Should I move out of Boston? can't take this weather! (Florida: how much, homes)

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by breezy1

Good news for grocery store option ... Wegmans is coming to Boston area! Way better options, ambience and prices than Shaws and StopNShop. However, they are just focusing on outlying towns for now (Westborough and Northborough stores to open in 2011) ... not sure what other towns after those over the next few years. I moved here from the Rochester area and there is no grocery store that even comes close to what they offer ... I hope that they eventually come to some towns closer in.

Im glad Wegmans is coming to Mass. I have always heard good things about that store. I have relatives that live in Southeast Mass and all they know is Stop&Shop and Shaws, and one super Walmart in one of the towns. I think one of their Shaws has closed though.

I wasn't suprised that you mentioned Wegmans coming to Westborough area. Im quite sure there is a reason Wegmans would select the communities you mentioned. Some areas of Mass attrack more businesses than other areas thats for sure.

[ogre]

Originally Posted by umbdude

I want out of Boston too as I hate cold weather and love the heat.

It does depend on the person. Many of the people I know love the cold winter and can't stand the heat. For me, I hate not being able to go out and take a walk because it's cold...whereas in the summer I could still go outside despite it being 90+. I do love the New England Fall weather.

I've heard San Diego has the best weather in the country (70 degrees sunny most of the year). But the cost of living is on par with (if not higher than) Boston.

I agree that personal leanings vary regarding the kind of weather someone prefers or tolerates, but when you talk about not being able to take a walk becaue it's cold out, I'd suggest bundling up and taking a walk anyway. I find that winter is easier to tolerate if you don't let it limit you. Getting outside for some physical activity will make you feel good, because of the activity itself and the fresh air. If you have a chance to go out for a walk during the daytime, it's also good to get some exposure to the sunlight, as a way to overcome the effects of the short days during the winter. Generally, I think it gives you a psychological boost to get out and do things. This gives you more of a positive feeling during winter than you have if you stay cooped up inside the house and let the season get you down.

[cynderella]

Didn't catch where the original poster lived before living here. He mentioned living here for eight years. Wonder what weather he has to compare to? One person's paradise can be another person's hell. Coming from the southwest area of the U.S., this winter is really getting to me and makes me long for the west but then I think about how little the weather changes there and how boring that can get and it helps me get through another day of white and grey.

[petersczupak]

I feel your pain should you enjoy running/biking/partaking in outdoor activities that are encumbered by waterproof shoes, multiple layers, potholes, black ice, heaved sidewalks, ill-mannered drivers, ad nauseum. My basement (likely lined with asbestos laced tile) has become a de facto exercise studio, and fortunately indoor pools haven't had roofs cave in due to snow. Shoveling snow isn't positive exercise, no matter what the long/old timers here think. I also respectfully disagree with Lukec: real spring is a nanosecond if summer is a blip: "mud" is the prevalent meteorological trait from March 21-Memorial Day.

This is my second go-round with this town (what you do for your spouse), and combatting winter elevates my seratonin levels at mere mention; I sense you might have the same affliction. I actually resorted to purchasing an ultraviolet light/ionizer to ward off the blues this week. Vocationally, what are the switching costs involved? So many positions need only a high speed latch up with a reasonable security moat around it, with I-Chat or Skype for good measure.

Dallas is warm, but not ridiculously humid, a decently diversified town economically with reasonable house prices. They do get the occasional ice/snow storm: 1" stops everything. Topography isn't inspiring, though. I lived in DC for 7 years, and the traffic sucks like nothing has ever sucked before. Vocationally, most jobs have some sort of government/defense contractor/lobbyist tie in: vocationally as parochial as Boston is geographically parochial.

Ultimately, accepting any locale's idiosyncrasies is the root of geographical acceptance. If you're stuck here, think about buying a condo off foreclosure in FL or AZ; I bought in the latter, and its a wonderful escape valve.

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by sjnative

I've lived in the sun belt all my life and during the summer, I get tired of the sun and too-warm temps- and it's not nearly as bad where I am as it is in the cities you mention.

Read some posts from natives or long-time residents in Dallas or Atlanta who want to move north, and an often-cited reason is that they're tired of the heat, spending too much time indoors to get away from it and paying high utility rates to cool their homes.

When you look at the costs of the homes on those TV shows, you may want to ask yourself why they cost so little.

Also ask yourself if you want to live in Southern culture. I understand that it is diluted in the big cities, but you'd still be in the South. For some, that's all the better. For you..?

Great post and somewhat hard for a true Bostonian, however, when I did come here I did feel as in a differnt country not State. Florida pays low
wages, and after awhile since most people come from another state you
do make it work. Also florida taxes are now lower however, try to get Insurance for the home not so easy! The New Tampa area with Seven Oaks and
Wesley Chapel is real nice. However, the traffic is real bad on BBD! Now Florida has been working full speed ahead with better roads.

[maggiekate]

Originally Posted by ipoetry

Move to Cape Cod and commute to Boston. I'm looking out my window and there is no snow. Don't let weather become your primary focus. The Carolinas get ice storms that they're ill equipped to handle. As a recent transplant from Florida, I will tell you that the summers are just awful. If you're physically active or enjoy gardening, you'd have to get it all done by 8 a.m. This is not a typical New England winter snowfall. Just bear with it. Next year will be different.

Cape Cod is a brutal commute into Boston also housing is real high and so
is insurance and if they both do drive to work a real long day! Also, IF and a big one the New Tampa area of Florida is real nice with Shopping etc.
but the job outlook not so great.

[lukec]

Okay, now even this hardy New Englander is sick of the weather, but I'll deal. The three phases of winter to help transplants get by:

1. December. Enjoy it. Its different. The air is crisp and refreshing. Snow is a unique thrill at first and its fun during the holidays.

2. January. Ignore it. Its gets cold, but just stay busy and don't be a wuss about it.

3. February. Okay it sucks, but you know what? We are just 3 weeks from March. 5 weeks from Saint Patrick's Day. By the time you let it wear you down, just look over the horizon. It wont be long now before the weather starts to turn.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by petersczupak

I feel your pain should you enjoy running/biking/partaking in outdoor activities that are encumbered by waterproof shoes, multiple layers, potholes, black ice, heaved sidewalks, ill-mannered drivers, ad nauseum. My basement (likely lined with asbestos laced tile) has become a de facto exercise studio, and fortunately indoor pools haven't had roofs cave in due to snow. Shoveling snow isn't positive exercise, no matter what the long/old timers here think. I also respectfully disagree with Lukec: real spring is a nanosecond if summer is a blip: "mud" is the prevalent meteorological trait from March 21-Memorial Day.

running, biking, and other outdoor activities are just as hard to do in blistering hot and humid weather the South gets. you may not think shoveling is exercise, but there's a lot more you can do in the winter a opposed to a 100+ degree summer:

-snowshoeing
-cross country skiing
-skiing
-sledding (a "kid" activity, but a ton of fun!)
-ice skating
-skijoring if you have a dog inclined to pull you along

every region has its pros and cons, but I don't consider the average Boston winter a con in terms of activities to do (granted I know you guys out in Boston are getting walloped this season, but this isn't an average winter).

of course, I do like the idea of an "escape valve" or vacation home. after this past crazy winter (has experienced major snow storms in Chicago, Boston, and New Jersey), I'm ready to take a break from the white stuff for a while!

[Leigh0416]

Well, if you're still considering a move down South, just so you know, there is 18 inches of snow in my yard right now and I live in Arkansas! There has been snow (and ice) on the ground since the beginning of January here. I think Dallas and Houston also got ice last week. And an extra bonus of living in the South when weather gets bad....not enough equipment to handle or treat the roads! No fun!! I would stick to Boston...it's much better there!

[Neal2009]

A few words of advice from someone who grew up in Dallas, Tx.

Without a doubt I would much rather endure a brutal winter than a brutal summer. I am now living in northern Germany, so I have experienced both. Even in the peak of winter here, I can go out and enjoy a nice walk if I have the right clothes. In Dallas, no matter what clothes you were, going outside and enjoying yourself is out of the question for at least 4 months, sometimes 5. From mid May, til about late September, the heat is absolutely debilitating. Even then, the humidity and heat dont really completely let up completely until late October and then it slowly starts up again in early April. Dallas has ideal weather during this time, but sometimes its hard to enjoy the Springtime because you know the awful summer is right around the corner.

Then there is the argument that no matter where you go you will have to put up with something, which is true, be it a horrible, humid summer or freezing cold winter. Even if you go to California, where the weather is often described as perfect, you will find yourself missing the seasons and becoming bored of the monotonous sunny/warm weather.

I myself having experienced both am thinking about the Boston area when I return to the United States and I could never see myself living in the South long term, and much of that is simply due to the weather.