Where is it safe in the USA?

[nwdisgal]

Honolulu? They must mean the safest place to live - meaning, overall - crime, air quality, those sorts of things .... Weather? Hmmmm. Oahu and Kauai tend to get hit a lot by weather when the systems come in because they are on the Northwestern edge. There was even a small tornado in Oahu a couple years ago and the news reported that people were actually sitting on their rooftops watching it

 

[Philadisney]

i read the MSN article too and wasn't surprised to see that my home state of CT was considered the safest place to be. in the 18 years that i lived there, we never found ourselves in much of an 'emergency' situation (that i can recall anyway). sure there were snow storms and mild flooding, but nothing compared to what other parts of the country experience.

 

[Cindyluwho]

It cracks me up that folks from other parts of the US see Mt St Helens as a threat to the Northwest. Do you realize how far away from civilization that mountain is? It's not even close to Seattle, Portland, Olympia etc. The ash did create some problems last time it blew but I don't think anybody died from the ash? It is literally out in the middle of nowhere. And yes, there are some small towns that are near enough to it to be in danger but these are small towns and one small city (Longview). Much of the Northwest is uninhabited so maybe the bears and cougars would be the biggest threat to your safety

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

Right here in the piedmont (central) section of NC we've got it pretty nice. No paralyzing snowstorms, too far inland for hurricanes (for the most part), beautiful temperate weather with distinct seasons, not a volcano in sight, easy drive to mountains or coast.

 

[daannzzz]

Nevada

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Nevada

The heat and the whole being buried alive in the desert thing (the Mob).












OK, I'm jealous. I love Vegas. Wish I was there now. I don't think calling in sick from Vegas would fly at work.

 

[Lil_Tink]

In a great big foam hut in the middle of the ocean.

Hawaii is gradually sinking into the Pacific while the Big Island is still growing.

Of course this gradual sinking will take thousands of years, Which I beleive none of us will be alive then.

 

[Lil_Tink]

It cracks me up that folks from other parts of the US see Mt St Helens as a threat to the Northwest. Do you realize how far away from civilization that mountain is? It's not even close to Seattle, Portland, Olympia etc. The ash did create some problems last time it blew but I don't think anybody died from the ash? It is literally out in the middle of nowhere. And yes, there are some small towns that are near enough to it to be in danger but these are small towns and one small city (Longview). Much of the Northwest is uninhabited so maybe the bears and cougars would be the biggest threat to your safety

I agree. I lived there and it never reached anyone in major civilation, if you choose to live on it then go ahead but its big boom only covered plases in ash. (I once saw a dead cougar in a near by creek..Yuck)

 

[Planogirl]

Out of that list, I pick Santa Fe, New Mexico. Fascinating area and maybe our allergies would even improve.

I don't recommend Dallas. Tornadoes, droughts, crime and lots of pollution.

 

[nwdisgal]

The geologists keep a close eye on Mt. St. Helens. There was also plenty of notice on its activity - even back in the ol' 1980's when had its huge eruption. There was a famous old guy (i.e think it was Harry Truman?) that died in the blast zone of Mt. St. Helens. He had been warned to move out by the authorities, and chose to stay on his own accord.

The time when you do not want to be in the NW is when a good snow storm comes in . There are lots of hills, and not enough snowplows, and people tend get stuck everywhere.

 

[Belle0101]

There's always Indiana but of course you have to be able to handle the boredom. Everything in our town rolls up about 9pm each night. Our movie theater is only open Sat. and Sun. nights, 1 screen and only 1 showing each night.

 

[PixieDust32]

Bottom line is that there is no guarantee of absolute safety any where in the world. All we can do is pray and be prudent.

Exactly!! Well said.

 

[Papa Deuce]

There's always Indiana but of course you have to be able to handle the boredom. Everything in our town rolls up about 9pm each night. Our movie theater is only open Sat. and Sun. nights, 1 screen and only 1 showing each night.

Uggghh.

 

[JPN4265]

Florida, the Gulf States, the Southeast Coastline and occasionally the northeastern seaboard are suseptible to hurricanes. New England is at risk for paralyzing snow storms. The states that are home to the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers are at risk for serious flooding, The entire east coast could be inundated up to 100 miles inland by a mega tsunami. The west coast will some day fall into the ocean when the "big one" along the San Andreas fault hits. Hawaii is gradually sinking into the Pacific while the Big Island is still growing. Yellowstone Park is a giant caldera that may someday be the site of a supervolcano. Then there is Mt. St Helen's in the northwest. Minnesota, North Dakota and Alaska are too cold. Where is there a safe place to live??

All I can say is; welcome to life in general.

 

[Marseeya]

Y'all are welcome to come to my house...no real danger from natural disasters in Pittsburgh, PA.

No earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes. Tornadoes don't stand a chance against our hills. Flooding? Well, you don't have to go far to reach higher ground. Even our snow storms are not all that dangerous, if you use the proper precautions. (and they don't take us by surprise anyways) It gets cold, but nothing like the northwestern states.

Seriously, we have very few casualites due to natural disasters.

That's the one thing I love about this area. I'm extremely close to the WV border and we tend to get their weather more than Pittsburgh weather, which is even milder than Pittsburgh.

 

[NMAmy]

LOL, Dawn I have been thinking the same thing lately. While snow is not necessarily a danger, I moved south to avoid it. I'm thinking New Mexico is a pretty safe place. Just don't wander off into the desert.

It is pretty safe but you still have wildfires to worry about. I liked living there but it can be kind of isolated and boring at times.

Oh, and it does snow and gets cold in New Mexico, too, BTW. I had to laugh last time I went there in February and got on a hotel shuttle with a bunch of people wearing shorts. It was about 40 degrees.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Honolulu is ranked #1 safest and my good old Boise is ranked #2 as the safest cities in America to live

ETA sorry Fantasmic

I was quoiting that Forbes list before I read that you posted it

Safest maybe in terms of crime and general activity....

But Honolulu--can get wiped out by a Tsunami.

 

[momof2inPA]

There's always Indiana

You get lots of tornadoes and what about the 24 inches of snow Indiana got last Christmas Eve? Luckily, we were right in the middle of it at my sister's house.

Where my house is, SW PA, nothing happens. The storm systems split apart and either go North or South. Once in a great while, we get a bear in the area, but that's about the scariest thing. Oh, and there is the nuclear power plant, it's kind of scary, too.

 

[golfgal]

Doesn't make them pristine living conditions either.


Many people cannot live in extreme cold.

Many cannot afford heat even if they could otherwise live in an extremely cold climate.

It costs me less to heat AND cool my home for a year then it does for people in the south to cool their homes for a summer-this according to what people post here for air conditioning costs on occasional posts. People have reported cooling bills in the $300+/month range in Florida, etc. An average monthly heat bill for our house is MAYBE $100-150. Air conditioning costs me an extra $25/month or so in the summer. In the northern states most of the energy companies have heating assistance for the poor. I

n MN and this general region, it takes snowfalls of well over 2 feet before it takes more then a day to plow out. There really isn't much that is "debilitating" about winter. Once every of 5-6 years we might get weather cold enough to cancel school but that usually only lasts a day or so. It isn't like you can't go out in the weather, you just have to bundle up. People have a LOT of misconceptions about the north. In the NE and mid-Atlantic, yes, a snowfall of more then 6" or so does shut things down but only because they don't happen all that often and they don't have the volume of snow removal equipment that we have in the upper Midwest.

People CAN and DO live in extreme cold, but I wouldn't consider what we have "extreme" cold other then a few days of the year. You wear sweaters and pants along with a winter coat and gloves and you can stay outside in the cold for a long time.

Unless you are really stupid and go outside in shorts and t-shirts in the winter, it is pretty safe here.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I don't recommend Dallas. Tornadoes, droughts, crime and lots of pollution.

After living here for 6 months, I do. Maybe not Dallas persay but Texas is really, really, really NICE!!!!
Drought, heat, HA! Don't let these Texans fool you! They have GREAT WEATHER, shopping, things to do and JOBS and they take it for granted.