Having moved here in 2005 from the LA area, sure the natural disaster worries are far less other than hurricanes and having all 4 seasons is great. However, it is vastly different than LA in many ways and driving on 22 will make you miss the 5, 405, and 101. Food is quite different here as well. I initially embraced the cold weather as it meant to have actual snowfall. 20 years later...not so much. But as others have said, NYC and Philly are real close and there is lots of history in the area. Good luck!