Any cities in Southwest with low fire risk? (apartment, college)

[modernglobal]

My husband and I moved from the East Coast to San Diego 5 years ago. We love the weather in our new location. However, I worry about being exposed to smoke from fires that might occur in the future, especially since I have asthma. Does anyone have recommendations for small or large cities in the Southwest with cultural offerings and low fire/smoke risk? Seems like every desirable place is near a high fire risk zone. Thanks for your input.

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by modernglobal

My husband and I moved from the East Coast to San Diego 5 years ago. We love the weather in our new location. However, I worry about being exposed to smoke from fires that might occur in the future, especially since I have asthma. Does anyone have recommendations for small or large cities in the Southwest with cultural offerings and low fire/smoke risk? Seems like every desirable place is near a high fire risk zone. Thanks for your input.

Fellow asthmatic here.
Fires are more common anywhere in the west. It's unnerving for sure so best to be prepared.
I grew up in So. California, but the worst fire smoke I ever experienced was up where I live now in Vancouver, Washington. (Just north of Portland) last September 2020.
We had air quality in the deep red hazardous zone from forest Fires for nearly a week! We live in an upstairs apartment with no central air, so we have a couple of portables. However, we had to dismantle them to keep the windows shut, and we put a towel at the bottom of our front door.
We had our air purifier going, already stocked up on food anyway because of Covid, and all my medications up to date. It finally passed and the air was clear once again. Luckily, I had no big problems, but I do not have severe everyday asthma. (My biggest trigger actually is any type of virus, ug!) Again, be prepared during fire season.
Btw, hope you're enjoying San Diego! Great town, but if looking to relocate, I'm guessing the desert would be lower risk since they don't have as much to burn. Of course dust storms and extreme dry air aren't a picnic for some asthmatics either.

[Teacher Terry]

I live in northern Nevada and have moderate asthma. Most years are fine.

[SunGrins]

Here in the high desert near Albuquerque, we still get smoky days from California fires. Not many -- but it can effect some sensitive people.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

You can get way out into the desert and there isn't anything to burn. But you will get smoke blowing in from west of you.


If the concern is smoke and not fire, live with your toes in the sand of the Pacific. The wind blows in from the ocean and pushes any smoke away from you.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

You can get way out into the desert and there isn't anything to burn. But you will get smoke blowing in from west of you.


If the concern is smoke and not fire, live with your toes in the sand of the Pacific. The wind blows in from the ocean and pushes any smoke away from you.

I agree although I have not lived in an actual desert. A desert has less trees and less vegetation to burn, so wouldn't it be less scary if you are in a sparsely vegetated or treeless area that gets too hot? There would be no forests to burn and the fire would not spread.

[Ruth4Truth]

I live in Santa Fe, NM, which has culture on a par with much larger cities: symphony, chamber music orchestra, opera, a half dozen museums, art fairs, enormous outdoor art markets that draw an international crowd, as well as national, author lectures sponsored by a local foundation, two research institutes and think tanks that offer lectures, science lectures from Los Alamos lab, outdoor summer concerts sponsored by St. John's college, and lecture events by the same college, and many art and poetry events by the Institute of American Indian Art. And those are just the events I can think of off the top of my head. And there's skiing.

There have been very few wildfires in the last 20 years; a total of 3, as I recall, and only one was nearby. Last summer there was one about 30 miles north of us, but the smoke didn't reach us. The wind was blowing in a different direction, and it was small at the point it was 100% contained.

It depends on the desert, as to whether it has material to burn. NM's high desert has sagebrush, and in some areas, it's overgrown. Homeowners in more rural areas don't control it on their property. That could be a fire risk. But NM also has forests.

Still, Santa Fe has been pretty fortunate so far...

[modernglobal]

Thank you everyone, for your suggestions. Sorry for the late reply, but I was not informed in my email that I had any replies, for some reason. Ruth, we love Santa Fe, but doesn't it have significant fire risk going forward? I read a report online that seemed to suggest this, and I know it has a lot of forests around it.
MG

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by modernglobal

My husband and I moved from the East Coast to San Diego 5 years ago. We love the weather in our new location. However, I worry about being exposed to smoke from fires that might occur in the future, especially since I have asthma. Does anyone have recommendations for small or large cities in the Southwest with cultural offerings and low fire/smoke risk? Seems like every desirable place is near a high fire risk zone. Thanks for your input.

You might consider Flagstaff AZ.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

You might consider Flagstaff AZ.

Higher fire risk than any of the desert cities. A lot more plant life. Where do you think the fires happen? It's certainly not where there's no trees and only cacti.

Don't live somewhere arid if you want low fire risk. So throw the whole West out of your consideration, except the rainy Pacific Northwest along the I-5 and west of there until the southern Oregon border. No Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona... none of them. No Bend or Spokane either.

And like other posters said, California burns enough to impact states east of them.

Besides if you're concerned with the air quality that comes with fire... the Southwest has the worst air quality in the whole country, from cars alone. You want to live somewhere humid with a breeze that will push all that away and dilute the pollution in the air with water. Places like Florida never have bad air quality.