I know California is appealing to millions of people, heck I love visiting my relatives there (San Fransisco). However, I routinely jest with them as to why they chose to build such a wonderful home, so close to the San Andreas Fault … They always reply that nothing will happen in their lifetimes. I wonder if people living on or near the fault even think about the day when the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate decide to have an argument and they heave up 100 meters in disagreement with one another. That could make for a pretty bad day. Multiple million dollar homes dot the landscape around the fault. It seems a pitty to build in such a volatile area knowing someday your house may be swallowed by the earth.
So what do the Cali-Dopers think of the quakes, and the fault? Does the fleeting thought remain in the back of your head that one day, the BIG one will happen…?
California has brushfires, earthquakes, and some of the most idyllic weather in the continental United States whereas Conneticut, where you live if I recall correctly, has snowstorms, the occasional hurricaine, and a less than stellar climate in general.
I’d chance “The Big One” if my choices were between those two locations but as is, I make my home a couple hundred miles north of that fault line in the Pacific Northwest.
Because it is absolutely gorgeous here. The weather is fantastic.
When I first moved here I was more than a little scared of earthquakes and I felt exactly as you do. Why would anyone want to live where the earth shook under their feet?
I’ve been here four years now and I can tell you why. It’s beautiful. There’s probably too many reasons to list. The redwoods, the vineyards, the ocean, the bay, the mountains. A big city (SF), country, you name it. All in one area. So what if your china cabinet juggles a little every now and then?
I’d be lying if I said quakes aren’t something I think about. Of course they are. There are tiny (1,2,3s)earthquakes in this area every week, heck, nearly every day. I used to feel them, I don’t anymore.
I’ve been in a couple of 4 or mores since living here, and really, they’re no big deal. Most of the buildings/structures in the area are built to withstand strong earthquakes.
I don’t see them as any worse than any other conditions people might be willing to put up with to live in a certain area (tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, snow/ice, etc.) You take the good with the bad. And there is a hell of a lot of good around here.
I worry far more about car accidents and serial killers than earthquakes. Even if we do have a massive earthquake, and even if lots of people do get killed, the odds that it’s going to get me is just so slim. I’m probably a greater danger to myself than the earth is.
I’ve gotta agree with Lavdragon, it’s just so much more likely I’ll get killed while driving, I can’t spare any worry for an earthquake. I’ve lived in California all my life, I’ve been in lots of little quakes and few of the larger ones. The devil I know is much less scary than the unknown devils of tornadoes and hurricanes.
California’s great. I drive a ten year old truck. If I lived someplace where it snows, I would have had to replace it already. I’m looking out my office window onto a green lawn.
Yep. And the other thing is, that kind of stuff I can enjoy every day. (If I ever managed to get out of the apartment). And over the nine years that I’ve lived out here, I’ve only felt three earthquakes, and they were all so minor that I didn’t even realize it was going on until afterwards. Total damage: a case carrying all my CD’s fell and broke one of them. About $15. I think overall, it’s been a net gain.
For a lot of people I think it’s probably “they were born there” while Cali and Florida are famous for having big transplant communities there’s still millions of home grown types in both states.
I’ve never understood the people that like California/Florida weather.
Aside from idiots that can’t drive (which you find anywhere) I love when it snows, I love when it gets cold. In ways I even love the humid swamp-like summers you get in Virginia.
Of course we get earthquakes here too ;).
I’ve never lived on the West coast extensively but if I were to live in California it’d be in Northern California for sure. LA, San Diego, et cetera just don’t fit in with me climate-wise.
The San Andreas fault is the least of my worries, considering I live about 100’ from the Concord Fault, which, while much smaller than the SA, is still capable of cranking out a 6.9 every 180 years or so. But I also live in a new apartment building, so it should - in theory - be up to code.
It is certainly true that that the San Andreas fault will let go in a big way one day. But natural disasters occur can and do occur just about anywhere. Most folks build their homes to code, get insurance and don’t worry about it. You may as well ask why do people live in Tornado alley? Or why anyone would live on the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico or next to potentially active volcanoes in the Pacific North West.
I think what freaks out our non-Californian friends is the utter unpredictability of earthquakes. Tornadoes & hurricanes give you plenty of warning; not so with earthquakes.
Californians live in denial. What can I say.
(actually, I think it was well said above: constant benefits compared to infinitesimal chance of major hurt–I like those odds.)
[ol]
[li]Because I can stroll on the beach in the dead of winter and feel the warm sun splashing on my face. [/li][li]Because I can find work in some of the best companies in the world within an hour of my house.[/li][li]Because I have access to some of the best universities in the world a short distance away. [/li][li]Because I can go for water, snow, or mountain recreation any time I want.[/li][li]Because I can look at all the destruction to lives and property from hurricaines, tornadoes, floods, and natural fires and not worry. [/li][li]Because there are real neighborhoods and a sense of community in those neighborhoods. [/li][li]Because the population is among the most diverse and tolerant you will find anywhere in the country.[/li][li]Because the options for eating out are endless. [/li][li]Because the politics suits me.[/li][li]Because life is short and you should live where you want.[/li][/ol]
Earthquakes? Yeah, went through a few. No big deal. The one in '89 was pretty scary but did not impact me much at all. If anything, it increased my confidence that my house and I will survive another big one, whenever that will be. That’s the point, no one knows. It could be tomorrow or in a thousand years. It’s all guesswork, so why worry? It would be like worrying about the next terrorist act. You can’t let the unpredictable affect your way of living.
It’s just not something that crosses our mind often. The world is full of hazards. Earthquakes are one of the more rare and more survivable ones.
Very few people actually die in California earthquakes. Our buildings are built to some of the toughest standards around, and when we lose them to earthquakes it’s more of then because they have to be demolished due to underlying structural damage, not catastrophic collapse. My town is pretty near the epicenter of the '89 quake, and a good chunk of it had to come down afterwards. But I think only eight people died. And quakes like that are rare- heck, I’ve lived here five years and I’ve only even felt one earthquake. Earthquakes just really arn’t that big of a threat in the big picture.
And CA really is a nice place. I’ve been a lot of places in the world and very few of them compete with the plain-out niceness of CA. The weather isn’t the same everywhere- my town is pretty cool most of the time (sixties and low seventies year round). But just twenty minutes away you get a spread from low fourties to low eighties. It’s a little cool for my liking, but I’m a fan of places where you won’t freeze to death if you lock yourself out of the house. I live near redwood forests, beaches, a pleasent downtown with sidewalk cafes and street musicians…everything I could want, really. I can drive to snow or deserts in just a few hours. My community is friendly, safe and walkable. The politics are nicely liberal and I don’t have to worry about prayer in school or books getting yanked from the library or gay people being beaten. We arn’t stuck in a Generica of strip malls and big box stores- small businesses are still viable. We’ve got some of the best, freshest produce in the world, along with caught-that-morning seafood. Theres money everywhere. There is industry and innovation. It’s just a good place (albeit you pay dearly in rent for all this goodness).
One of my favorite movies of the 90’s was Steve Martin in L.A. Story, one of my favorite parts of the satire was when they were all eating in a posh little bistro and the whole place starts to shake, and everyone but the British woman carries on their conversation like nothing is happening. It was a very amusing part.
I understand all the beauties of CA, I truly do love the climate there as well. I’m moving with my wife to Arizona, and am really looking forward to the climate change. No more slushy crap to shovel. Plus being that close to CA, I’ll be visiting quite often. In fact my wife and I are going to Sonoma in April, I’m very psyched.
They always reply that nothing will happen in their lifetimes. I wonder if people living on or near the fault even think about the day when the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate decide to have an argument and they heave up 100 meters in disagreement with one another. That could make for a pretty bad day. Multiple million dollar homes dot the landscape around the fault. It seems a pitty to build in such a volatile area knowing someday your house may be swallowed by the earth.
Plus being that close to CA, I’ll be visiting quite often. In fact my wife and I are going to Sonoma in April, I’m very psyched.