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Californians flee for off-grid safe houses in Montana and Idaho with doomsday bunkers

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Thompson, D. (2026, September 27). Californians flee for off-grid safe houses in Montana and Idaho with doomsday bunkers. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/27/us-news/californians-flee-for-off-grid-safe-houses-in-montana-and-idaho-with-doomsday-bunkers/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-27 · by David Thompson

Quick Summary

California residents are moving to rural areas in Montana and Idaho, purchasing homes with underground bunkers due to dissatisfaction with high taxes, crime rates, and perceived lack of freedom. Todd Savage, a relocation consultant and former US Marine, reports that 80% of his clients come from California, seeking safer environments for raising families away from urban issues like drug-related violence. Properties in Idaho and northwest Montana can cost between $750,000 to $1.25 million, featuring sustainable farms with livestock and security features such as stockpiled weapons and ammunition.
Written by AI on 2026-09-27, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Fed-up residents of California are relocating to rural areas in states like Montana and Idaho, purchasing homes equipped with underground doomsday bunkers for security. Todd Savage, a relocation consultant and former US Marine, reports that 80% of his clients come from California due to concerns over high taxes, crime, and restrictive freedoms. A recent client was a newly married couple who bought 20 acres in Idaho, complete with livestock, for around $750,000 to $1.25 million. Savage notes that the majority of his clients are now aged between their 30s and 50s, shifting from retirees to younger families seeking safer communities where they can raise children without fear of crime or political oppression.

Written for “Doomsday Preppers Moving West” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Doomsday Preppers Moving West
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
36
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
3%
1 of 36 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-27 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 15307 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

David Thompson
8 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “Hopefully Steve, God bless him, could make it work,” added Mester, after filling up his gleaming black Dodge Durango.
🔮 In a statement to the Post, Mayor Karen Bass’s office called it “extremely disappointing that the owner of this private property has once again allowed the conditions to disintegrate and neighbors are forced to live near this mess.
🔮 “He was extremely rageful, could not control his temper, abused his wife so badly at one point he fractured her spine, abused the kids so badly that a court in Alameda County had to send him to parenting classes,” Briggs said.
🔮 Chen is also expected to be appointed a public defender at the 9 a.m. hearing.
🔮 Chen is also expected to be appointed a public defender at the 9 a.m. hearing.
🔮 Multiple officers could be seen remaining at the home.
🔮 While his client base would previously skew towards people “ready to retire and move from a blue state to a red state,” today 70 per cent are aged in their 30s to 50s.
Also by David Thompson
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 8 articles by David Thompson →

Topics

California Idaho Montana the California Post the Golden State

Subjects

California GPE · 7× Savage PERSON · 6× Idaho GPE · 3× Coeur d’Alene GPE · 1× Montana GPE · 1× Strategic Relocation ORG · 1× Survival Realty ORG · 1× Todd Savage PERSON · 1× the California Post ORG · 1× the Golden State GPE · 1×

Narrative

The previously most quoted reason why residents fled California used to be the stratospheric taxes, says Savage – but “rampant” crime is now the biggest turn off. “And they can’t defend themselves in California,” said Savage, who also runs Survival Realty.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-27
🔮 While his client base would previously skew towards people “ready to retire and move from a blue state to a red state,” today 70 per cent are aged in their 30s to 50s.

Claims (36 extracted, 1 hedged)

Fed-up residents fleeing dystopian California are buying homes in safer states with open rural spaces that come with underground doomsday-style bunkers stockpiled with weapons and ammo for security. asserted
that → feed → security
Relocation consultant and former US Marine Todd Savage told the California Post 80 per cent of his clients are from the Golden State as they seek to escape “high taxes, high crime, low freedom and blue-haired liberals.” asserted
they → tell → taxes
The 55-year-old said: “They are tired of it, so they are voting with their feet. asserted
they → say → feet
My clients want to raise children in a city where people don’t get kidnapped and murdered, with drugs and all kinds of lawlessness. asserted
people → want → lawlessness
They say let’s go somewhere where we’re treated as a citizen and not a subject. asserted
we → say → citizen
“They want to take back control of their lives. asserted
They → want → lives
People just want to be free.” asserted
People → want → ?
He cited a recent “well to do” newly married California couple; online business owners seeking a safer place to live and raise a family who purchased 20 acres with chickens, goats and cows in Idaho. asserted
who → cite → Idaho
A “nice home” in northern Idaho and northwest Montana on ten to 20 acres can cost from $750,000 to $1.25 million, says Savage — a steep discount compared to eye-popping property prices in California. asserted
discount → cost → California
One of his companies, Strategic Relocation, offers customers “disruptive real estate in dangerous times.” asserted
One → offer → times
He added: “My clients move out of the city for a safe place to live. asserted
clients → add → place
They’ll build an off grid house with a bunker, guns and ammo on a sustainable farmstead.” asserted
They → build → farmstead
While his client base would previously skew towards people “ready to retire and move from a blue state to a red state,” today 70 per cent are aged in their 30s to 50s. asserted
cent → skew → 50s
The previously most quoted reason why residents fled California used to be the stratospheric taxes, says Savage – but “rampant” crime is now the biggest turn off. “And they can’t defend themselves in California,” said Savage, who also runs Survival Realty. asserted
who → quote → Realty
“You can’t necessarily carry a gun everywhere you need to. asserted
you → carry → gun
It’s not a stand your ground state. asserted
It → ’ → ground
“If you get into a self-defense scenario and unfortunately have to shoot your attacker, they want to prosecute the victim. asserted
they → get → victim
It’s insane.” asserted
It → ’ → ?
Father-of-five Savage decamped from the Bay Area to Idaho in 2006 and cited such locations as Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry in the northern part of the Gem State as desirable. asserted
Savage → decamp → State
He described the area as “like Lake Tahoe without the liberals.” asserted
He → describe → liberals
He continued: “We’ve got two giant lakes. asserted
We → continue → lakes
We have a world-class ski mountain. asserted
We → have → mountain
And we have freedom. asserted
we → have → freedom
I live in a county where I can build a house without a building permit. asserted
I → live → permit
“Everybody gets along. asserted
Everybody → get → ?
People respect each other up here.” asserted
People → respect → other
Demand for a remote lifestyle has also increased since the Iran war started in February. asserted
war → increase → February
“Clients no longer trust any part of the government any more,” Savage said. asserted
Savage → trust → government
“They want that freedom that we used to have back in the 40s and 50s. asserted
we → want → 40s
They really just want to raise their families how they see fit and live a good life and you really can’t do that any more in California. asserted
you → want → California
It’s a nanny state.” asserted
It → ’ → ?
Another benefit of the homestead lifestyle is that clients can grow their own food “because of what’s happening to the food supply.” asserted
what → grow → supply
Savage’s strongest criticism was aimed at the state where he previously lived and its sprawling largest city. asserted
he → aim → state
“They spent $24 billion on the homeless crisis in the last few years in California and it’s not worked,” he said. asserted
he → spend → California
“You could build a city and give everyone a tiny house for that amount.” uncertain
You → build → amount
And of the City of Angels he proclaimed: “I can’t take my kids and walk in downtown L.A. without worrying about getting murdered or kidnapped or shot.” asserted
I → proclaim → L.A.
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