Reply #7: I'm going through something similar....

[politicat]

We had a house fire.

I'm just one person, but it sounds like you love the community and the area - and if you do, stay. It'll come back, but only if people who love the area stay there. Else, you're turning it over to the actual looters, the ones in ties from KBR and Halliburton and Disney who will make it 1 part theme park, 1 part gated community and 1 part mall.

I wasn't attached to the community I was in, but if we had a similar loss on this house, which is in a community I love and want to remain a part of, I'd be making huge waves to get my community back in.

Build a house you'll love and be comfortable in - it doesn't have to be big or fancy, but build it right for you. (In fact, you may be able to build what works for you for what you'll get back from the insurance, if you're looking to build small and ecologically sound.... go google for small houses and tiny houses and grab this book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486263002/102-1235502-6327366?v=glance&n=283155
Here's an architect that does small and ecologically sound houses http://www.dsaarch.com/Small%20Houses.htm

Build for what you need and what your life really is... especially if you love the place you live.

But if you don't love the place you live, don't bother. If there is a place you love, go there. If there isn't, then maybe your better bet is to reinvest in an RV or a bus conversion and become a post-modern gypsy - go where the work is, see the continents, run around until you find a place you can love. (Lots of resources for that lifestyle, too, and if you get a motorcycle license and carry one on a trailer on the back, the cost of living is not significantly higher than it is for the median.)

Good luck, and I hope I've been of service.