeed support life... The kinds of numbers that exist there now is another question... I imagine in a S hitting the fan situation, you might see church-owned farmland in other areas see an influx of saints from Arizona, if there is not enough natural resources in Arizona...

My family runs a LDS church-owned wheat farm in Idaho... We are knee deep in preparing for meeting the needs of large numbers of folks... And have multiple full large wheat silos there, and plenty of water...

The Morons are united by their common faith.  It is sad that Baptists or Protestants are not, at least in my area.   Most everyone here in SC claims to be some type of Southern Baptist, etc, yet it is not in the forefront of our religion to prep to help others, much less ourselves.   it is truly sad.  

fixed it for ya

Try NY.

Talk about the exact opposite of this type of system ...

I'm not to far from Alpine, but I'm not in the 98%.  My neighbors probably view me as a threat just because I'm not LDS.  I wouldn't be surprised if my preps are better off than most of the neighbors though.

I think that my brother in Alpine is in a unique situation. Although it is not unusual in UT.  He is correct he is in a fairly small and they are mostly all on the same page. I would have to say that for those of you that are not of the LDS faith, if you hook up with the LOCAL ward and tell them that you are wanting to do some food storage and would like to meet with their preparedness rep, you probably could get a visit to the cannery and bishops storehouse. You would be able to work on your own preps as well as establish your own network. It is always a good place to start with like minded prepers. Thanks for you OP it just reenforces the need to not only prep your stuff but to also do a social prepping..

Having lived over 20 years here in Utah county,in the heart of Mormon central,I tend to agree with the original poster for the most part. I have been in the same home for more than 15 years,know all my neighbors and their children.My wife meets with the ladies and attends some of the church sponsored events.We have a block party every year,cookouts,campouts and most everyone around has a reasonable amount of "food storage" Perhaps I have a little more,who knows I am very comfortable with the mindset in this area,as well as where we may go if things get real ugly. Only downside really is there are only a couple of "main" in/out avenues in the event of MAJOR disaster/SHTF issues. Hiking/climbing over a 10K mountain to get to where I need/want to go with small children would not be fun.However,having lived previously in Pitts,Pa all I can say is I love this place !

Got no interest in being Mormon, and I've met some weird ones, but for the most part the ones I've met and dealt with are good folks.

The funny thing is that Arizona provided habitat for natives for centuries before we all got there... The Arizona climate can indeed support life... The kinds of numbers that exist there now is another question... I imagine in a S hitting the fan situation, you might see church-owned farmland in other areas see an influx of saints from Arizona, if there is not enough natural resources in Arizona...




Yes hundreds of years ago the Indians numbered several thousand in this area. They used the land and the natural running water at that time to grow food. That water is no longer free flowing. And there are over 5 million people in the phx metro area. Total SHTF there is going to be zero water. What water you find, there will be a ugly fight for control before if goes away. Most water comes to town thru a series of canels and pipes. None any more from the salt river except during mountain runoff season. SHTF the canels and pipes can be controlled quickly. Water will be power. And if the flow is cut off from up north, then zippo for phx.

Not a chance here!