Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster
Corvallis, OR is the metro area with the lowest risk of natural disasters in the US.
Small quake and drought risk; little extreme weather.
In the six years I lived there we did have a drought and an earthquake (Magnitude 5.6, ~ 30 miles away), so it was more exciting/dangerous when I was there. Lots of cities in the northwest rated as low-risk.
The results from that map seem surprising.
The key thing to remember is that heat kills more people than any other natural phenomenon. Once again, what you hear in the news is not what you should be afraid of.
That said, if the NW gets a real subduction zone quake, it is going to be a heck of a mess.
We have had a rare funnel cloud or two. And we had some pretty vicious hail this winter – a few were blueberry size! ( very small blueberries, but still ) 🙂
( I spent a few years in exile the midwest, so I’m not totally ignorant. Also was in a typhoon in Hong Kong. )
I’m very biased, but I consider the valley to be about as good as it gets: weather, geology, and social climate. But then – we’re all waiting for that subduction quake…