February 26, 2008


Border Camping

Border Camping

The border between Mexico and Arizona has become a magnet for the full time Rv’er where thousands of raw acres of federal lands have been converted into parks called Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA). For around $1 a day campers can purchase a LTVA visitors permit and camp for 14 days in a 28-day period. There are no hook-ups or electricity in the parks but there is generally a water outlet and sewer disposal located at various points. This minimal infrastructure is all that is required for the creation of self evolving cities of several hundred thousand residents.

These semi nomadic Americans that temporarily occupy the border zone are just an extreme example of both the sophistication of the recreational vehicles in which they live as well as the flexible attitudes toward home and what appears to most, on some level, homelessness. Living outside the realm of fixed address or property taxes those who live full time in their RV have a unique opportunity to be quite flexible in where exactly they fulfill their needs and desires. Similar to previous migrations out west for both land and opportunity, and to urban manufacturing centers for jobs, the move to the border zone is driven by more modern needs, in particular

the proximity to cheap pharmacies, clothing and dental service [in Mexico].

via PolarInertia

posted by Sean Salmon in adventure, cities, culture, economics, general, observations, photography, society 

comments

4 Responses to “Border Camping”

  1. Sheila Ryan on February 26th, 2008 at 5:03 pm

    Slab City culture’s gone mainstream.

  2. Sheila Ryan on February 26th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

    I wish to retract my comment re: the border-camping phenomenon. Slab City culture has not gone mainstream, nor vice versa. East Jesus (Slab City, California), Pop 1 Elev 75 is not mainstream. Not yet.

  3. Cooper Renner on February 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am

    Some of you know that for 10 years I was a full-time RVer.

  4. Sheila Ryan on February 28th, 2008 at 9:45 am

    Might you contemplate retiring to “The Slabs”?

    I jest. Too raucous a milieu for you, O Renner.

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