Survivalist community developing new compound on Georgia-Tennessee border

Protests, COVID-19 and financial uncertainty may have you thinking about the future, “Am I prepared?”

Thousands of people have asked themselves this question and looked into a survivalist community called Fortitude Ranch.

The property touts itself as a resort for the good times and a place to go during a potential societal collapse.

Now, creators are developing a new ranch on the border of Tennessee and Georgia.

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Fortitude Ranch CEO Drew Miller took Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston on a tour of the piece of property, which is just two hours north of Atlanta.

“In normal times, people could come and pitch a tent,” Miller said. " Once we’re built out, hey could stay in the room, have a beautiful place to hike. The Cherokee National Forest is back there.”

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In bad times, the ranch will turn into a survivalist compound.

Channel 2 Action News visited the Fortitude Ranch in West Virginia, which is already accepting visitors. There, we saw shelters, military tents, cabins and tree houses. Underground hallways were stocked with shelves of unperishable food, medical supplies, tools and other necessities.

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During a tour, ranch manager Ari Bailor said the ranch is fully prepared for whatever may happen in the future.

“Weapons are already there. There’s ammo,” Bailor said. “They’ve got their food, and we have our food and farm animals, chicken, sheep and those things.”

Miller is a retired Air Force colonel with a Harvard PhD.

The Tennessee property will be his sixth across the country. It costs $10,000 to join. The other undisclosed locations are in Texas, Nevada, Wisconsin and Colorado.

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