The photo representing Phoenix is a picture of Superstition Mountain...not located in Phoenix at all. It is due east of Apache Junction...which is due east of Mesa, which is due east of Tempe, which is...next to Phoenix.
Just saying.
10 Safest Cities in America from Natural Disasters
Photo: tbucha
After the recent earthquake in Japan that triggered tsunamis from Japan’s northeastern coast to the northern coast of California, it’s no wonder that people are concerned not only about the safety of the people in Japan, but also about the safety of the area in which they live. After all, it seems that devastating natural disasters have been occurring with increasing frequency in recent years. So where are the safest cities in our own country? Here is a list of ten U.S. cities that have a low likelihood of being struck by a major natural disaster. (See also: Do You Need a Disaster Survival Kit?)
The Methodology
From a list of American cities with populations over 100,000, those cities that had a higher likelihood of being struck by tornadoes (in Tornado Alley) were eliminated, as were those cities that were more likely to be hit by a hurricane (Gulf Coast cities and some Atlantic Coast cities). Cities that had a higher probability of experiencing a tsunami (Pacific Coast cities) or that were located near active volcanoes (concentrated in the Pacific Northwest) were also eliminated. Finally, cities in areas most likely to experience earthquakes (according to the U.S. Geological Survey) were removed from the list.
Once the list was narrowed down from 276 to under 100, the top ten were picked based on low violent crime rates — although not a natural disaster, crime rates are also a relative measure of safety.
1. Chesapeake, Virginia
Population: 222,455
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 158
Best Known For: The Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge, whose northeastern corner is located in the boundaries of the city. Chesapeake is also known for its location on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
2. Erie, Pennsylvania
Population: 103,571
Violent Crimes per 100,000 Residents: 219
Best Known For: Presque Isle State Park, an arc-shaped peninsula in Lake Erie that is a popular destination for hiking, swimming, fishing and boating.
3. Fort Wayne, Indiana
Population: 255,890
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 184
Best Known For: The Fort Wayne Daisies, which is the town’s professional women’s baseball team featured in the movie A League of Their Own.
4. Grand Rapids, Michigan
Population: 193,710
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 395
Best Known For: Its location on the banks of the Grand River. Grand Rapids is also known for its Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, a 132-acre attraction that hosts the largest outdoor sculpture collection in the Midwest.
5. Green Bay, Wisconsin
Population: 101,412
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 215
Best Known For: Its location at the mouth of Fox River on Lake Michigan, and the Green Bay Packers Football Team. Green Bay is the second-oldest franchise in the NFL.
6. Henderson, Nevada
Population: 256,445
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 111
Best Known For: Its proximity to Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as Lake Mead and Hoover Dam.
7. Phoenix, Arizona
Population: 1,593,659
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 286
Best Known For: Its subtropical arid climate and near-constant sunshine.
8. Provo, Utah
Population: 119,775
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 68
Best Known For: Brigham Young University and its conservative culture.
9. St. Paul, Minnesota
Population: 281,253
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 341
Best Known For: Its status as one of the Twin Cities, along with Minneapolis, and its unusually cold winters. St. Paul is also known for its Winter Carnival, an event attended by over 350,000 people each year.
10. Stamford, Connecticut
Population: 121,026
Violent Crime per 100,000 Residents: 137
Best Known For: Its highly educated population and its status as home to several Fortune 500 companies, including WWE, Pitney Bowes and UBS.
Additional photo credits: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Northeast Region, Soaptree, dbking, wsilver, Aasen Ryan Family, loop_oh, Chuck 55, Ken Lund, Mykl Roventine, rafaj
Best of Wise Bread
True, but the mountain is a popular recreation destination for Phoenix residents. It's less than an hour's drive.
I disagree. I live in central phoenix and superstition mountains are over an hour drive for me. Mostly all phoenix residents would go to Camelback, Phoenix Mountain Preserves (Squaw/Piestewa peak) or South Mountain. Even McDowell Mountain and Pinnacle Peak (in Scottsdale) are way closer than Superstition.
I would argue against Chesapeake VA being at the top of this list. I lived there for 8 years with a constant threat of hurricanes and their resultant storm surge flooding the town's low lying areas (most of the town is near sea level). Hurricane Isabel caused extensive damage throughout the city, and could have easily been worse if the hurricane had not lost energy just prior to landfall.
I agree 100%. This doesn't make any sense at all. I know folks who've lived there and the damage from hurricanes could be substantial.
I hate to say this, but I live in Chesapeake Virginia and half the trees in our yard have been knocked down by hurricanes over the years. We aren't technically on the coastline, but we're only about 15 miles away from it. Every time the Outer Banks/Virginia Beach gets hit, we get hit. I would not advise the weather-phobic to move here.
It is very surprising that Chesapeake VA made the top of the list, considering their vulnerability to hurricanes and flooding. In 2003, Hurricane Isabel wreaked havoc on the city. "The storm surge assailed much of southeastern Virginia, peaking at an estimated 9 feet along the James River; the surge caused significant damage to homes along river ways, especially along the middle reaches of the James River basin. The strong storm surge surpassed the floodgate to the Midtown Tunnel in nearby Norfolk; about 44 million gallons of water flooded the tunnel entirely in just 40 minutes. Winds from the hurricane destroyed over 1,000 houses and damaged 9,000 more; damage in the state totaled about $1.85 billion (2003 USD, $2.21 billion 2011 USD), among the costliest tropical cyclones in Virginia history. The passage of Isabel also resulted in 32 deaths in the state, 10 directly from the storm's effects and 22 indirectly related."
The TOTAL damage you are referring to did occur, but not in Chesapeake..... as you stated the flooding primarily took place in other "local" cities. The majority of the major flooding that impacted homes was quite a bit north of Chesapeake.
The picture for St. Paul is of the Minneapolis City Hall. Granted, Minneapolis is mentioned below, but it's very amusing to us because of the friendly rivalry between the two cities. Minneapolis is larger but St. Paul has the capital. To list St. Paul but show Minneapolis is just wrong.
The previous poster about St Paul is not correct. The picture is of the Landmark Center in St Paul, right next to the Rice Park and the Xcel Energy Center. I pass by there at least twice a week. (Although in that person's defense, Landmark Center does look a lot like the Minneapolis City Hall - or vice versa.)
St Paul is a great place to live. It is small enough to be livable, and just big enough to have plenty of amenities. And I believe we have great emergency response systems at the state and local level, as well as some of the highest volunteer rates in the country. Those should not be overlooked when looking at safe cities.
Wow no Texas towns. As large as Texas is you would think atleast one area would have been considered safe. Aside from Space Shuttle shrapnal Lufkin is very safe.
You may want to look up incenerators. There are three in Texas, not to mention proximity to the mexican drug lords.
The Mexican drug lords are several hours away from and hundreds of miles south of Lufkin that Carol is talking about. (or the distance of 3 or 4 of the puny-er states) ; ) But we do have tornadoes. And don't forget the wildfires. Oh, and softball sized hail. Oh, and hurricanes near the Gulf. That's probably why Texas isn't on the list.
Interesting topic, but the methodology seems a bit lacking. There are plenty of safe areas that aren't cities, certainly. Northwest New Jersey is well placed for being away from natural disasters. No tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, locusts or landslides. And minimal risk from hurricanes and floods in the western part of the state.
Of course we have our share of nuclear power. I'd suggest and such survey should consider that.
I agree. Although I really like the topic I felt that flooding and drought were the glaring omissions. Global warming is causing rising oceans and less snowfall. Water or lack of it will be the big news in the coming years.
We visited St. Paul / Minneapolis in September about 5 years ago. After a day of sightseeing we noticed a very ominous, dark storm-front approaching from the west, so we headed east on Rte.36. Pretty soon tornado sightings and warnings were being broadcast. We didn't encounter the tornado, because it stayed a bit north of our route, but it did do some damage. Come to think of it, there was a bridge collapse in the twin cities about a year later .
Stamford, CT might be "safe" from natural disasters, but it is within the 20 mile blast radius for a nuclear reactor that is considered to be the most at risk for failure in the US by the NRC. The winds from the 2 reactors in Buchanan, NY 15 miles away would blow right over Stamford. If you consider the uranium and plutonium at the power station a naturally occurring chemically element, it wouldn't fit the criteria of being safe from a natural disaster. If you consider a nuclear meltdown, a manmade disaster then it surely fits. I wonder how many of the other safest cities are located near nuclear power plants?
I definitely do not agree with Chesapeake being one of the safest cities. Major flooding occurs every time there is a storm and as other have said it is under the threat of a hurricane every season
ERIE,PENNA. IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. BEING HERE ALL MY LIFE, OTHER THEN SOME PRETTY BAD SNOWSTORMS OFF INTERSTATES 90 AND 79, THE AREA IS LOVELY.YES, WE DO LIVE NOT SO FAR FROM PERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.,IT SO FAR HAS NOT POSED A THREAT TO OUR RESIDENTS. GO ERIE!!!!!!
I'm from erie too and its a good place with horrible weather. I love the atmosphere and night life. Just wish people like you wouldn't be posting illiterately in all caps to make the rest of the nation think were uneducated.
I too have lived here all my 70 yrs. of life and would not even consider living any where else and the snow doesn't bother me either I love it always did.Beautiful place to live.GO ERIE!!!
Hi Dotti,
I too have lived here most of my life, with the exception of 10 years of military life which placed me near the twin cities, the bay, and out west, as well as a couple of overseas locations to include Japan. Although all of these other places were wonderful to visit, I couldn't wait to come back home and wouldn't trade living in Erie, Pa. for all the wealth in the world. I can see where you would be so excited that you would use all CAPS. :~)
Krispy Kreme to me doesn't compare to Mighty Fine Doughnuts...... I've been all around the world and Smith's hotdogs are still the best....... Oh and I cant forget the pepperoni and cheese balls. I guess I love the food. Although I will never live in Erie again I will always come back once a year to visit. The crime is getting higher as of late.
Erie PA is my hometown; I returned here after 14 years in Baltimore and have to agree that it is one of the Top Ten safest cities -- well insulated from natural disasters by virtue of geography and luck. Sure, we get snow but many of us like winter....you can shovel snow and eventually it melts. Plus, global warming has been good to our part of the world... excessive snowfall is rare (the city doesn't miss a beat with even a 2' overnight snowfall), ice storms are exceedingly rare and the summers are warmer. In fact, our summers are spectacular with plenty of free events/concerns almost every night of the week in various locations: downtown, the beaches, 8 Great Tuesdays etc. But I have to disagree with one of the previous Erie writers: the best donuts in town are Jack Frost Donuts on Buffalo Road!
I gotta agree: GO Erie!
So a crippling economic recession isnt a natural disaster? Back in college we used to call that place the armpit of America. It's almost a shame that this place isn't in the way of a hurricane, earthquake, and flood because they really need to just start over...
Honestly, I'm surprised some of those midwest cities are on there given the snow storms they had this past winter...and every few years it seems like. I'd take the small chance of a volcano that may or may not reach the Seattle area, with zero threat of hurricane or tornado which are fairly regular occurrences in other parts of the country, and minimal chance of tsunami as the Olympic Mountain range would prevent it from reaching 9/10 of the state, and a "huge" snowstorm for us amounts to about 5" which sticks around for maybe 4 or 5 days if we're lucky
I have also lived in Erie all my life and have always appreciated that we do not have so many of the things that plague the rest of the world. For one thing, we do not have any dangerous, maneating creatures here, either on land or in the water. The meanest we got are black bears and you have to go to the mtns to find those and they're mostly elusive and of course, the lovely brown recluse spider--again, a rather elusive critter unless you're working in or around woodpiles.
Secondly, we do not ever have hurricanes--ever. We have had the occasional tornado with only one very serious touchdown several years ago in Albion, an area about what...30-40 minutes from Erie? We also have had earthquakes-2 minor little temblors that I myself felt and the one most recently that occurred in Canada but was felt here. The biggest was a 5.2 and that was back in 1998. Big deal. Could there be a tsunami on Lake Erie? I'd hate to think of what would have to happen in order for that to occur. We are not that close to nuclear reactors--Perry is in Ohio, about 40 miles NE of Cleveland. It is a type 6 boiling water reactor and is stronger than the ones in Japan--thicker walls and containment system and the backup cooling system and generators are underground, unlike those in Japan which got washed away by the tsunami, forcing them to use seawater to cool the reactors. The Shippingport reactor near Pittsburgh (3hrs from Erie) has been decommissioned.
Ok, so no deadly critters (really), weather is fairly safe, save for the blinding snowstorms and accumulation of snow each winter-but hey, Buffalo always gets it worse, small to miniscule nuclear plant threat, no volcanoes nearby, not earthquake-prone, let's talk crime rate statistics. Our crime rate has been steadily increasing-but there are very few areas of the city itself that I feel unsafe in--even at night. We just aren't a huge crime capital here. We get our fair share of thugs, I'm sure there is some organized crime-but ok, the Gottis don't live here, aight?
Some great things about Erie besides the above-mentioned:
we live right on Lake Erie, which provides for many activities year-round. People love to go ice fishing here in the winter, we have world-class steelhead fishing that ppl come from all over the world for, the lake effect doesn't just give us 100 inches of snow a year (or more) it also gives us excellent fruit growing and that includes GRAPES! In my little town of North East (15 miles East of Erie) we have what, about 20 wineries? It's amazing. The Cherry Festival, Wine Festival--and all the ethnic festivals we have from our Greek, Polish, Italian and German folks who immigrated here a few generations ago. We have the international institute which has helped settle thousands of refugees from all over including Sudan, Nepal, Iraq, Serbia, Croatia, Armenia, Lebanon, etc. We have quite a wonderful international flavour here with great markets reflecting that. We have farmers-tons of farmers selling fresh produce at roadside stands and in the park in downtown Erie. We have a thriving downtown nightlife, a huge shopping corridor along Peach Street, many hospitals with 2 of them being highly ranked in various specialties. We have the benefits of a big city without the crowding and long commutes-it takes me roughly 20 minutes to drive the 15 miles to my job. The cost of living is relatively low compared to the rest of the country. We do have Presque Isle which has wonderful trails and activities year-round. You can waterski, bike, skate, jog, rent pedal buggies and paddle boats in the summer-enjoying the soft sand beaches and world-class sunsets (we are spoiled by the spectacular sunsets here night after night) and in the winter you can rent snowshoes, cross country skiis--there is birdwatching year-round and deer and other wildlife to be seen. We have a gorgeous bayfront with a new convention center, great family-owned, non-chain restaurants, our own microbrewerie and excellent local beers, Smith's hot dogs, green grass, rolling hills, beautiful trees and many forests abound. In fall, our foliage is aflame and probably unrivalled save for the views in New England states. Matter of fact, our spring, summer and fall are incredible. It's just the winters everyone laments and the reason so many leave--and then come back! Because I can't tell you how many ppl come back--it's alot, trust me. Thank you for letting me go on and on--I'm just tickled and proud that Erie made this list! We've been called Dreary Erie and the Mistake on the Lake--well, I beg to differ!
I was going to say i'd be extremely surprised if a Utah city wasn't on this list! Provo made is which makes sense haha
I gerew up in Chesapeake, VA and have lived in Erie, PA for the last 50 years! How lucky can a person be! Mimi
This list is frustratingly disjointed since you insisted on factoring crime rates into the equation. What do they have to do with natural disasters?
We moved (job related) from Erie eight years ago and go back every chance we get. I miss the roadside fruit and vegetable stands - McIntosh apples. We always pick up Smith's hot dogs and ox-roast to bring home with us.
It is a wonderful town to raise a family - great small zoo - fabulous local playhouse - wonderful athletic facilities - YMCA, Family First- Spectacular Presque Isle, 12 miles of public beaches and sunsets. Hockey, baseball, and basketball that you can afford to take your families too.
I have to stop. I am getting homesick for Erie.
C;ose enough to Cleveland and Pittsburgh if you need a big city.
This list isn't as accurate as you think. I have grown up in Provo, UT and yes it is a very nice place to live. Good people, low crime. But what many people don't know is that it literally sits right beside the giant Wasatch Fault line. A fault that experiences 2-3 minor (can't feel them) earth quakes per day. But the bad part is that Utah is long overdue for an 8 point earth quake. Plus, it's close enough to Yellowstone that once that blows you're dead anyway. Yellowstone is the largest volcano in the world. Ash from it's last eruption has been found by archaeologists in southern Texas. I'd say that if you really want to avoid natural disasters, you should just avoid the west altogether. Maybe parts of AZ are safe, but take it from me, I've lived in southern CA, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, and PA for most of my life. If you want to be in a disaster free zone, the north east is the best. You'll die in the west. There's no escaping the powers that are out here.
Interesting list of cities that come up. Glad to see St Paul, Minnesota on there. Having lived there or near there much of my life, I agree that it's a really good place to live & you dont have to worry about natural disasters unless you count the way the Twins and Vikings played this year. :)
Michael
Any location where there is Ocean that touches the shoreline is not safe. The Eastern Seaboard is also waaaaay to overcrowded. Rising sea levels, hurricanes, overpopulation, possible nuclear attacks? I would never live on the East Coast. This includes the West coast as well. The safest area in the Midwest in my opinion is WI. Wisconsin itself is on rock solid ground, no earthquakes, hurricanes, not much flooding, no volcano's. Last time a tornado hit was 30 years ago. If any "Major flooding occured, ice caps melt it would go straight down Lake Michigan and flood to the Gulf of Mexico, as predicted by Edgar Cayce in the future. Virginia??? Come on. NV, UT, ID? What if the volcano in Wyoming erupts? Every state around it to Iowa would probably lead to death.
These concerns are valid. Everyone should just move to Grand Rapids, MI. It's getting nicer here all the time. I'm smitten with the mitten.
Well put together article. My dad use to tell me when he was in Ohio, where he grew up that he would go to Pennsylvania from time to time. I am curious about it now. Thanks for the information. I think I will look into some of these places out of curiousity. I love CA born and raised. I do like the pictures you have included. The article short and to the point is more enjoyable that way then if it was overloaded with too much information on these places.
Maybe I should consider moving again because none of my past residential areas are in theses areas! I'm currently a Floridian and with hurricane season being such a series time it seems I've become an expert in coping with Natural Disasters. It is so sad that not only does the earth bring such destruction to an area, but afterwards the crime rate is so much higher. I'm really hoping this year's hurricane season isn't damaging...if it is them I'll definitely be moving to a location on this list!!
Me, too! I live right just north of Wilmington, NC and I'll take my hurricanes any day over tornados, wildfires, earthquakes, etc. At least we have plenty of warning!
Aside from crime & harsh winters, I've always thought of my city, Boston, as a place safe from natural disasters, BUT in the past 12 months, I have personally witnessed: a 48-hour blackout (Mar '12), a blizzard in October ('11), a massive hurricane (Irene, Aug '11), an earthquake (Aug '11), and a tornado (Jun '11 - in Western Mass, but I'm counting it).
After living in SC my whole life, I moved to Chesapeake,Va and was traumatized by all the crime I saw. I wasn't there anytime before the police put a picture of a rapist on my door warning of a rapist in the area that had raped many women. I then saw the action after the police killed a woman's husband that was threatening her(she did not want him dead). After this, I saw a man tackled to the ground outside the supermarket after he had grabbed a purse from an elderly woman inside the store. I then woke up to a shooting above me in my apartment(lakes of greenbriar) The ex navy man shot his friend in his apt above mine and then went to his girl friends home and killed her. I don't know if the man died or not. All of this in only a few months. I had never been so close to so much crime in my whole life and still haven't. I was terrified. So funny to see it made number 1.
What is bad about kentucky ot tennessee. I am looking for an area that is more moderate in climate, has water for growing food, not prone to natural disasters or man made for that matter. I live on the pacific coast and want to get away from the Japan continual radiation contamination. Any insite ob these two states?
A bit confused, I was raised in Central Utah (Provo area) and we lived under the constant threat of Earthquakes due to the Wasatch Fault Line. I also have personal memories of an earthquake when I was a teenager. We also experienced a whole town being flooded that no longer exists due to a mountain moving and blocking a river (it also closed interstate 70 for quite some time). We also lived with the threats of flash floods from the winter run off coming down the canyons. The crime rate piece was nice to see.
Laredo, Texas should've been #1.
I live in laredo; never in my 16 years have I seen tornados, earthquakes etc.
Only 1hurricane, but it was so small that you could take your baby for a stroll in the park lol
