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Indeed earthquakes can't be predicted, but they last all but 30 seconds most of the time. Like I said, they have buildings that are earthquake retrofitted. When I lived in San Francisco, not one single structure lacked shatterproof glass. Those are all parts of the building codes out there. Wildfires happen without warning, too. I don't spend my life worrying about things that are beyond my control. All I do is prepare for the unexpected. Regarding "the Big One," scientists have predicted that for over 100 years, and the Northridge Earthquake was it. That myth all started when Los Angeles grew into a global city. New Yorkers used to say that because New York was America's only global city at the time, and they didn't want to be outfoxed by their West Coast counterpart because a lot of New Yorkers have an East Coast superiority complex and think they're more sophisticated than everyone else. They're jealous because California's economy had a lot to offer, and the whole car culture, Hollywood, and mass exodus of people moving westward shifted the dynamics of the American economy away from the Tri-State Area.
My dad is the same way, and that's where that superstition all started. What's really happening is Los Angeles moves 2 inches north every year. A million years from now, the part of California that's on the western portion of the San Andreas Fault will be near Alaska. Nobody can calculate when the next large scale earthquake will happen anymore than they can predict whether or not they'll be a victim of road rage in Kansas City or a terrorist act in New York. That said, the structures in California and Japan are designed to flex and sway. If they were too sturdy, they would snap. That's why I'm all for using bamboo to build houses because it's a very durable wood. It's naturally designed to withstand earthquakes, typhoons, and termites. After all, how can over a billion Chinese people be wrong?
Superstition? Northridge quake was the "Big One"? Myth?
My gosh - this is so chocked full of misinformation that it would take 2 hours to break it down and correct it. I don't think I need waste the time because most will read this and .
Suffice to say that the threat posed by a major quake is far greater than you seem to understand. And we are overdue here in the Bay Area. It is going to happen - and probably sooner than later.
If you say so. Why are we even arguing about earthquakes and natural disasters? How did we manage to go off on this tangent? Mainly I'm trying to figure out more about Kansas City. The real reason I'd be more inclined to move there rather than San Francisco is because I have relatives in Kansas City. Plus, it's much cheaper to live there. The fact that it's more affordable, and I know people in the area is what gives it the advantage. What gives San Francisco the advantage is the climate, the scenery, and the political atmosphere. I don't spend all my time worrying about some earthquake or whatever. I'm more concerned about when the economy will turn around, when the recession will be over, and how soon I can find a job.
Right now, we as Americans have bigger fish to fry than some damn earthquake. There are millions of Americans unemployed and uninsured, and we're going through the worst economic period since the Great Depression. We're in the middle of two wars, and too many men and women are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan in coffins and wheelchairs. Not to mention, our government now has the largest oil spill in our entire country's history in the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season. We need to worry about what's going on now, plan for the future, and get things moving rather than worry about whether or not some earthquake will happen. With their economy in dire straits, I'm sure the California government would agree.
Last edited by daugenstine; 07-15-2010 at 07:19 PM..
I was born and raised in the KC area. I'm not sure if it would be considered more liberal than Austin. KC is pretty conservative. Most people in KC that consider themselves to be Liberals would be considered Conservatives in California. KC has some serious problems. Lack of jobs being one of the biggest. Lack of public transportation is another and it has an extremly high rate of violent crime for a small city. I don't think road rage is a serious problem in KC. I think some media outlets classify "rolling gun battles" as road rage. Most rolling gun battles are shootouts between vehicles that have nothing to do with "road rage"
My wife and I moved back to KC last fall. We are now planning on moving to Mexico.
KC is fairly violent for its size. As others have pointed out, it's pretty concentrated in an area that most newcomers to the area posting on city-data probably have the wherewithal to avoid relocating to. Yes, there are wrong time, wrong place situations where bystanders are caught in the crossfire (happened to a coworker's son who was sitting on the porch with his kids last summer, the woman leaving Starlight who caught a stray bullet getting back to 71, etc.). But for the majority of people, staying uninvolved in thug culture and using common sense in where you go and what you do goes a long way toward staying safe. It's an urban area, crime is a given. But as far as violent crime, I wouldn't worry excessively about it unless I were a person whose lifestyle and/or personal choices put me right in the middle of thug central.
I was born and raised in the KC area. I'm not sure if it would be considered more liberal than Austin. KC is pretty conservative. Most people in KC that consider themselves to be Liberals would be considered Conservatives in California. KC has some serious problems. Lack of jobs being one of the biggest. Lack of public transportation is another and it has an extremly high rate of violent crime for a small city. I don't think road rage is a serious problem in KC. I think some media outlets classify "rolling gun battles" as road rage. Most rolling gun battles are shootouts between vehicles that have nothing to do with "road rage"
My wife and I moved back to KC last fall. We are now planning on moving to Mexico.
KC Liberals considered conservative in Cali? I doubt that... been to LA several times... didn't see much difference in their liberals or our liberals... LA has more of it....
I actually thought it was kinda funny... when I was there a month ago I was thinking about how people talk about the freaks in LA, and I commented to some friends about how I've seen more in Westport then I did there...
the real difference is the scale.... LA is just freaking huge... it's burbs are also probably more liberal then our burbs...
If you say so. Why are we even arguing about earthquakes and natural disasters? How did we manage to go off on this tangent? Mainly I'm trying to figure out more about Kansas City. The real reason I'd be more inclined to move there rather than San Francisco is because I have relatives in Kansas City. Plus, it's much cheaper to live there. The fact that it's more affordable, and I know people in the area is what gives it the advantage. What gives San Francisco the advantage is the climate, the scenery, and the political atmosphere. I don't spend all my time worrying about some earthquake or whatever. I'm more concerned about when the economy will turn around, when the recession will be over, and how soon I can find a job.
Right now, we as Americans have bigger fish to fry than some damn earthquake. There are millions of Americans unemployed and uninsured, and we're going through the worst economic period since the Great Depression. We're in the middle of two wars, and too many men and women are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan in coffins and wheelchairs. Not to mention, our government now has the largest oil spill in our entire country's history in the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season. We need to worry about what's going on now, plan for the future, and get things moving rather than worry about whether or not some earthquake will happen. With their economy in dire straits, I'm sure the California government would agree.
The answer to your question is that Freestater made a simple factual statement responding to another poster and you have followed with 3 lengthy posts tying yourself in knots with inaccurate minimization of California earthquake risk.
The risk is deadly serious and in a few seconds of magnitude 7 or higher shaking, the Bay Area could be brought to its knees Katrina style. The question is only when - not if it is going to happen and how severe the damage will be. It is a bad time to move to the California coast for a number of reasons and major earthquake risk is not something to be brushed aside lightly. You think the California economy is hurting now? Wait til we experience the next major quake....
So yes, by all means, focus on Kansas City where your relatives are and enjoy the advantages of that part of the country. Again, you asked a question and I'm answering.
I asked a simple question. I didn't ask to start some debate about something that's out of our hands. If they're worried about earthquakes, then they should start worrying about wildfires, too. That's why we need good engineers, and why we should put them to work. In the meantime, let's just focus on Kansas City. I'll save the conversation about California and earthquakes for another thread about California.
I asked a simple question. I didn't ask to start some debate about something that's out of our hands. If they're worried about earthquakes, then they should start worrying about wildfires, too. That's why we need good engineers, and why we should put them to work. In the meantime, let's just focus on Kansas City. I'll save the conversation about California and earthquakes for another thread about California.
You missed my whole point. You are the one who made it a debate by jumping in with both feet and misinformation.
And the beat goes on above. Once again, you're trying to put wildfires in the same risk/damage/worry category as a major quake - and there simply is no comparison. You apparently don't understand what a 1906 level quake is capable of. It is coming - and the next big one could be even worse.
If you're not here to debate earthquakes - and you clearly shouldn't be- then stop debating them. Simple.
OK, I've got to weigh in here. My wife and I have decided to move to KC in 2011 and buy a house in the Brookside area. She's from KC and has really cool family in Brookside, and I love the city. But we live in Seattle now and I'm a native Californian, so let me weigh in authoritatively on the OP's other options.
Seattle is a fabulous city and I will miss it. I'm not looking forward to the hot KC summers. But...Seattle is not a friendly place. Google "Seattle freeze" and see what you find. To a large extent, the people here are friendly, but don't let you in. It's hard to make really close friends, and my wife and I are extremely outgoing. When we visited KC not long ago, I was immediately stunned by how incredibly friendly and helpful everyone was. So yes, Seattle is beautiful, has incredible recreational opportunities, great bookstores and more. But quality of life is about people in the end, and the Seattle attitude has left us cold.
California? Oy, where do I start? I still love the state, but aside from the bankrupt and dysfunctional government and crumbling schools, the cost of living is ruinous. Even now, with the collapsed real estate market, you will pay $500,000 for a decent small house in a decent area with decent air quality. If you're in Los Angeles or San Diego, this will be exacerbated by the horrible traffic. In LA, traffic is insane about 20 hours a day now (you're OK between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.). If you live in San Francisco, which is a marvelous city to be sure, you'll pay even more for a place to hang your hat. Insurance is outrageous, gas costs a fortune, and sales taxes are going up to make up for the lost revenue from the state. Unless you want to live in the sticks or have a ton of money, California does not offer a good quality of life anymore.
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