Top Ten Most Rural Locations In the Western-Lower 48, USA
Due to the world’s recent pandemic of the Covid-19 virus, people are packing up and heading towards the hills. Humanity is looking for a place to go and reside in where hordes are scarce, and nature, combined with solitude, is plentiful. As such, I am providing a list of the top ten most rural locations within the western and lower 48 states in the USA. Side note: I apologize in advance for sharing these secret places with the world and possibly providing these areas with crowds of people trying to escape the cities.
Crested Butte, Colorado
Crested Butte is located near the bottom of the tip of Crested Butte Mountain within the Rocky Mountains in the state Colorado, and the area is surrounded by Snodgrass Mountain, Mt. Emmons, Mt. Axtell, Whetstone Mountain, and of course, Crested Butte. The town is home to the Crested Butte Mountain Resort, a ski resort which is generally a popular spot to ski but has currently closed due to the Covid-19 virus. Current information states that the park will remain closed until the 22nd of March, 2020 according to the ski resort’s website and the Vail Resort Management Company. Crested Butte is located about 20 miles from Gunnison, Colorado and is known as America’s “last great Colorado’s great ski town,” but unfortunately, no one is skiing there at the moment.
Eureka, Nevada
Eureka has a small population of only 610 people according to the 2010 census and the closest town is Ruth which is located 77 miles away. Eureka is known for being an old mining community that is surrounded by peaks on all sides of it in a region known as the Diamond Mountains. For being such a small town, there are quite a few attractions in the area, and the town has its own airport too! Attractions include the Eureka Opera House, the old Jackson House Hotel, Raines’s Market and Wildlife Museum, and the Eureka Sentinel Museum. The Eureka Sentinel Museum is a fascinating landmark because it is an old newspaper office that is now a museum that features an original press room with equipment that dates to the 1800s. If lucky, an old newspaper that retells the smallpox epidemic in 1847 and 1848 as it presented in its current moment in history might be found there.
Jordan Valley, Oregon
The Jordan river is named after Michael Jordan. No, not the basketball player, but after one of the men in a prospecting group who found the river in Jordan Valley, previously known as Stringtown, in 1863. Of course, these prospectors forged the rivers, and as such, there is a mine found nearby. From 1867 to 1878 Skirmishes Indian’s went on a rampage and killed settlers in this area. The settlers fought back by chasing the bandits to Iron Mine Creek where a scout killed the Skirmish leader: Buffalo Horn. The history provided above might show us that humanity has always been extremely violent.
Jarbidge, Nevada
Ouch, bad name considering how this town might be pronounced. However, if you want to head somewhere really remote, this might be the best place to go. In wintertime, there is limited access to this town unless coming from Idaho due to snowdrifts. Jarbidge is surrounded by some mountains, like the real American version of the Matterhorn that’s not in Disneyland, and is truly in the middle of nowhere with nobody, (even though there is also no one currently attending Disneyland at the moment). This area is home to the Jarbidge Wilderness Area which is 65,000 acres extending into Idaho that is full of places to fish for trout and game, so if there is no food in the stores, hunting may be an option.
Winnett, Montana
The population of this town was only 182 people according to the 2010 census. The county only holds about 600 people in total in this central Montana town. Like Jarbidge, there is plenty of game to hunt such as elk, deer, and antelope. Now the bad news, Winnett winter averages 3.6 months long from late November to early March. Average daily high temperatures fall below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and January averages around a bone-chilling 16 degrees. So, as you may not starve to death, you might freeze to death instead.
Shelter Cove, California
Oh, the state of California, doesn’t seem to fit in with the idea of solitude and escape from mass hordes, but here it is. Shelter Cove is surrounded by the King Range National Conservation area and is located directly on the ocean with only three main roads that lead into town. The town is known as California’s “Lost Coast.” Shelter Cove has emergency preparations in place for fires, tsunamis, and earthquakes. It is important to also note that Shelter Cove’s last earthquake was recent, a 2.6 magnitude earthquake on March 10th, 2020. Let’s hope that Shelter Cove doesn’t actually become California’s “Lost Coast” by falling in the ocean, especially if hordes of people relocate there after reading this article.
Supai Village, Arizona
The good news is you won’t have to worry about tsunamis here and the last known earthquake felt in Arizona that was over a 4.0 was in 2015 near Black Canyon City. Supai Village is located within the Grand Canyon and is known as “the most remote community” and is only accessible by helicopter, mule, or by foot. Yet, although a tsunami won’t kill you, a flood might. In 2008, flooding of the Havasu Creek happened and flooding occurred as evacuees were taken to Peach Springs. So if you decide to ride a mule to reside within Black Canyon City, just remember you could still drown.
Silver Peak, Nevada
Nevada has been on this list a lot, it’s just desolate. Silver Peak is a ghost town located within Esmeralda County. It was discovered in 1863 and is one of Nevada’s oldest mining towns. The town has a couple of old western shops, but none of them seem to be in service anymore. However, most areas of the town still stand recreating that old-time western feel. There is also a graveyard here, and I’m sure you’ll find some tumbleweed in it too. Also, more good news, the winters are mild here.
Benzien, Montana
Great, another place to go and freeze to death, but at least it is well off the beaten path. Like Silver Peak, Benzien is also a ghost town. Unlike Silver Peak, however, most of the buildings here have collapsed. Yet, there are a few abandoned buildings that still stand such as a school building and a post office which hasn’t been operational since 1943. Although Benzien is a ghost town if you enjoy the winter season, and like being in the middle of nowhere, this is a fantastic place to go to.
Mills, New Mexico
It’s another ghost town, but you probably won’t freeze to death here as average weather temperatures don’t usually go below 46 degrees in the daytime (but it can get as low as 19 degrees at night!). Mills is named after Melvin W. Mills in 1898 and was a homesteader, rancher, farmer, and attorney. Mills had a run-in with who was known as “shootist” Clay Allison. For those of you who do not know who Allison was, well, he was a famous cowboy, vigilante, and one of the killers of Charles Kennedy. Kennedy was suspected of killing and robbing guests of a cabin and was being held in the Elizabethtown jail. Allison broke into the jail, and surrounded by his fellow comrades, threw a rope around Kennedy and dragged him by a horse down the main street until he died. A more interesting history is that Mills was involved in the Colfax County War. The Colfax County war took place in the late 1800s over the biggest land grant ever made in the United States, otherwise known as the Maxwell Land Grant.
From the conclusion of the information provided above, it’s obvious that land is worth fighting and dying for. However, owning land always comes with risks. The area is in can be freezing cold, could flood, could fall in the ocean, or could endure tsunamis, fires, or earthquakes. Yet, for now, even if national disasters and brutal weather occur, there are still places in the world that can provide solitude from other humans and possible pandemics. Lastly, simply owning land in or visiting people-less rural areas can’t give you COVID-19.
Angela Myers
Chief Marketing Officer
Easy Landowner LLC
www.easylandowner.com
503-482-2089
Sources:
“Average Weather in Winnett, Montana”. Weather Spark. https://weatherspark.com/y/3134/Average-Weather-in-Winnett-Montana-United-States-Year-Round
Eureka, Nevada. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Feb. 12th, 2020. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka,_Nevada
“History of Jordan Valley and Home of the Basques”. Welcome To Jordan Valley: Heart of the Owyhees. http://www.cityofjordanvalley.com/index.html
Mantz, Annalise. “Most Rural Counties in America”. Stacker. July 8th, 2019. https://thestacker.com/stories/3271/most-rural-counties-america#37
S. Gary. Flicker. https://www.flickr.com/photos/outlawpete/8048829036/in/photostream/
Sophia. Only In Your State. “15 Of the Most Secluded Towns In the USA.” Oct. 25th, 2017. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/usa/secluded-towns-usa/.
Steele, Dolores. “Silver Peak- Nevada Ghost Town.” https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nv/silverpeak.html
Supai, Arizona. Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supai,_Arizona
The Eureka Sentinel Museum. Aug. 2004. http://www.co.eureka.nv.us/tourism/museum01.htm
Travel Nevada. “Jarbidge Nevada: Jarbidge Wilderness”. https://travelnevada.com/regions/northern/jarbidge
USGS. Earthquake Hazard Program. “M2.6-68km of Ferndale, CA”. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc73352335/executive
Vail Resort Management Company. Crested Butte. 2020. https://www.skicb.com/
