"The PAC NW is MAJOR volcanic hazard / earthquake country.
The less building there of all kinds, the better."
Better to build in Florida or the Eastern Seaboard? Opps, hurricanes.
California? More earthquakes, wildfires.
Perhaps The midwest or south? Tornados.
How about the mountain west? Not enough water.
New York or New England? Liberals.
That leaves North Dakota. Why is it loosing population?
Have you ever spent a winter there? :)
Or as they used to say, "Why not Minot?"
"The freezin' is the reason."
In other words, it's dang cold up there in the winter. So cold that the snow won't even stay - it continues on to settle in Minnesota instead.