Doomsday refuge: inside the world's largest prepper community
This survivalist community is the size of Manhattan

South Dakota's best-kept secret

Hidden away from the world in South Dakota's remote Black Hills, Vivos xPoint is the self-proclaimed largest survival community in the world. From the sky, the site looks like little more than a vast expanse of undulating land. In reality, however, each small hill is home to an underground bunker, stretching as far as the eye can see.
Military heyday

The compound's history dates back to 1942, just after the United States entered the Second World War. Fort Igloo was established as the US Army's Black Hills Ordnance Depot, named after the hundreds of reinforced concrete domes built to store weapons and ammunition. Once bustling with workers and their families, the military base was eventually closed in 1967 and the site abandoned.
Disaster-proof real estate

Secure location

Ideally located, Vivos xPoint is situated in one of the safest areas in North America, at least 100 miles away from the nearest known military nuclear targets. Perched at an altitude of 3,800 feet, the site is at a distance from any large bodies of water and enjoys relatively mild weather, minimising the likelihood of freak weather events.
Closely guarded compound

Almost the size of Manhattan, Vivos xPoint encompasses 18 square miles of secure land, with 575 bunkers arranged along 100 miles of private roads. Built like a fortress, the fenced compound has just one road in and out, allowing the 24-7 onsite security team, comprising military-trained guards, to identify anyone approaching the property from up to three miles away.
An insurance policy

Making the cut

Virtually indestructible

The price of protection

With an array of relatively affordable bunkers available, you can purchase a unit for an upfront payment of £28,000 ($35k), or £14,000 ($17.5k) for a structure that requires repairs, plus an ongoing annual ground rent of £810 ($1k) per shelter. The units are sold as shells without furnishings or equipment. Full outfitting is available for an extra cost, which the company says can be as much as £60,000 ($75k), depending on the finish. However, Vivos' show bunker offers a glimpse of what can be achieved…
Stylish subterranean retreat

Flexible living space

Functional fixtures

While it may not be quite on the same level as these billionaire bunkers, the compact kitchen has everything you need to cook up a storm, from a full-sized fridge and oven to a snug breakfast bar. Rather than merely catering to the super-rich like some survival shelter companies, Vivos says its members are "well-educated, average people with a keen awareness of the current global events".
Going off-grid

A secure sanctuary

Plenty of privacy

A stark contrast to the fallout shelters constructed in basements and backyards during the Cold War, where a whole family would often hole up in a single fortified room, Vivos xPoint's underground hideouts can accommodate plenty of private bedrooms. There's enough floor space for a generous master like this, plus the usual wardrobes and furnishings you'd expect at home.
Space for the whole family

Creature comforts

The lap of luxury

For survivalists with a taste for the finer things in life, the sky's the limit when it comes to customisation. Pictured here, Vivos' deluxe floor plan offers an idea of the luxe bunker setup you could create – if you can foot the bill that is. The perfect billionaire bolthole, this extravagant design even comes with a home cinema.
Plush accommodation

Opulent sleeping quarters

A potential plan B?

As the current pandemic continues to ripple across the globe, Vivos has seen some of its members bed down in their bunkers already, while many more make snap investments in apocalypse-proof hideouts in the face of what the company calls "extinction-level events". They see their underground communities as humanity's last chance and even have plans to add amenities including a hot tub spa and a theatre for members to enjoy when it's safe to resurface.
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