I know why people want to move to CA (big house, living in)

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I get that, we gave up a beautiful custom 2300 sq ft house in Reno for an older 1400 sq ft house in Sacramento in part due to the weather. I don't care what the Reno lovers claim on their little forum here about 'oh don't worry the snow doesn't stick'. We lived 700' above the City and we shoveled, and shoveled, and shoveled some more, usually when it was around 15 degrees outside with the wind howling from the west blowing ice in your face. Thank God I am out of that ********

But, um, part of your problem was you lived 700' above the city. I'm sure there was probably less snow in the city proper. But I do agree with your general sentiment.

[Harpaint]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

I was watching the golf channel last night. Coverage of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 75 degrees in the middle of February.

Folks elsewhere are freezing and battling winter. I can almost feel the thoughts of those folks. "Let's move to CA, and forget this winter stuff".

That's what has happened since the 1950's and why California is so crowded now. Paradise Found or Paradise Lost?

[thelopez2]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

I was watching the golf channel last night. Coverage of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. 75 degrees in the middle of February.

Folks elsewhere are freezing and battling winter. I can almost feel the thoughts of those folks. "Let's move to CA, and forget this winter stuff".

Isn't that the point of Rose Parade, to brag about the weather? But boy did they get fooled this year, I think it was around 40 the night before the parade. My tomatoes are also confused, starting to bear fruit already.

[user_id]

Originally Posted by NoMoreSnowForMe

Drive to Lake Tahoe! That's another beautiful thing about CA. You want snow? Drive over there. But, you don't have to live in it. Wahoo!

It would take me an entire day to drive to Tahoe. But there is a big difference between traveling somewhere and what happens in your local community.

[8to32characters]

Originally Posted by djmanu

This year has been exceptional for California. usually people on the east coast are more likely to move to Florida, better winter weather there and less arid.

Florida may have warmer winters than California, but I wouldn't go so far as to call Florida winters "better" than those of California, especially Southern California.

Although winter is California's "rainy" season and Florida's "dry" season, Florida winters, especially in the southern third of the state where most Floridians reside, are wetter overall than just about every locale in Southern California, so humidity levels remain somewhat high throughout the winter months. Even in the wintertime, most people in Florida will be running their A/C to take the humidity out of the air and prevent the buildup of mold and other dampness-related issues.

Also, because Florida is situated on the Eastern seaboard, it's more prone to Arctic air invasions (AKA "polar vortexes") than California, especially the northern half of the state, which records low temperatures in the 20's and low 30's on multiple occasions every winter. By comparison, low temperatures in coastal Southern California rarely dip below 45-50F, despite having cooler overall daytime high temperatures than most of Florida.

Oh, yeah -- don't forget that February - April is "tornado season" in Florida. There's no such thing in California.

Honestly, the trade off for slightly cooler winters in California is worth it's weight in gold, especially compared to Florida. For the other 8-9 months of the year, the weather of California is much more pleasant than that of Florida -- significantly sunnier, drier, milder, and less volatile.

Aside from the low desert areas, summertime evenings in California are much cooler overall than those in Florida and allow people to turn off their A/C and open their windows. In Florida, people run their A/C for 8-10 months straight, depending on the area, and no one dares to opens their windows during the summer due to the humidity, torrential rain, and pests that seek shelter in homes during rain events (i.e., lizards and insects).

On a different note, East Coasters are more likely to move to Florida as opposed to California because it's geographically closer to the Northeast, so it's cheaper and more convenient to travel back and forth to Northeast, not to mention the mindset and culture of Florida are more congruent with the Northeast than California.

However, the biggest reason why far more people move from the Northeast to Florida is because Florida is a whole lot cheaper than California. Generally speaking, the Northeast has a very high COL, and most Northeastern states are particularly rough on retirees. Florida, OTOH, with no state income tax, no inheritance tax, no estate tax, generally low sales taxes, generous homestead exemptions, and -- in many areas -- low home prices and property taxes, is a very cost-effective alternative for many retirees. It just so happens that Florida's also pretty warm in the winter, too, especially compared to the Northeast.

For most people, economics and COL are bigger push-pull factors than weather, even for retirees. That's the reason why most people who depart states with high COL's usually move to states with lower COL's.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by 8to32characters

Also, because Florida is situated on the Eastern seaboard, it's more prone to Arctic air invasions (AKA "polar vortexes") than California, especially the northern half of the state, which records low temperatures in the 20's and low 30's on multiple occasions every winter. By comparison, low temperatures in coastal Southern California rarely dip below 45-50F, despite having cooler overall daytime high temperatures than most of Florida.

I agree with this. I visit my folks in St. Augustine (an hour south of Jacksonville) and the temperatures there in winter are very up and down... very unpredictable. So even though it's warmer than the SF Bay Area (where I live) on average, their cold spells are often as cold as what we get up here, and sometimes colder. It's usually reasonably sunny, but not as sunny as SoCal (but sunnier than the Bay Area...although maybe not with the drought). Also, just because the sun is shining doesn't mean the weather is good. They get more windy days in FL than we do in CA as well. Here a sunny day is a great day. In FL, it can be annoyingly windy.

The only thing that's a clear winner in FL is the sandy beaches and warmer water.

[SoCalbound12]

I've forgotten that such things as "winter" or "snow" exist.

[Greenchili]

Originally Posted by SoCalbound12

I've forgotten that such things as "winter" or "snow" exist.

Ha! Me too,,i cant imagine living in snow and cold.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by bruhms

75 degrees in the middle of february is hell

it should be 65

It will be....in the middle of summer with some wind and fog.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by Harpaint

Paradise Found or Paradise Lost?

Found and being turned into something less than paradise.