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Old 07-29-2019, 10:37 PM
 
Location: New Jersey
1 posts, read 835 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi Friends,

I recently graduated and my husband and I are thinking to choose a state to settle. I am a dentist and he is a tech guy. The cities that work for both of us the best in terms of job opportunity are NYC, Seattle, and San Fransisco. We love San Fransisco over NYC because of better weather, more relaxed environment, and beautiful hiking trails close by but what scares us a lot about both San Fransisco and Seattle is the earthquake. We think if God forbid a serious earthquake happens, it will be very tragic. We know that if we are meant to get dead we die by any means but choosing to live in an area that has high possibility of serious earthquakes does not seem wise. What do you Californian friends think? Do you ever think about hazardous earthquakes? Are you guys prepared for that? Do you know if your buildings can withstand 7 magnitude earthquakes? We deeply appreciate your help, we really feel confused about what to do at this stage of our lives since we have to apply for jobs (we are currently living in NJ)
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Old 07-29-2019, 10:55 PM
 
Location: On the water.
21,564 posts, read 16,062,110 times
Reputation: 19586
Pretty sure more Californians are scared of dentists than quakes. You might want to consider the fear you’d cause as well as what you might feel.
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Old 07-29-2019, 11:14 PM
 
Location: San Diego
50,055 posts, read 46,553,810 times
Reputation: 33894
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tulemutt View Post
Pretty sure more Californians are scared of dentists than quakes. You might want to consider the fear you’d cause as well as what you might feel.
Shhhh mutt

Quakes here are dangerous and common. Houses coming down constantly.


Ok, just kidding.

If you have a well paying job we want you to come here. It would be a nice change.
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Old 07-30-2019, 01:20 AM
 
Location: San Diego
195 posts, read 207,599 times
Reputation: 874
Be afraid of fires, more than earthquakes!
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Old 07-30-2019, 01:39 AM
 
Location: ☀️
1,286 posts, read 1,463,191 times
Reputation: 1518
If you are meant to "get dead".....? You're a dentist?

CA and WA both have high earthquake risk. (Large) Earthquakes are very infrequent, but both regions have the potential of delivering powerful magnitudes and damage when it eventually does occur. If you want to avoid earthquake risk your geographic choices are very limited in the Western US.

Last edited by Code Stemi; 07-30-2019 at 01:55 AM..
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Old 07-30-2019, 04:45 AM
 
719 posts, read 980,988 times
Reputation: 1854
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie_t View Post
Hi Friends,

I recently graduated and my husband and I are thinking to choose a state to settle. I am a dentist and he is a tech guy. The cities that work for both of us the best in terms of job opportunity are NYC, Seattle, and San Fransisco. We love San Fransisco over NYC because of better weather, more relaxed environment, and beautiful hiking trails close by but what scares us a lot about both San Fransisco and Seattle is the earthquake. We think if God forbid a serious earthquake happens, it will be very tragic. We know that if we are meant to get dead we die by any means but choosing to live in an area that has high possibility of serious earthquakes does not seem wise. What do you Californian friends think? Do you ever think about hazardous earthquakes? Are you guys prepared for that? Do you know if your buildings can withstand 7 magnitude earthquakes? We deeply appreciate your help, we really feel confused about what to do at this stage of our lives since we have to apply for jobs (we are currently living in NJ)
Just avoid living in unreinforced masonry buildings and you will probably be fine. Southern California is a lot more likely to experience a magnitude 7+ right now than the Bay Area due to southern 1/3rd of the San Andreas not having ruptured in a serious way for a long time. By all accounts, LA (and, even moreso, Palm Springs) is primed for "the big one" pretty much at any moment.
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Old 07-30-2019, 08:34 AM
 
1,210 posts, read 876,880 times
Reputation: 2755
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie_t View Post
What do you Californian friends think? Do you ever think about hazardous earthquakes?
Earthquakes can be scary if they hit at 559AM or 431AM and you're deep asleep.
The most indestructible thing in the world is a one story, ranch style house with an earthquake gas shut off valve.
Like others have mentioned there are many other things about California, especially the Bay Area and SoCal that are worse than earthquake risk: expensive housing, traffic, the challenge of finding neighborhood schools with smart kids in them, moving away from relatives when/if kids arrive, and homesickness.

Here are some cool earthquake videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B_smrjViZo
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Old 07-30-2019, 11:31 AM
 
10,513 posts, read 5,106,800 times
Reputation: 14056
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellie_t View Post
... but what scares us a lot about both San Fransisco and Seattle is the earthquake....
Short version: an earthquake is more likely to hit the SF Bay Area than Seattle but you're more likely to ride it out. Seattle has a smaller risk of more damaging events: 9.0 earthquake offshore, tsunami, Mt. Rainier eruption that is forecast to send debris flows into Seattle.

If you choose a newer residence in the SF Bay Area built to seismic codes that's not on Bay mud flats or fill, not too close to the ocean, and not in a wildfire zone, you'll have the odds on your side. In Seattle there's a smaller chance of the "big one" happening but if it does happen, your risk of ruin is higher.
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Old 07-30-2019, 11:39 AM
 
Location: Northern California
127,521 posts, read 11,757,700 times
Reputation: 38400
Living is risky. We could die on the freeway any day, but we do not think about it, when we get it in the car. That is living in a quake country, we do not think about them, educate yourself on what to do if one comes, & keep earthquake supplies.

I am sure more people die in ice & snow related incidents in NYC, than in San Francisco, from quakes, on any given year.
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Old 07-30-2019, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Scottsdale
1,336 posts, read 912,828 times
Reputation: 1757
Meh, you get used to the idea. I've been in all shakers since the early 80s, LA and SF.
They do freak you out, don't get me wrong, but then you forget all about the quake, and you start to forget worrying about the quake.

If you live in a modern (or recently remodeled to code) home, you will have earthquake proofing that will deal with anything surely up to at least the mid 7s, if not near an 8.0 quake.

Just don't live in something ancient up in the city, if you want to be really conservative on the risk.
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