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Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,351 posts, read 8,569,440 times
Reputation: 16698
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Quote:
Originally Posted by saibot
You could not tempt me to live in the climate of Hoover, Alabama just by providing me with a big house.
Hoover is pretty nice with gorgeous homes. It's not just the cost of homes , but the overall cost of living and different lifestyle.Even with that big house the cost is less than many parts of the Bay area. That price tag won't even get you a house there, an older condo maybe.
Californians love to condemn every other area because of weather, but the weather isn't that bad. I thought I would melt moving from the Bay Area to Atlanta and some days are pretty stiffling, but overall it's not that bad. After my last visit to Marin county I returned to Atlanta to pretty nice weather for weeks. Amazingly at the same time the Bay area had a pretty long hot spell and even in Marin county where AC is never needed people were not happy, especially at night trying to sleep.
I agree that the "Best Places" lists tend to be pretty bogus. But if a list of 50 or 100 has only one California city, it's because they are weighting cost of living over low crime, job opportunities, great weather, etc.
It's pretty amusing to read the blurbs under some of those cities. Appleton, Wisconsin is desirable because it has seven colleges and universities per 100,000 residents. But it has only 75,000 residents. LOL. (And how many colleges can you attend at once, anyway?)
The data saying Appleton has seven colleges really cracked me up. Don't get me wrong - I've visited Appleton several times and it is a nice enough little city, but to suggest that it is a hotbed of higher education is hysterical.
Here are the colleges in Appleton:
Lawrence University is in Appleton. It's a nice small liberal arts college that has about 1400 students.
They also have Fox Valley Technical College, which is a community college that only offers associate's degrees.
There's a satellite office of Concordia University Wisconsin. The satellite campus in Appleton mainly offers nursing and the "campus" in Appleton is in an office building. Concordia's main campus is 88 miles away in Milwaukee.
Appleton also has satellite offices of Rasmussen College and Globe University. These are both for profit colleges that most students attend online.
Oh, and Appleton also has a beauty college.
I couldn't figure out what the 7th college is, but perhaps they're counting the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley which is another two year college. The trouble is, that's not actually IN Appleton. It's in Menasha, about 7 miles away.
So, out of the 7 colleges in Appleton, only one (Lawrence) is really a traditional 4-year college, and it only has 1400 students.
That kind of sums up the in-depth research this "ranking" is based on right there.
Great post comparison. I'd sure take a few mosquitoes and humidity for one of those georgeous houses. My sister was recently in Tennessee and was very impressed with the state
Hoover is pretty nice with gorgeous homes. It's not just the cost of homes , but the overall cost of living and different lifestyle.Even with that big house the cost is less than many parts of the Bay area. That price tag won't even get you a house there, an older condo maybe.
Californians love to condemn every other area because of weather, but the weather isn't that bad. I thought I would melt moving from the Bay Area to Atlanta and some days are pretty stiffling, but overall it's not that bad. After my last visit to Marin county I returned to Atlanta to pretty nice weather for weeks. Amazingly at the same time the Bay area had a pretty long hot spell and even in Marin county where AC is never needed people were not happy, especially at night trying to sleep.
No one is arguing that California real estate is one of the most expensive in the country. However, when you are considering a move to another part of the country, weather sure as heck should be part of that consideration.
The humidity and dew point numbers are off the chain in the east. In fact, everything east of the Rockies has higher humidity and dew point levels than those states west of it. While northern parts of the country, towards Canada may not have higher temps in the summer, they still have a higher humidity and dew point level than any place in California - except for the region right along the coast. The humidity is high but the temps are lower so it isn't as noticeable until you get a heat wave as we did this year.
While the housing in Georgia may be lower and you can grab a beautiful home for a third less than what you can get in California, you can't stay inside your home throughout the summer. People who enjoy being outdoors won't be happy with it. AND, if you suffer with respiratory problems (as a brother of mine did) you could shorten your life by living in a more humid climate (as it did also).
So while the weather there for you isn't "that bad," as you say, for some it can be a crucial factor in whether choosing to live there because the cost of living is lower or whether you live healthier. I'll choose healthy over cost of living any day. But I'm very glad it's worked out for you and you like it.
No one is arguing that California real estate is one of the most expensive in the country. However, when you are considering a move to another part of the country, weather sure as heck should be part of that consideration.
The humidity and dew point numbers are off the chain in the east. In fact, everything east of the Rockies has higher humidity and dew point levels than those states west of it. While northern parts of the country, towards Canada may not have higher temps in the summer, they still have a higher humidity and dew point level than any place in California - except for the region right along the coast. The humidity is high but the temps are lower so it isn't as noticeable until you get a heat wave as we did this year.
While the housing in Georgia may be lower and you can grab a beautiful home for a third less than what you can get in California, you can't stay inside your home throughout the summer. People who enjoy being outdoors won't be happy with it. AND, if you suffer with respiratory problems (as a brother of mine did) you could shorten your life by living in a more humid climate (as it did also).
So while the weather there for you isn't "that bad," as you say, for some it can be a crucial factor in whether choosing to live there because the cost of living is lower or whether you live healthier. I'll choose healthy over cost of living any day. But I'm very glad it's worked out for you and you like it.
And this is why Californians will be the worst off if the power grid ever goes out
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
10,351 posts, read 8,569,440 times
Reputation: 16698
Quote:
Originally Posted by HereOnMars
No one is arguing that California real estate is one of the most expensive in the country. However, when you are considering a move to another part of the country, weather sure as heck should be part of that consideration.
The humidity and dew point numbers are off the chain in the east. In fact, everything east of the Rockies has higher humidity and dew point levels than those states west of it. While northern parts of the country, towards Canada may not have higher temps in the summer, they still have a higher humidity and dew point level than any place in California - except for the region right along the coast. The humidity is high but the temps are lower so it isn't as noticeable until you get a heat wave as we did this year.
While the housing in Georgia may be lower and you can grab a beautiful home for a third less than what you can get in California, you can't stay inside your home throughout the summer. People who enjoy being outdoors won't be happy with it. AND, if you suffer with respiratory problems (as a brother of mine did) you could shorten your life by living in a more humid climate (as it did also).
So while the weather there for you isn't "that bad," as you say, for some it can be a crucial factor in whether choosing to live there because the cost of living is lower or whether you live healthier. I'll choose healthy over cost of living any day. But I'm very glad it's worked out for you and you like it.
Oh I have no doubt that weather makes a huge difference for many people whether it be for health or just everyday living. I was definitely inside for most of summer myself. But some people just get used to it. I see people jogging out here in the summer and it's like a 100 and humid outside and I just shake my head. I do see a lot of people on the lakes and rivers in the summer. Actually I did stay home inside most of the summer except for trips to the gym and travel.
Overall weather is the number one feature of the bay area. Second is the diversity of the land with even just a 60 mile radius. I do miss that.
Of course we all know its a money issue for most of us. People who bought in years ago and have even a middle class job are going to have a good life.
I know for me I wasn't going to be one of them. I would have been forced to live in an area not as nice as the bay area. Think Tracy or something. Once you leave the coastal metro areas to the central valley Ca looses a lot of it's edge over other parts of the country.
Luckily I save enough money out here to come visit Ca for about 30 to 45 days a year, typically I leave Ga when it's the hottest
I'm coming out in a few weeks but I am saddened by all the damage the fires have done and hope they get it under control.
Great post comparison. I'd sure take a few mosquitoes and humidity for one of those georgeous houses. My sister was recently in Tennessee and was very impressed with the state
Yes and while it is humid in the Summer, it isn't a big deal and I was born and raised in SoCal. I am in TN now and this week has been wonderful and my wife and I have been out every day in the yard working and ... no sweat.
Like the idiots that post everything negative about CA based on a particular problem, the same is done about the South, etc and humidity is not that big a deal. Plus no sore throats, cracked lips, dry skin and more that people have; due to the low humidity in the West.
Oh I have no doubt that weather makes a huge difference for many people whether it be for health or just everyday living. I was definitely inside for most of summer myself. But some people just get used to it. I see people jogging out here in the summer and it's like a 100 and humid outside and I just shake my head. I do see a lot of people on the lakes and rivers in the summer. Actually I did stay home inside most of the summer except for trips to the gym and travel.
Luckily I save enough money out here to come visit Ca for about 30 to 45 days a year, typically I leave Ga when it's the hottest
I'm coming out in a few weeks but I am saddened by all the damage the fires have done and hope they get it under control.
You are correct, The savings in the cost of a home over nice areas in CA will pay for many trips to CA for years. Enjoy the State and avoid the negatives of the COL.
While the housing in Georgia may be lower and you can grab a beautiful home for a third less than what you can get in California, you can't stay inside your home throughout the summer. People who enjoy being outdoors won't be happy with it.
I spent much more time outdoors in the Atlanta area than I do in San Francisco. A typical summer evening in Georgia was taking my child to a swim and racquet club for 90 minutes of swimming in a huge outdoor pool. A typical fall weekend afternoon was playing football in our huge yard.
When we moved to San Francisco a typical summer evening for my son was spent inside playing video games since it was so windy. There were no backyard football games in SF since there is no yard!
Oh I have no doubt that weather makes a huge difference for many people whether it be for health or just everyday living. I was definitely inside for most of summer myself. But some people just get used to it. I see people jogging out here in the summer and it's like a 100 and humid outside and I just shake my head. I do see a lot of people on the lakes and rivers in the summer. Actually I did stay home inside most of the summer except for trips to the gym and travel.
Overall weather is the number one feature of the bay area. Second is the diversity of the land with even just a 60 mile radius. I do miss that.
Of course we all know its a money issue for most of us. People who bought in years ago and have even a middle class job are going to have a good life.
I know for me I wasn't going to be one of them. I would have been forced to live in an area not as nice as the bay area. Think Tracy or something. Once you leave the coastal metro areas to the central valley Ca looses a lot of it's edge over other parts of the country.
Luckily I save enough money out here to come visit Ca for about 30 to 45 days a year, typically I leave Ga when it's the hottest
I'm coming out in a few weeks but I am saddened by all the damage the fires have done and hope they get it under control.
Well thank you, at least, for saying that you did stayed indoors for most of the summer. That was my point. Not saying you can't handle it but for those who can't having to stay indoors just so they can breathe really does take the fun out of things. I know that probably all the people who post here don't have any type of pulmonary problems but we're out there, all over and big factor in where we live. That's all I was trying to say.
Georgia and the Carolinas are beautiful. I haven't visited but my late brother used to send me photos of the places he would go, when he first moved out there. At the end of five years, he couldn't do it any longer and eventually died. Had I known about his breathing problems (he never said a word) I'd have made him and his family move back and stay with me until they found something out here. But it's too late for that. What I learned after the fact is how hard it was for him to breathe, due to the high dew point in the air. It's all about humidity along with the dew point which is why some humid days don't feel as bad as others. It's just geographical so it's important to know what you're getting into when you decide to move, other than the cost of living and home prices.
And, I do agree with you on the cost of housing now in California. I'm appalled and saddened that it's no longer possible for a young couple to buy a house without practically selling a kidney. It's shameful. There's no reason for it. California may be nice but it's no more special than any other place, other than it does seem to be the hub of ingenuity but it's always been that way.
Anyway, the fact that some blogger writes an article about the ten best places to live is subjective, as I said in my first post. I would never move to a place just because someone said it was good. I'd want to check it out for myself and make sure it met all my requirements. But hey! If people weren't writing articles like that, we wouldn't have much to discuss here, now would we?
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