It is different for everyone, but I worry about hurricanes as much as earthquakes.
It is hot in SC, no doubt. If you lived there it will take you and your family some time to adjust. I really like Oregon because the people are nice, like in the south. Biggest difference is the politics, taxes, and overall cost of living. Is the heat worth the savings? To me yes, to my wife no, but she's from Colorado. So we'll end up in Idaho or Wyoming.
There is a big difference between white trash and rednecks, and there are just as many undesirable folks in Oregon as South Carolina. If you want to do a southern state on the light side (less culture shock) than stick areas at least as big as Greenville. There are lots of transplants in the south, and if you went small and rural to get land you'll need more time to adjust.
I have always liked the heat. Arizona never bothered me one bit. Yes, it's hot as hell in the summer, but the fall and winter make up for it, as I'm sure is the case in SC, no?
We've both just gotten to the point where we can't deal with the cold, and in addition, we'd really just like a chance of pace. When I started thinking about Arizona after this deal fell through, I got to thinking about how we'd be in another sub-division, asshole to asshole with some neighbor (about 15 feet between homes), and that's when it dawned on me that maybe we should do what she and I had always talked about doing for years and getting a place with a bunch of land. Of course we always thought that was just a dream and that we could never actually afford it, but it appears we can, we just can't be anywhere on the left side of the U.S. (unless we want a lot of land and a run down house).
Being as though I work at home, it opens up a lot of possibilities of living pretty much wherever we want. We rant a place that is rural enough that we aren't in a sub-division, but also within a reasonable driving distance of a city incase we need stuff. Schools of course will play a factor, so we are paying attention to that as well.
Since our house doesn't close until April 7th and we are then going to be living in an apartment until June, I have some time to do the research, talk to people, and really narrow it down.
I lived in Texas for a few years, and I remember people telling me how it was going to be a culture shock (same as when I moved to Arizona). While it was indeed a lot different than it was in Oregon, I don't ever recall being "shocked". I always just thought it was different, but not in a bad way.
Idaho or Wyoming are both nice places. If it wasn't for the cold, that's probably where we would be as well.
My buddy tries to keep convincing me to move to Florida, but I don't think that's ever going to happen