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What are US or Canadian cities that are safe, have plenty of good unique shopping, are lower in humidity but not ultra low like Nevada, have no natural disasters like tornadoes?
Safe US and Canadian cities include Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal. All of these cities are lower in humidity than most US cities, have no natural disasters like tornadoes, and offer plenty of unique shopping options. Calgary is especially known for its outdoor activities and vibrant nightlife, while Edmonton is a great choice for those looking for a more laid-back atmosphere. If Winter is an issue, Vancouver only is an excellent option. Vancouver is also the best option for for those who want to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and Montreal is perfect for those who want to experience French culture without leaving North America. No matter what your interests are, you’re sure to find a safe city in the US or Canada that’s perfect for you.
For US cities without the Winter (not including the MidWest), I’ll include this excellent analysis by Peter Wade from Quora:
Step 1: Find US cities with a nice humidity level
Scientists say the optimal humidity level for comfort is between 35% and 55%. Nevada and Arizona are too dry, and Florida and Louisiana are too humid. If we aim for the yellow and light green areas, I think you’ll be quite comfortable. Since you originally stipulated very low humidity, even pleasant places like the San Diego and San Francisco areas will have to be eliminated. We’re going to get the humidity levels as low as we can without putting you in the desert.
Also, Hawaii and Alaska are not pictured. But any city big enough in those states to satisfy your preference for adequate shopping experiences would be disqualified by having humidity higher than what you desire. As a note, northwest Washington is within the highest humidity zone, but that does not equate to discomfort because of their moderate temperatures. But I’ll stay true to your question and will objectively search for very low humidity rather than inserting my personal opinion.
Step 2: Identify sufficiently populated US cities with adequate shopping
It’s hard to guess exactly what shopping opportunities are acceptable to you. But within the zone pictured above are 43 cities with more than 75,000 inhabitants. You’ll have to decide what population is too small for you (2020 U.S. Census populations included below). You’ve also stipulated cities rather than metropolitan areas, so keep in mind that some of these cities are smaller, but are suburbs of major metro areas and thus close to a significant amount of shopping.
- Denver, Colorado (715,522)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (681,054)
- El Paso, Texas (678,815)
- Albuquerque, New Mexico (564,559)
- Colorado Springs, Colorado (478,961)
- Tulsa, Oklahoma (413,066)
- Aurora, Colorado (386,261)
- Riverside, California (314,998)
- Lubbock, Texas (258,862)
- San Bernardino, California (222,101)
- Moreno Valley, California (208,634)
- Amarillo, Texas (200,393)
- Rancho Cucamonga, California (174,453)
- Fort Collins, Colorado (169,810)
- Lakewood, Colorado (155,984)
- Midland, Texas (146,038)
- Thornton, Colorado (141,867)
- Victorville, California (134,810)
- Norman, Oklahoma (128,026)
- Abilene, Texas (125,182)
- Arvada, Colorado (124,402)
- Odessa, Texas (123,334)
- Billings, Montana (117,116)
- Westminster, Colorado (116,317)
- Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (113,540)
- Pueblo, Colorado (111,876)
- Las Cruces, New Mexico (111,385)
- Greeley, Colorado (108,795)
- Centennial, Colorado (108,418)
- Boulder, Colorado (108,250)
- Rialto, California (104,026)
- Rio Rancho, New Mexico (104,026)
- San Angelo, Texas (101,004)
- Hesperia, California (99,818)
- Longmont, Colorado (98,885)
- Edmond, Oklahoma (94,428)
- Santa Monica, California (93,076)
- Lawton, Oklahoma (90,381)
- Hemet, California (89,833)
- Indio, California (89,137)
- Santa Fe, New Mexico (87,505)
- Upland, California (79,040)
- Loveland, Colorado (76,378)
Step 3: Eliminate cities with an above average risk of natural disasters
The question specifically identified tornados as a concern with a preference for no natural disasters at all. In another Quora post, I revealed that no areas in the regions we’re considering are completely free of natural disasters. It is nearly impossible to escape some degree of risk. But we’ll get that rate as low as possible. We would definitely want to eliminate cities with a higher risk of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires.
That will knock out a few of our candidates in California, Oklahoma, and Texas. Other disasters like mudslides and flooding would only be risks in specific areas of town and wouldn’t disqualify an entire city from contention. I also analyzed wildfires, drought, blizzards, and every other type of disaster.
Step 4: Assess the crime rate in each city
The only thing left to do is to rank the 24 remaining candidates by crime rate to provide a top 5 list of cities that best fit your criteria.
1.) Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Average humidity: 42.3%
Metro population: 923,630 (Albuquerque)
Natural disaster risk: Relatively low (44.63%)
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Crime rate: 190.2 violent crimes per 100,000 people
2.) El Paso, Texas
Average humidity: 34.9%
Metro population: 868,859
Natural disaster risk: Very low (29.6%)
Crime rate: 352.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people
3.) Centennial, Colorado
Average humidity: 51.5%
Metro population: 2,963,821 (Denver)
Natural disaster risk: Low (33.14%)
Crime rate: 180.9 violent crimes per 100,000 people
4.) Lakewood, Colorado
Average humidity: 51.6%
Metro population: 2,963,821 (Denver)
Natural disaster risk: Low (33.14%)
Crime rate: 644.1 violent crimes per 100,000 people
5.) Loveland, Colorado
Average humidity: 52.2%
Metro population: 359,066 (Fort Collins)
Natural disaster risk: Relatively low (41.65%)
Crime rate: 281.5 violent crimes per 100,000 people
Conclusion:
There are many US and Canadian cities that are safe, have plenty of good unique shopping, and are lower in humidity but not ultra low like Nevada. Some of these cities also have no natural disasters like tornadoes. Safe US and Canadian cities to live in include Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Halifax. These cities all have unique shopping experiences, with Ottawa having the Byward Market, Toronto having Chinatown and Kensington Market, Vancouver having Granville Island and Gastown, Calgary having the Beltline and Inglewood, Montreal having the Latin Quarter and Plateau Mont-Royal, and Halifax having the Seaport Farmers’ Market. All of these cities have a distinct character which makes them desirable places to live. In terms of US cities with no natural disasters, some notable examples include Austin, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; Fort Collins, Colorado; Denver, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Portland, Oregon. These cities are all located in states that are relatively free from tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. As a result, they are considered to be some of the safest places to live in the US. Finally, many US cities have low humidity levels due to their location.
No city in the U.S. has made it into the top 10 Most Liveable Cities list — but it’s managed to avoid the list of worst places, too. However, the U.S. did manage to score in the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s Global Liveability Index Top 30, with Atlanta in 26th. Neighboring Canada saw three cities make the list: Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Traditionally, Austria and Switzerland have placed highly on the list, which is ranked on culture, health care, education, infrastructure and entertainment.
The Top 10 Places to Live
- Vienna, Austria
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Calgary, Canada
- Vancouver, Canada
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Toronto, Canada
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Osaka, Japan and Melbourne, Australia (tie)
The Bottom 10 Places to Live:
- Tehran, Iran
- Douala, Cameroon
- Harare, Zimbabwe
- Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Port Moresby, PNG
- Karachi, Pakistan
- Algiers, Algeria
- Tripoli, Libya
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Damascus, Syria
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