Why I Settled on Southern Ecuador

I was reading a Simon Black article recently, whose work I enjoy, and I was reminded of some of the reasons I chose to live in Ecuador over other intriguing options like Chile.

He was commenting on a large earthquake they had in Chile, where he lives, and he had this to say –

“Earthquakes are just part of the deal when you live here. So even when powerful earthquakes strike, the impact is not ruinous.

They don’t ignore the risks.

My own house was specifically designed to withstand powerful earthquakes, and we built in strong cross-bracing and other countermeasures.”

One of the things I was looking for, and partly why I ultimately settled on Loja in Southern Ecuador, was to be away from things like earthquakes, volcanoes, nuclear energy facilities and the like.

When I read the article, it struck me how glad I was that I didn’t have to worry about building in “strong cross-bracing and other countermeasures” to any construction projects. In fact I have no concerns whatsoever in this part of Ecuador surrounding any natural or man-made disasters.

In a lot of ways during my research, Chile seemed like a great option, in fact it was a finalist for me. However, ultimately, the weather and the inability to get away from major fault lines caused me to rule it out.

The Loja area offers nearly everything I was looking for – low population density, no fault lines, volcanoes or nuclear facilities, good elevation, year round warmth, fertile soil, abundant water, and safety. And it offers all of that at a fraction of what you would pay in a place like Chile.

If these kinds of things are important to you, I encourage you to have a look at Southern Ecuador and see if it is right for you!