There's a reasonably broad consensus that life isn't possible in the central part of the galaxy due to normal excessive radiation levels, even before considering extreme events.
Of course, galactic size being what it is, these two "central parts" could have boundaries differing by, oh, say, twenty thousand light years no problem.
I forget the details but I've seen arguments that too far away from the core is bad too.
This would mean that complex life is more common along the outer rim, where we are. This in turn means that the median distance between complex living biospheres might be very large, further reducing the likelihood of visitation or receiving signals.