As the war in Ukraine once again heats up, this time with Russia sending hundreds of missiles to destroy critical Ukrainian infrastructure across the country, tensions between the eurasian titan and NATO have never been higher.
Tensions have been so high, in fact, that President Joe Biden himself recently warned that the chance of nuclear ‘Armageddon’ is the highest its been since the cuban missile crisis of 1962, with Russia openly contemplating using tactical nuclear weapons if and when it believes its existence is threatened.
If Russia were to actually use tactical nuclear missiles in Ukraine it is currently unknown what the U.S. response would be as Ukraine is technically not currently a NATO ally.
However, in spite of this, some commentators the U.S. and NATO would undertake a retaliatory strike of either a conventional or nuclear variety.
Needless to say, if the U.S. responded to the use of tactical nuclear weapons by a conventional or nuclear strike of their own on Russian forces it is highly likely that the conflict would very quickly escalate to an all out nuclear exchange. An exchange that would lead to unprecedented destruction and loss of life across much of the world, including much the United States.
While the U.S. would certainly be hit hard by any major nuclear exchange, some places would fare better (and some would fare far worse) than others.
Here is a list of all of the best and worst places to be in the U.S. during a future nuclear war with Russia based on a detailed map created by the U.S. government during the height of the cold war.
The Worst Places to Be
Washington D.C.: Washington is one of the worst places to be if nuclear war breaks out, as the center of command and control for the U.S. government and military will likely be targeted with multiple high yield nuclear weapons.
Military Bases: Any and all U.S. military bases, in particular bases housing U.S. Airforce and naval equipment are likely to be targets of Russian nuclear strikes in the first hours of a nuclear exchange.
Miami, FL
Houston, TX
Phoenix, AZ
Chicago, IL
Honolulu, HI
San Francisco, CA
New York, NY
Boston, MA
The Best Places to Be
Maine
Inland Oregon
Northern California
Central Idaho
Northern Minnesota and Michigan
West Texas
Aleutian Islands, Alaska
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