- North enough that climate change will not affect it as much
- Inland so not at risk of sea level change
- Next to a large fresh water source
- Food security - weather suitable for all kinds of crops, even as temps rise
- A large enough group of people in a rich country that it will still be able to get resources as things get worse
- Because of the city/county split, the city crime rate is arbitrarily high despite being a safer metro than most. Means that housing prices are low. Places like Chicago are more at risk of becoming unaffordable as refugees crises get worse
- The region is one of the few that has been continuously settled from pre-colonial days, indicating some Lindy effect in play