# Have you heard of a plan to move San Diego, California to Alaska or this just a rumor? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214 "2013-06-05T15:37:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/121 "2013-06-07T21:22:32Z")
The OP reminded me of James Blish. I must re-read _Cities In Flight._ ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/122 "2013-06-08T01:35:13Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > I still think a war room in Russia or China is mainly worried about the ability for America to strike back. How does destroying the vessels who happen to be in San Diego (or Alaska) and not at sea have anything to do with us striking back? Would their shelling topple the two bricks not totally pulverized? In the case of total war both the fleet and San Diego are gone. But I’m not betting on a war. Russia has no reason to attack us, and China’s economy would be in shambles - not to mention I think we still have more nukes than they do. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/123 "2013-06-08T01:39:48Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Despite losing 1/4 to 1/3 of it’s employment/job dollars? (see cite above, which does not include civilian jobs needed to support the civilian population moved, like supermarkets, police, fire, teachers…) Moving the fleet won’t have nearly that much of an impact, since there is ton of aerospace work in San Diego which won’t be affected at all, and, as mentioned, there is plenty of other military bases there. One class of workers would be badly hurt. The hookers. Won’t anyone think of the hookers? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/124 "2013-06-09T01:01:13Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > You know, they say there are no dumb questions. Anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. > > There are no plans to move the 8th largest US city. San Diego is on the Pacific Plate side of the San Andreas Fault. Isn’t that whole area supposed to be up in Alaska in twenty million years or so? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/125 "2013-06-09T02:36:53Z")
**Antonius Block** figured 800 million years, upthread. > [@Antonius\_Block](#): > > It’ll be a while before it gets there, however… 🙂 > > Tectonically speaking, [San Diego is on](http://geology.com/articles/san-andreas-fault.shtml) the [Pacific Plate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Plate), which is slipping northwestwards past the [North American Plate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Plate) at a rate of about [50mm per year](http://www.earthquakecountry.info/roots/socal-faults.html). > > A quick Google Earth measurement puts Alaska’s Aleutian Islands (part of the North American Plate) at about 4000km NW of San Diego. > > At this rate, about 800 million years from now, (what is now) San Diego may indeed show up in Alaska. > > So **Mr Quatro** may be onto something! Mock him at your peril – he sees the future! ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/126 "2013-06-09T02:43:56Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Still, the idea of levering the entire city up off the ground, sticking thousands of tank treads underneath and sending the whole thing off on a cross country trip has a certain demented grandeur. The Navy has been working on spindizzies. Don’t tell anybody. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/127 "2013-06-10T03:11:07Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Still, the idea of levering the entire city up off the ground, sticking thousands of tank treads underneath and sending the whole thing off on a cross country trip has a certain demented grandeur. Well, sure, until you hit the 49th parallel, and Canada’s Customs and Border Service starts doing gun checks on everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/128 "2013-06-10T20:37:49Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Because it’s closer to everything? 😃 Close. **Close???**. [By gum, it’s so close to Russia you can see it from yer front porch](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nokTjEdaUGg) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/129 "2013-06-12T14:31:22Z")
Dude, move the Navy, the ‘red dots’ still don’t leave San Diego. This has been pointed out to you by about 10 different posters in various vocabulary. Hello? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214/130 "2013-06-12T22:34:39Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Still, the idea of levering the entire city up off the ground, sticking thousands of tank treads underneath and sending the whole thing off on a cross country trip has a certain demented grandeur. Given the traffic in LA and the Bay Area, this wouldn’t be that much faster than letting the San Andreas Fault do it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-heard-of-a-plan-to-move-san-diego-california-to-alaska-or-this-just-a-rumor/660214.md?page=6)