Throughout The Walking Dead there have been several different locations that the main group settles into, as well as other survivors. Over time, we watch some of these settlements get destroyed by people, walkers, or even abandoned by the group. In a zombie apocalypse, anything can happen to turn a "safe" location into a dangerous one.
This being said we've seen what makes a settlement fail and have the potential to develop into the best community with the greatest rate of survival. Today, I will be ranking six settlements seen throughout The Walking Dead based on their survivability.
6. The Farm
Hershel Greene's farm was a settlement that was away from civilization, which was good for protection against walkers and people. It was spacious, but that is one of the things that made it weak. The farm had a lot of weak points in its perimeter. There were too many uncovered locations to where walkers could come in from without notice, which is why the farm fell in the first place. However, the group was very inexperienced at the time, so if they had a chance to live there again, I'm sure they would build walls around it.
Even though the farm was not the best settlement for keeping out walkers and people, it was a good place to grow crops and raise livestock. They were able to be self-sufficient, however, they did lack many medical resources that they would have to travel out to town for.
Many necessary materials that the group would require happened to be located miles away from the farm. Traveling with few supplies could be dangerous in the long run. Multiple trips that were made miles away from the farm didn't always result in the best outcome...remember Otis? Hershel's farm was a nice temporary oasis at the beginning of the apocalypse, but it's location and lack of walls made it a settlement with a low chance of survival.
5. Woodbury
Woodbury was a settlement that had walls in place, guards, and beautiful buildings on the inside. The community that lived within its walls were able to live normal lives with the comfort of safety. This is one settlement that failed under odd circumstances. After the battle with the Governor at the end of season 3, Rick Grimes' group takes the Governor's people into the prison as his own and eventually the Governor burns the whole settlement of Woodbury to the ground. There was nothing necessarily wrong with the settlement of Woodbury for survival, but the prison was a lot more fortified and was the main group's home.
Woodbury did have its downfalls in the settlement when it came to security. Its walls were easy to slip behind and sneak into. Rick's group was able to sneak in and out fairly easily. They had too many blind spots and because Rick's group were able to get in, so were walkers. The settlement's walls didn't have enough security or stability, considering they were fairly easy to bend and slip through. This being said, Woodbury had a low chance of survivability.
4. Alexandria
The reason that Alexandria is not too high on my list is because I don't believe it provides the best chance at survival. Over the years, Alexandria has been one settlement that has been destroyed and rebuilt, hit after hit. I believe the walls are strong, but not strong enough, I also don't believe they have enough security to guard the place.
We've seen groups like the wolves make their way over the walls and even walkers when the guard tower fell. Throughout the show, we've seen similar settlements like this meet their downfall. Even though I've said this, I still believe it can be a good settlement if inhabited by strong survivors.
If they added more security and stronger walls, I believe this community could last longer. However, considering the amount of times this community has been destroyed and rebuilt, I don't see this as a very survivable settlement.
3 . Oceanside
Oceanside is a settlement that's location helped members become self-sufficient in food. Being next to the water helped the group to have an infinite supply of fish and other ocean wildlife. Being close to the water also helped keep them safe by staying hidden from walkers and people.
They also had a good system in place to alert their members of an oncoming attack. They had a great deal of guns and supplies, however, if they ever needed to regain these supplies they would have to travel out of their way to do so. This was one of the group's disadvantages, along with the fact that they had no walls to keep walkers or people out, but they did have the water to protect them. Other than that, the Oceanside's location helps make it a great settlement for survival.
2. The Prison
The prison was one of the best places fortified for survival in The Walking Dead. Once a place made to keep people in, it became a great place to keep walkers and people out. Rick's group was able to survive a couple of years here. The prison reignited the groups hope after they lost so much at the end of season 2. It became a great place to settle into, considering there were already walls and towers. The towers made a great spot for lookout posts...until the Governor came. However, the group did a great job at protecting themselves at the prison.
One was that there were a lot of blind spots within the tombs of the prison, and some of the walls on the other side of the prison were down. The walls also were not super stable against a walker herd as seen in season 4. However, I believe that if they built up their walls and fortified the prison with extra support, then they could have made it their home for many more years.
1. The Commonwealth
The Commonwealth was a great settlement for survival once the main group took down the faulty people in charge. However, the Commonwealth group did a great job at deciding to screen people and interview them for entry, but this might not have always helped to keep enemies out. They had a good society set in place and were a well established community.
They had great architecture and large stone walls that were perfect for protecting the settlement. Keeping their location hidden also helped keep potential enemies away. They also had a strong army of well-trained armored soldiers. The Commonwealth was a great, self-sustaining community that had events that reminded survivors of life before the apocalypse.
They were able to grow their own food, have a government in place, and even have their own hospital. This was a civilized community that thrived on survival once the main group helped them create a better society.