Why I Hate Colder Climates

[Marita40]

I love living in MN. What in the world would we talk about if we didn't have such interesting weather? The daily local newscast is at least 1/2 about the weather.

I would far rather have winter than the 100 degrees and high humidity forecast again today. I can't seem to think straight or get anything done in heat/humidity, whereas I'm a happy, busy little bee once the autumn chill sets in.

I hire out my snow shoveling and leave the car in the garage to take the bus if the streets are too icy to drive. The worst part of winter is when the sidewalks are also too icy to walk, but I discovered YakTraks two winters ago and will never be without them again.

[Walt34]

My original retirement plan was to put the snow thrower in the pickup truck and drive south until people started asking what that machine was for. DW had other ideas but it still sounds like a good idea to me. Maybe someday. Sigh.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marita40 I love living in MN. What in the world would we talk about if we didn't have such interesting weather? The daily local newscast is at least 1/2 about the weather.

My sister lives in TX, but she went to college in MN and lived/worked in Minneapolis for several years, and absolutely loved it too. It was pretty rough in winter at times, but they're pretty adept at handling snow & ice. And from visiting her summer and winter, the area had tons to offer. Not my cup of tea, but I can well see why millions of people love it.

[My Dream]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I don't understand why people would put up with "extreme climates" of any nature.

I can think of one reason....wanting to be close to family. If I had a choice I wouldn't be more then a couple hours away from my kids or parents. As it stands now, both kids live at home and both parents aren't more then 1/2 hr away and that's suits both my dw and I just fine. Mind you I don't consider out climate "extreme" but can get a bit cold outside during the winter months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI But come on ovah...we'll look in mah pantry.....

As I'm sure you'd have enough in the fridge to keep me cool during those hot summer days.

Thanks bbbam1

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords I think Steelyman was also accounting for humidity and windchill...

Thanks, Nords - I was just being colorful

[Danmar]

I think both cold and warm climates complement each other. Seasons are great so we decided to make them even more extreme by buying a house in the mountains(near Banff) as well as one in Arizona. We like the idea of minus 20 one day and plus 75 the next.

[ShokWaveRider]

How about an average climate that does not get below 0 (often) but in Turn does not get too warm either. But there are other factors to consider also like overcast skies and rain. They have an effect on well being and quality of life. I can tell you being from the UK it is tedious having days and days of dreary overcast drissley (SP) weather. Then there is the opposite, living in Calgary having 300+ days of sun certainly has something going for it, but 25*C - 35*c Below does get a little chilly and along with a 9 month winter, tedious again, sunny tedium, but tedium nevertheless.

My DW and I are looking at the weather patterms in Nanaimo, Saanich Peninsular and Victoria BC on Vancouver Island for a final retirement location. Struggling with the Rainy season though (Dec-Feb). And also the high seems a little low in summer at 70*F'ish. We really do not want to maintain 2 properties in our retirement.

Currently we live in NE Florida, get lots of sun, very few freeze nights, but it can get tedious in the summer heat (like now). Lots of sunshine, when it rains it rains big but rarely stays overcast for long.

Any comments on the most ideal place in North America (US or Canada)? Other than Southern California, we lived there for 20 years and is it simply too crowded and far too expensive for full retirement. PLUS did I mention that there are simply too many people there, at least for our liking. BUT, the general weather was about as perfect as you can get.

FYI Here is a photo of my back yard this morning, it is 10:00am 92*F and 90% Humidity. Not a cloud worth mentioning, and you can probably stand about 30 minutes of it unless you are in the pool.

SWR

[boatfishandnature]

I actually like temperate weather better. But it does interfere with my primary hobbies (fishing and boating). It is great to have a 12 month boating season. Boats are not very good investments no matter what, but if they can only be used 5 month a year they become even harder to justify...

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marita40 I love living in MN. What in the world would we talk about if we didn't have such interesting weather? The daily local newscast is at least 1/2 about the weather. I would far rather have winter than the 100 degrees and high humidity forecast again today. I can't seem to think straight or get anything done in heat/humidity, whereas I'm a happy, busy little bee once the autumn chill sets in. I hire out my snow shoveling and leave the car in the garage to take the bus if the streets are too icy to drive. The worst part of winter is when the sidewalks are also too icy to walk, but I discovered YakTraks two winters ago and will never be without them again.

(emphasis mine) This is what I would call an intelligent and sensible adjustment to a colder climate. Retirees would just have to have an attached garage, hire out the snow shoveling, choose a location with decent public transportation, and have a couple of sets of YakTraks (just as retirees in the South need to stop wearing their heavy winter coats and make other adjustments to a warm climate). If a retiree must keep the house miserably cold in the winter in a cold climate or miserably hot in a warm climate, to the point of great discomfort that cannot be remedied by other means, then IMO maybe he should have worked a little longer.

Therefore it is hard for me to understand why someone would object to cold weather due to having to scrape the windshield, snow shoveling, slipping on the ice, or being cold all the time.

So far, it seems to me that most of the reasons for dislike of a cold climate can be dealt with, and the most valid of the objections posed would be for the dangerous driving in ice and snow if it was difficult for a city bus to drive in it. As a retiree, one could either call a cab or just stay home until the ice goes away. I guess the latter could be pretty tedious if it took months for the ice to melt, though.

There are SO many other priorities upon which to base one's choice of retirement location, and *for me* a warm climate seems way far down on the list. YMMV and for many does.

[haha]

IMO, there is only a very small band of the US with truly good, year around weather. SoCal no more than 1 mile and preferably only a few blocks from the beach, the central Cal coast, and the Bay Area west of Livermore. I never lived on the central coast, but I lived in these other two, and they are unbeatable in the US.

Everyplace else is a compromise. Seattle is excellent if you can handle drizzle and grey and the occasional failure of summer to show up at all. (It's sunny here today, as it was yesterday, but I am standing in my LR with a sweater on.)

Once I was in New Orleans in February, and it was too hot for me.

Many of us, wisely I think, live where we have roots.

Ha

[Keim]

This thread has been interesting to me. It seems most peoples complaints relate more to dealing with snow, than dealing with actual cold temperatures.

I grew-up on the plains of north central Montana. It was rare for us to have more than a few inches of snow, though drifting was a major problem due to the wind (snow tends to require a temp. between about 15 deg. F. and 35F).

Boy did we have cold! I experienced -65f, not including wind chill. So cold it froze the oil in my car, despite having an electric engine warmer. Condensation from your breath froze in your beard. Spilt water froze nearly instantly upon contacting the ground. People scraped the inside of their windshield while driving because the defroster couldn't keep up.

I camped out in a tent at -20f. It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day. Just cold. "Brrrr schit cold weather" as I used to call it. As in "Brrr, schit I'm cold." I could go on.

And I loved it!

Now I find myself in a warmer climate with more snow, and I miss the cold sunny days of north central MT.

I am curious what people find more bothersome: Deep snow or intense cold?

[LauAnn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marita40 I discovered YakTraks two winters ago and will never be without them again.

I just discovered YakTraks in January 2012. Agree they are a great find. They are, however, yet another part of the less than desirable 'layering' requirement that comes with living in a colder/icier climate.

[Dawg52]

Simple, I don't play golf in cold weather so a mild climate suits me better. Although I played with a couple of guys from South Dakota a few weeks ago and said they actually got to play this past winter because it was so mild. In fact, they said they got a total of 4 inches of snow. Pretty amazing.

[LauAnn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by W2R (emphasis mine) This is what I would call an intelligent and sensible adjustment to a colder climate. Retirees would just have to have an attached garage, hire out the snow shoveling, choose a location with decent public transportation, and have a couple of sets of YakTraks (just as retirees in the South need to stop wearing their heavy winter coats and make other adjustments to a warm climate). .

I fully expect my dislike of cold/snow to change once I am retired. I will then have the luxury of the looking out the window and saying - "Nope don't want to deal with that right now" and then returning to bed or breaking out a hobby.

That mentality isn't an option when when you are stilll working and due at the office.

A 6-10" overnight snowfall overnight can drift to 2+ feet, which results in a 4 foot high ice block jam at the bottom of the drive after the municipal plow comes through -- the timing of which can vary based on the severity of the storm.

Yes -- many employers are more lenient towards late arrivals; but then again there are occupations (health care for example) which require you to plan for the eventuallity of being blocked in; thus you are up at 3:00 a.m. to begin clearing the obstruction and leaving early to insure your arrive on time.

[LauAnn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keim This thread has been interesting to me. It seems most peoples complaints relate more to dealing with snow, than dealing with actual cold temperatures. I am curious what people find more bothersome: Deep snow or intense cold?

For me, it is definitely the snow. The past winter was a JOY. I only had to shovel once the entire period. The prior 3 winters were above-average in snowfall and that gets very tiresome to deal with. So this 'break' of sorts resulted in a lot of smiles on a lot of people's faces, except on those of the area ski resort owners.

Again, for me, it bears repeating -- this past winter's lack of snowfall was WONDERFUL and made life so much easier.

P.S. I ski because it snows; I do not want it to snow, just because I ski.

[LauAnn]

The view from my garage.

[LauAnn]

Another reason I dislike snow is because of its disruptive nature when it comes to travel plans -- especially flying. For peace of mind, I have begun to automatically add an additional day to the start of my trips to account for the eventuality that the my flight out of town won't take off as planned.

This result in having to use up an additional vacation day plus the additional cost of hotel.

[Purron]

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Originally Posted by haha Many of us, wisely I think, live where we have roots. Ha

+1. Northern Virginia is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. But this is where our roots are.

You can find good things and bads things about every area. DH and I have friends who have moved many times - including Central America - searching for the perfect spot and have yet to find it. They think we're nuts for staying here after retirement not only because of the weather, but because of the insane traffic and higher cost of living.

That's OK. We like it here just fine.

[Andre1969]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purron +1. Northern Virginia is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. But this is where our roots are. You can find good things and bads things about every area. DH and I have friends who have moved many times - including Central America - searching for the perfect spot and have yet to find it. They think we're nuts for staying here after retirement not only because of the weather, but because of the insane traffic and higher cost of living. That's OK. We like it here just fine.

I'm in the Maryland suburbs just outside of DC, and I agree with your too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter comment!

But, this is where my roots are. I'm currently living in a house that my Grandmother's uncle built back in 1916. And grandma, still alive and kicking at the age of 88, lives right across the street, so I can help keep an eye out on her. If I wasn't around, we'd probably have to pay someone to check in on her, or move her in with a family member. And, I'm only 2 1/2 miles from work, which makes for a sweet commute.

Eventually, being that close to work won't be an advantage anymore, once I'm retired. And grandma isn't gonna last forever. So, when those two events happen, I'll pretty much be free to move anywhere I want. As long as I can afford it, that is!

But, I'm not so sure that I'd want to. I do like going to other places to visit, get away from it all for awhile. But it always feels good to come back home.

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andre1969 I'm currently living in a house that my Grandmother's uncle built back in 1916.

Wow! Those are some deep roots. I'd love to see a picture of the place.