Weighing whether to stay (Salt Lake City, St. George: low crime, job market, neighborhoods)

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by English Ivy

It's such a shame. It's not easy moving a family to a new place, switching jobs, etc. And just last month, I went on the most beautiful hike I've ever experienced.

Well, don't move so far away that you can't come back to visit occasionally.

[Montygirl]

Originally Posted by English Ivy

It seems like you, at least, have some sense in trying to mitigate any risks you *can* control regarding earthquakes. Good for you.

I completely agree with the bolded. I don't see how the air quality could possibly improve without aggressive government changes. Just walking into Wal-Mart last week, I walked by THREE cars idling, and that was just in the same aisle I parked, between my car and the store entrance. My city recently passed an ordinance that idling is now illegal - but the offenders won't get a citation until after they've had three warnings first. I just don't understand it.

3 cars idling , thats nothing Try carpool at all the multitude of schools there, therein lies the biggest problem. Few walk to school and parents get there half hour early to pick up with engines running, not to mention all the other drive thru things which actually take longer than using legs to get out a car and go into a building. Macdonalds and banks a prime example. Until that changes and some peoples attitudes, the air wont.

I was back this summer and struggled with the air(i'm not asthmatic or do not have any health issues) I know we had the issues with the fires but that aside, i spent the last few days there of my vacation with swollen glands and almost lost my voice.

[Code Stemi]

Arizona and Colorado have low earthquake risk states and aren't too far away. Have you considered either of those?
Colorado Springs, or Flagstaff are sizable cities and have beautiful scenery and weather, and are both close to major metros.

[English Ivy]

Originally Posted by chahunt

Arizona and Colorado have low earthquake risk states and aren't too far away. Have you considered either of those?
Colorado Springs, or Flagstaff are sizable cities and have beautiful scenery and weather, and are both close to major metros.

I will look into them. Thanks for the suggestion.

We love living in the Rockies, but need someplace with
- clean air and water
- not on an active fault
- large enough to at least have some job opportunities
- family friendly

If anyone else has any suggestions for a place not too far from here that fits that criteria, please do share. Thanks again.

[Code Stemi]

Originally Posted by English Ivy

We love living in the Rockies, but need someplace with
- clean air and water
- not on an active fault
- large enough to at least have some job opportunities
- family friendly

If anyone else has any suggestions for a place not too far from here that fits that criteria, please do share. Thanks again.

What type of climate do you prefer? Can you and your family handle heat and cold extremes, or prefer to avoid them?

Are you only wanting suggestions for somewhere in the western U.S., or open to anywhere in the country? I can definitely give some ideas if the criteria is narrowed a bit.

[kavm]

I am sorry to be the bearer of the bad news but if you like the mountains, you must also love the faults. Here is a USGS paper on the trans Rocky mountain fault system https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1334/pdf/C1334.pdf

You will likely find better air much more easily in the area around here than no faults. Grand Canyon (Flagstaff) is full of them too.

Obviously, if you feel really uncomfortable with the earthquakes, you must act on it. If possible, perhaps you should dig deeper into them. While there are no certainties in life, you can give yourself a better chance at surviving them - without loss or injury - by selecting where you live and the the type of residence. Newer codes, earthquake tolerant construction methods, etc. take you a long way.

I have never truly been in a really bad earthquake but was in one in Japan when an earthquake that might have been a big deal elsewhere stuck. I barely felt it as the building (a high rise) was constructed in a way to deal with it much better. The whole country carried on without missing a heartbeat.

Around here (or elsewhere for that matter), if you locate yourself on bedrock and have a newer dwelling, you will likely be fine. You can have it inspected by competent people who can further advise you on its ability to withstand an earthquake. But, of course, it cannot guarantee anything. You or your loved one's might be elsewhere when this happens. Or, you might be visiting visiting Katzpur from your safe house

All the best!

[Code Stemi]

Originally Posted by kavm

I am sorry to be the bearer of the bad news but if you like the mountains, you must also love the faults. Here is a USGS paper on the trans Rocky mountain fault system https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1334/pdf/C1334.pdf

You will likely find better air much more easily in the area around here than no faults. Grand Canyon (Flagstaff) is full of them too.

The OP listed their preference as not having any active faults. Anywhere in the West there will be faults, they're everywhere. Flagstaff AZ and Colorado Springs/Denver area do not have as high a seismic hazard risk when compared to SLC. They have a low to moderate risk, some of the lowest risk in the entire western region.



These are the most recent hazard zones for the U.S. by the U.S. Geological Survey.
As you can see, SLC area is very high risk, along with most major cities along the Western Coast or near it.
It is interesting to note, only the Upper Midwest, Florida, and Texas have little to no risk of earthquake danger. However, they also have to deal with their own potential calamities. It would appear that Phoenix, AZ has the lowest seismic hazard risk in the Western region, as the city lies partially in the shaded blue region.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by chahunt

The OP listed their preference as not having any active faults. Anywhere in the West there will be faults, they're everywhere. Flagstaff AZ and Co Springs area do not have a high earthquake risk compared to SLC. They have a low to moderate risk, some of the lowest risk in the entire western region.



These are the most recent hazard zones for the U.S. by the U.S. Geological Survey.
As you can see, SLC area is very high risk, along with most major cities along the Western Coast or near it.
It is interesting to note, only the Upper Midwest, Florida, and Texas have none to little risk of earthquake danger. However, they also have to deal with their own potential calamities.

Very interesting map! What I found especially intriguing was the difference between each of the Hawaiian islands.

[Code Stemi]

Originally Posted by Katzpur

Very interesting map! What I found especially intriguing was the difference between each of the Hawaiian islands.

Yes, it is quite interesting isn't it? Kauai is so much lower risk than the Big Island is. Oahu with about 1 million people in Honolulu is in yellow. I wish the map would have included a small dot that shows the major cities, though.

[irman]

Originally Posted by chahunt

Yes, it is quite interesting isn't it? Kauai is so much lower risk than the Big Island is. Oahu with about 1 million people in Honolulu is in yellow. I wish the map would have included a small dot that shows the major cities, though.

Off topic a bit but a possible answer to the above question ...

The Hawai'i islands are actually just one big mountain that came out of the ocean a very long time ago,
The smaller ones are just the tops of some of the peaks.

So any earthquake might be only felt in the major part of that huge mountain.

Most earthquakes in Hawai'i are only felt or originate in mostly one location Southeast part of the island