Why I LOVE any climate

[Danmar]

No way I'd ever try to convince anyone the climate in the DC area is ideal. It's not! But we like it here anyway.

Thing is, most places have their good and bad points. One thing I've found when traveling is to find something you like about the place you're visiting and mention it to locals. Great way to make new friends

I'm amazed how many of our friends who live in other areas like to put down where we live. Makes me think about what my parents taught me as a young girl...

if you don't have anything nice to say... - YouTube

good advice in life but makes for a pretty boring forum?

 

[MichaelB]

No way I'd ever try to convince anyone the climate in the DC area is ideal. It's not! But we like it here anyway.

Thing is, most places have their good and bad points. One thing I've found when traveling is to find something you like about the place you're visiting and mention it to locals. Great way to make new friends

I'm amazed how many of our friends who live in other areas like to put down where we live. Makes me think about what my parents taught me as a young girl...

if you don't have anything nice to say... - YouTube

Good advice for both real and forum life and very helpful when traveling.

 

[NW-Bound]

No, I do not love just any climate.

I can stand a bit of heat, but it must be "dry heat". Cold is OK, but not too cold, and I prefer "dry cold" with not too much precipitation. Guess I am going to stay right in my state, with a house for each situation.

 

[Nords]

No winter? No Fall? Sounds like a nice place to visit, but...

"Winter" is when I wear socks and sometimes even a long-sleeve t-shirt. "Fall" is when the tradewinds tend to die down a bit to give us the majority of those 90+ days... maybe a week or two.

As for the changing of the colors of the leaves and Jack Frost nipping at your nose... don't miss those a bit.

How's the humidity there? Being surrounded by water, i'm guessing it's high. Based on responses by several people in another thread, I think many would "need" a/c if they lived in Hawaii. It sounds nice to me though.

It usually runs 20-70%, but it changes a lot. My Dad's lived in Colorado for over 30 years and says Hawaii is too humid, but I think that Houston and the DC area are far more humid than Hawaii.

Air conditioning depends on where you live, and the islands are filled with microclimates. We're lucky enough to have a home at about 450 feet above sea level with great tradewind cooling. But down on the Ewa Plain you'd either need a very energy-efficient house or air conditioning. And many parts of town don't have good airflow for tradewind cooling.

That's not a climate. It's just weather.

"Climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get"! Admittedly many forecasters around here are pretty bored by the job... until the hurricane approaches.

My former in-laws lived in Orange County, California. When visiting Hawaii, they always made a point of loudly saying that the humidity and heat were intolerable. I am sure they would have complained bitterly about cold weather in colder climates.
Given the importance of factors like crime, city/town/village size, cost of living, and more, I really don't see any justification in making climate one's top priority in searching for a retirement home, at all. None of the responses to my thread have seemed to present significant reasons for doing so, IMO. But then, we are all different, I suppose...

Yep-- if climate was the only important factor then everyone would live here...

 

[Lsbcal]

...(snip)...
Air conditioning depends on where you live, and the islands are filled with microclimates. We're lucky enough to have a home at about 450 feet above sea level with great tradewind cooling.
....

I really don't believe this, sounds a bit too nice to be true. Maybe you should invite us over to check this thing out. Just let us know what room you can spare.

 

[M Paquette]

I really don't believe this, sounds a bit too nice to be true. Maybe you should invite us over to check this thing out. Just let us know what room you can spare.

I think Nords has his solar panel array tricked out to supply power to RVs. While I can't really speak for him, I'm sure he'd welcome any of the ER board RV regulars that wanted to drive by for a short visit.

 

[Purron]

Yep-- if climate was the only important factor then everyone would live here...

Really - everyone? If I was going for climate only then Southern Cali would be my choice, at least in the USA. Haven't traveled enough to render an opinion on all the other places on planet earth.

 

[novaman]

Wow- this thread was meant for me. I'm born and raised right here in the DC area and have spent half my life dreaming of living on the West Coast because I can't stand the weather here. I have grown to hate snow and ice, and I hate the humid summers here. Fall and Spring are spectacular here in the DC area but usually too short (except for this year) and then you have the allergies to deal with.
My friends from Chicago, upstate NY, and the Netherlands all laugh at this because they all love the weather here.

I guess everything is relative.

 

[MichaelB]

Really - everyone? If I was going for climate only then Southern Cali would be my choice, at least in the USA. Haven't traveled enough to render an opinion on all the other places on planet earth.

Agree. Hard to beat Southern Cal for temperature, sunny days and nice beaches.

Tropical cities in higher elevations close to the equator are very comfortable. When they are in valleys, like Bogota, Caracas, Guatemala, they have lots of sun and greenery and are cool at night. Quito is a bit cooler but also nice.

There's just something about the four seasons I always missed when living in a two season geography, especially autumn.

 

[NW-Bound]

The Western half of the US is surely drier than the Eastern half. That makes both summer and winter more tolerable. And California is not a bad place to live, but it would take more money than I have to afford a place close to the ocean. And then, there's earthquake to consider.

Still, let's take an entr'acte for some music. I know, I know, it's corny but this song often lingers in my head.

The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin' - YouTube

 

[Purron]

There's just something about the four seasons I always missed when living in a two season geography, especially autumn.

DC is beautiful in the fall

http://youtu.be/8BSNWNuJYmA

 

[Lsbcal]

...And California is not a bad place to live, but it would take more money than I have to afford a place close to the ocean. And then, there's earthquake to consider.
...

Enjoyed the song, thanks. You know most people do not live right next to the ocean in California. There is plenty of land that is not in the earthquake red zone. And with 3.375% mortgage rates, maybe it's a bit more affordable. Not suggesting it is a retirement destination from a cost standpoint.

That said, we can see the fog moving in over the hills from our perch. Sometimes the fog comes in and rests in the valley, then rises with the morning sun before burning off about noon. The ocean is about 1/2 hour drive. And we are in a red zone for earthquakes, oops. Pray for me.

 

[MichaelB]

Enjoyed the song, thanks. You know most people do not live right next to the ocean in California.

Say it isn't so! Next thing you'll be telling us not all Californians are young, blond, great bods with fantastic tans. Just watch one of those Tv shows like Baywatch - You can't hide the truth

 

[NW-Bound]

Being only a day drive from the LA area, we used to visit CA 2 or 3 times a year because we had (and still have) relatives and friends in the area. That was in the 80s and 90s. We also took our children to San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, Disneyland, etc...

We have not been going there as often in the last 20 years. It was crowded, and getting more so every time we visit, hence I wanted to be near the coast. Beer budget, champagne taste... And even "beer" is expensive in CA.

My sister-in-law moved there and bought a town-home south of San Diego in 2006 for their retirement, right at the market top. Ouch! She paid near $400K for a 1100-sqft 2-bedroom, which is probably worth a bit more than $200K now.

I still have not seen her place, and have once mapped out an RV park to keep my MH for a visit, but have not done that trip. One of these days...

 

[Lsbcal]

Being only a day drive from the LA area, we used to visit CA 2 or 3 times a year because we had (and still have) relatives and friends in the area. That was in the 80s and 90s. We also took our children to San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, Disneyland, etc...

We have not been going there as often in the last 20 years. It was crowded, and getting more so every time we visit, hence I wanted to be near the coast. Beer budget, champagne taste... And even "beer" is expensive in CA.
...

Yes it's a bit crowded in those Southern California cities. They get a lot of mind share and probably rightly so. When people talk about CA as if it's all down there in LA and San Diego I have to do a double take. There is a lot more to California, some hidden gems.

 

[NW-Bound]

Most people live in these crowded cities because of job opportunities. And then, as time goes on, they get used to being city dwellers and do not see any problems with it, while outsiders cannot see themselves in those living conditions.

The California coast, actually the entire West coast up to Bellingham, WA, has many places I would be happy to call home. But I have given up the idea of moving. My roots are too deep in the South West, and I will die here.

 

[Lsbcal]

Hi NW-Bound. Now I'm wondering about your logon.

DW and I have done some very nice car trips to the South West. Perhaps we should wave at each other as we pass on the road going to our respective vacations in the opposite directions.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been up/down the West Coast a few times with car trips, but have been only as far north as Whistler, Canada.

I still have to spend a summer in Alaska (hence my screen name), then it will be time to change my log-on to NE-Bound.

On the East Coast, I have been from Key West to St. John, New Brunswick, but still need to get to Newfoundland.

 

[Keim]

The Western half of the US is surely drier than the Eastern half. That makes both summer and winter more tolerable. And California is not a bad place to live, but it would take more money than I have to afford a place close to the ocean. And then, there's earthquake to consider.

Still, let's take an entr'acte for some music. I know, I know, it's corny but this song often lingers in my head.

The Mamas & The Papas: California Dreamin' - YouTube

Leave it to Alice Cooper to counter The Mamas & The Papas.

BIG APPLE DREAMING - ALICE COOPER - YouTube