Stay or Move?

FWIW - Bill Reed used to say that it takes 26,000 people to support one locksmith.

I don't see how 1600 people can support a full time locksmith. I don't know that 12,000 will either, but it's better than 1600. Conventional wisdom has been roughly 30,000 population per locksmith.

LOL...which town? Camdenten?

Clifford is CORRECT...

take a small town, take dozers and remove all the buildings... leave the streets...

12 miles? MOVE.... if they need your services, they can call... thats 15 minutes driving to get back there....

--Shiva-- nuk pu nuk

The town is rebuilding, how much business can you pick up, maybe in cahoots with one of the local builders putting up all those insurance claim houses? Maybe you could have a mobile phone automatically redirected from your home number and although you pick up the tab for the transfered call, the customer gets it for a local call? 40 miles is a bit, but not long unless you have to do it in city traffic.

How many cars are going to be replaced? How many extra sets of keys at the same time, like they used to have for the old house, like one set each for Mum, Dad, the two oldest kids, Aust Sally's cat? How much of this business would be payed for with insurance money?

Most people have more than a little away for a rainy day, and this is the time that money comes out. Family helps each other out during these times, distant relatives will often come out of the woodwork to help, and if you have a good presence in a small comunity, that can lead to a lot of work.

I live 22 miles from town and although I'm a crystal cracker rather than a rock picker, I have at least stopped the bank from writing me dirty letters!

Is the glass half empty, or half full?

Hope this helps, Peter Peter

It all depends on whether you're pouring or drinking. <g>

Then I guess the word "Cheers" is appropriate! <s>