Would it be better to live in a place with small earthquakes...?

It would be safer in an area that has many small earthquakes rather than an occasional big one. For example along the southern part of the San Andreas Fault in California the fault zone is well lubricated with ground water. As a result the fault moves frequently and normally without a major earthquake. However, further to the north the fault zone has not moved a significant amount for many years. But the "Big One" is coming. It will cause a lot of damage and hurt a lot of people.