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You can disappear in any American city. Just move there and don't tell anybody. There are paper trails, but not the kind that can be followed by any ordinary citizen. You can still have all the amenities of life, but as far as concerns anyone you have ever known, your disappearance can be fairly well assured. It's getting much much harder to do in the modern police state, but still not all that hard to do.
Avoid tourist areas -- a guy I went to high school with once recognized me in the French Quarter, a thousand miles away. Don't talk about your past with anybody.
By going off and being a mountain man, you are just raising the probability of being "hidden" from 99.9% to 99.99%. The increment is not worth the effort. In fact, you might raise the suspicion more by being in the mountains, than in Akron, if anybody ever detects any signs of your presence..
You can disappear in any American city. Just move there and don't tell anybody. There are paper trails, but not the kind that can be followed by any ordinary citizen. You can still have all the amenities of life, but as far as concerns anyone you have ever known, your disappearance can be fairly well assured. It's getting much much harder to do in the modern police state, but still not all that hard to do.
Avoid tourist areas -- a guy I went to high school with once recognized me in the French Quarter, a thousand miles away. Don't talk about your past with anybody.
By going off and being a mountain man, you are just raising the probability of being "hidden" from 99.9% to 99.99%. The increment is not worth the effort. In fact, you might raise the suspicion more by being in the mountains, than in Akron, if anybody ever detects any signs of your presence..
O.K., but if the guy is running from the law his paper trail can be followed because law enforcement people know tricks of the trade that we ordinary citizens do not know. So he would have to change his name too, which some people have successfully done. I personally wouldn't know how to accomplish moving to a different state and getting a driver's license in a different name, but I suppose there are tricks to that too. Opening a bank account would be a huge problem (as opposed to 30 or 40 years ago) because the Patriot Act has put very stringent requirements on banks concerning verification of customers' identities. So much so that I have had new accounts rejected based on my having placed freezes on the credit bureau reports; I was able to open the new accounts after jumping through additional hoops. (And I hasten to note that I have had a stable history of relatively long-term addresses and have lived in Southern California since 1966).
So maybe the "solution" is to use public transit and not have a drivers license and get money orders at the post office to pay any bills which can't be paid with cash (i.e., not have a bank account at all). But even most employment is a problem because employers too have verification of identity requirements. So maybe add under-the-table employment? Lots of problems to solve, but perhaps doable for a determined and knowledgeable individual.
I didn't know that fixing flats, holding real guns and fistfighting were the hallmarks of a real man.
The only thing worthwhile on your list is fixing a flat. I've held and shot guns and even been in a fistfight, but I never have been in a situation I've needed a gun or the fistfight actually solved anything. If anything, if I or the person I was fighting had a gun at the time, one of us would probably be in prison for murder.
There are plenty of men out there who have done none of these things, it doesn't make them unmanly.
All three are part of being a man or becoming one. Fixing a flat shows self-reliance, and the other two demonstrate the capability for self-defense.
You can disappear in any American city. Just move there and don't tell anybody. There are paper trails, but not the kind that can be followed by any ordinary citizen.
That is not entirely true in the 21st Century. Thanks to the internet, you cannot hide anymore, even if you live a low-key life. A Google search on most people turns up an address, even if they are renting or don't own their own home. Signs of the times. People will just have to live with decreased privacy unless they want to live out in the wilderness, where privacy will be the least of one's concerns if he is not fully prepared.
The money is very solvable. even though I live 45 mins outside San Diego, the nearest bank is 30 miles away. I don't want to post here what we do here for currency, but it is pretty simple.
Sell yourself into the slave trade. Haha just kidding. I would say it would be hard to totally go off the radar within the U.S. if you plan on keeping any contacts with anyone or having any sort of social life. Damn near impossible without having assistance from the feds. You could travel to another country in political turmoil or unrest where records are not really well maintained then use a fake name and somehow make it look like you are from that country or a refuge. Fake documents and such, might cost you a couple stacks but I am sure it could be done.
Disappearing in a big city is harder than ever. With 24/7 security cameras everywhere and increasing networking everybody is filmed constantly.
Learn from the 'best' and see how they failed: Osama Bin Ladin hid in a specifically built compound with very few helpers. But in an urban area. His weak point were the helpers.
He had also a specific problem, which was his height. Going out was impossible because everybody in that area over 6ft and skinny was most likely checked out by bounty hunters, government forces and US drones. So physical appearance needs to be altered as much as possible.
I would prefer a less populated, less technologically savvy area over total backwoods. A good 'story' is essential to avoid suspicion in rural areas. Best one which ties into the specific social history of it. Visit graveyards and get names, spouses and dates from folks who lived there (not too recent, so people who engage you in conversation blame their own 'lost marbles' when something doesn't add up). Best from unkept graves, so that lessens the chance to run into local relatives. Say that you know the area but only from 2-4 week stays as a child or teen. Maybe you were a foster child reached around? Or born out of wedlock. Have a reason to be there now (i.e. getting over a divorce, writing a self-help book, having to recuperate after cancer treatments). Pick up local items in thrift stores (T-shirts & baseball caps for local sport teams, year books from high schools, etc). Make your place and look blend in. MAtch your old childhood pictures with possible generic locations of your new neighborhood and put them up on the mantle piece, title them accordingly (boring is better).
Above all, act as normal as possible. Develop harmless but totally new habits ( a slight limp, twitch of an eye when laughing, different pronunciation of certain words, odd smelling after shave). All things which would throw any investigator off in an initial search. Don't date. Don't get drunk. Obey traffic rules. Don't get too close to children. Go to church, but not to the point were you would have to get involved. If possible don't get hired for anything. Help a neighbor out, but avoid dinner invitations. Appear socially a tad awkward but cordial.
Keep your car in good shape. Exercise. You may have to get away quickly.
Wondering if that was the OP's intention before he/she disappeared?
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