My questions are sincere - I really don't understand why so many people choose to live in areas that appear to be in the path of this type of event. People staying near where they were born is one thing - but many of these areas are growing exponentially. And the transplants are coming from places similar to where I live that would appear pretty tame by comparison. Clearly my timing is not very sensitive. I apologize for that.

By and large, people move to places where they can find work. That's why the population isn't growing (and may be decreasing) in places like North Dakota. Sure, you might be able to live cheaply but unless you're retired, you might not be able to make a living there.

For the most part, the employment prospects in San Diego are pretty good. Also, San Diego is a very beautiful place with a terrific climate and lots to do. It's an expensive place to live but people manage somehow. The downsides are the occassional wildfires and earthquakes.

My youngest son has lived there for 14 years. He went through a series of earthquake aftershocks (epicenter was closer to LA, IIRC) about 10-12 years ago. They had another set of serious wildfires 4 years ago. I don't know of any other earthquakes or wildfires during that 14 year period but I could be wrong.

Why do people live along the eastern or Gulf coasts when those areas get hit by hurricanes? Why do people live in much of the midwest or south when those areas get hit by tornadoes and floods?