We lived in California for two years and never felt a single shake. I experienced TWO earthquakes in Maryland within the course of 12 months. One was a 2.1, but the epicenter was only about 10 miles away. The second was a 5.4
The 2.1 occurred around 5 in the morning. My half-asleep mind began to think "Not a truck, not a helicopter, not thunder". At first I thought someone nuked D.C., but there was no flash, then "earthquake" entered my mind. I turned to my wife and said "I think we just had an earthquake". My wife said "I think so, too."...with neither one of us experiencing one before. What felt weird was that the house shook vertically, as opposed to laterally from a nearby thunder.
I was at the Post Office when the 5.4 came through. Again, first thoughts were "18 wheeler? Freight train?", but the shaking was more intense. Finally someone piped up "That was an earthquake".