Hello everyone, I am a (semi) old-timer now finally delurking in the forums. So forgive the low post count, but I've been around since 2011. To save time and a lot of typing, please see my initial thread in the newbie forums, herein included by reference:
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https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=161785.0What I am trying to do is found the first "bitcoin town" (but not actually in a bunker), the next "Silicon Valley" or whatever you'd like to call it. I think it's possible to achieve a "bitcoin critical mass" (to be bitcoining terms left and right) in a small enough local economy with enough users. I personally have been evangelizing bitcoin to everyone I know, who knows me and trusts my opinion. While this isn't a terribly large group, I have been quite effective so far and many people have started trading dollars for bitcoins, some in quantity. Those people are now telling their own circle of friends and word is spreading very quickly.
I live in a small rural central Texas town of about 6,000 people. The name of the town will become public knowledge soon enough if I'm at all successful. The reason I think this location is ideal is that we have a community that will be (somewhat) self-sustaining during the coming... (ahem) "large societal adjustment". If it's not obvious to the esteemed users of this forum that things are about to shift radically then I'm not going to go into a long winded argument. However, imagine a scenario in the near future of a complete banking shutdown combined with civil unrest. Empty grocery store shelves. Any major city is not someplace you are going to want to be. Ranch country where real estate is available and the folks close to you actually produce some of their own food is several steps better. No location is ideal and certainly this one isn't either. As always, everyone should do their own due diligence.
My next step is going to be to run a bitcoin advertisement in the local paper, basically just as a public service announcement. This will help prime the pump for all the people I don't know personally and/or haven't talked to yet, so they will have heard of bitcoin and some will start educating themselves. The more people buy bitcoins here and the faster they buy in, the more bitcoins will be in the town economy when the banks close and bitcoin trade becomes the local economy. I want to be as prepared for that day as possible as a community. My own personal security situation is not so good that I can ignore the plight of my neighbors; the best solution I can think of is to try and save the whole town.
My question is, how many bitcoin users have made plans for an "alternative" location if/when their current one becomes untenable and also, how many might consider coming to a location where bitcoin was a significant part of the local economy and the town would be able to (somewhat) continue operating an economy even in the midst of an economic crisis in the nation as a whole?
The reason I am very actively promoting this right now is that, as with all things bitcoin, there is a first mover advantage. The first place that becomes the "obvious choice" and starts to build up a local bitcoin economy will become the default location. New bitcoin users will come, bring their bitcoins, and the local economy has the chance to flourish even in the midst of very bad times. Just google the "Miracle of Worgl" for an example of how this was done in Austria in 1932-33. The town of Worgl is about the same size as this town is. I don't know that the model would work as well for communities either much larger or much smaller. Even if economic times don't get as bad as I fear, then the side effect of new businesses coming to the community would still be a large net benefit.
Existing bitcoin business owners- where are your backups or hot site? A big city? Hmmm..... Real estate and the cost of living is very cheap here. I'll leave it at that for now and see what discussion ensues. As I mentioned in my previous thread, I believe bitcoin has attracted some of the very best minds on the planet and I want to see what they have to say.
