Economic?

From: Mike Lorrey
Date: Fri Feb 27, 2004 7:14 pm

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Why Grafton? It has been declared "The Free Town" by a group of Free State Project members investigating and planning its establishment and development.

Population: 1,000
Registered voters: 700
Actual ballot casters: 460
Libertarian leaning voters: 125

Grafton was rated the safest town in the northeastern US in the event of nuclear war by one academic study.

Area: 40 square miles

Location: 15 miles south southwest of the geographic center of New Hampshire, it is 40-45 minutes drive from the state capital, Concord.

Geography: mountainous/hilly with ponds, lakes and valleys

Geology: granite/schist/mica/quartz rock, late holocene glacial moraines, bogs, it is the eastern reaches of the ancient glacial Lake Mascoma.

Landmarks: Ruggle's Mine, a colonial mica mine, is a significant tourist draw. The town is otherwise highly undeveloped.

Development advantages: No zoning codes, no town building inspector, no building permits. A rather ineffectual town planning board is pretty much a rubber stamp.

Once we've transplanted 200-250 activist libertarians to the free town, we will be a functional majority of the town. When this happens, the following will occur:

- Divestment of the public school system, instituting private schools and homeschooling.

- Deestablishing the town police department, the town selectmen will wield their proper constabulary authority directly on a rotating basis, deputizing a volunteer constable corps, much like the volunteer fire department.

- Privatization of non-state roads.

- Encouragement of residential migration to off grid power.

Free Town Land Development: Building the "Habitat for Liberty", with raised capital and sweat equity of working members, on 300 acres of beautiful wooded terrain surrounding Ruggle's Mine.

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