Reading about Rhode Island, I learned that the little state has quite a history of corruption and scandal. This is particularly true of Providence. Rhode Island has lost a significant amount of farms to urban sprawl lately. The state lost 11% of its farmland, more than 8,000 acres, between 1989-1999. Since 1985 Rhode Island has lost an average of 1,000 acres of forestland annually to development. Over 19,000 acres of Rhode Island’s forests were lost between 1985 and 1988. For these reasons and others, I’d give Rhode Island a “thumbs down,” making it a poor choice for a survival retreat. Two thumbs down, actually, since it’s also on the East Coast—probably not a safe place to be during the next big war. Same goes for West Coast cities like San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, etc., according to what Joel wrote in his Strategic Relocation book.