Blast,

I came to the same conclusion about my neighborhood vs. the MZBs. We have too many entrances, we're too close to Dallas, we all have small lots (too small for useful gardens), we don't have wells and were too far from one of the area lakes (fish and water supplies).

That was one of the disappointing things about the novel. The characters live in the perfect spot for self-defense being surrounded by farmland. Additionally, they have exactly the contacts (i.e., gun shop owners, hardware store owners) they need to have at key points in the novel. Perhaps I'm just jealous of the characters.