As fears of a wider global war grow, experts are quietly mapping out what a nuclear conflict on U.S. soil could look like. Their focus is simple and brutal: where the missiles would land first. Major military bases, command centers, and strategic infrastructure are the most likely initial targets, leaving nearby cities and states at far greater risk in the opening hours of a conflict.

That’s why some analysts point to parts of the East Coast and Midwest as relatively safer, at least in the first wave of strikes. States such as Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and others along the Atlantic seaboard may sit farther from primary nuclear targets, especially compared to regions dense with strategic installations. None of these places would be truly “safe” in a global war, but for families quietly planning for the unthinkable, geography could mean the difference between immediate annihilation and a fragile chance to survive what comes next.