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According to the NWS (National Weather Service office) in Santa Cruz –
…the highest average temp from June through Sept is from 72.9 F to 74.5….which is in the lower 70’s.
….Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March, April have normal high temps in the 60’s (6 months)….while May and October just edge to 70 and 71 F respectively.
My point was compared to places even in north Florida like Daytona Beach – the average winter highs are warmer in Daytona Beach, Coco Beach, Melbourne….etc than the average summer highs in Santa Cruz, or San Francisco, CA. Of course the difference between these two areas (as you mention) is even more pronoced because SST are in the upper 50’s and low 60’s much of the year off Santa Cruz….and in the upper 70’s to low 80’s off Florida.
Most people find temps below 75 F a cool for the beach/ocean swimming….so I would think that temps in the 60’s would be quite cool for the beach. I would think that really only from June through September (temps in the low 70’s) are really warm enough for enjoying the beach in Santa Cruz….while from March through November (temps in the mid 70’s to upper 80’s) one can enjoy the beaches of North Florida like Daytona Beach.
Well you stated it struggles to break the 70's which simply isn't true. And just because you find low to mid 70's too cold doesn't mean others do to, judging by how many millions of people are at the beach in CA with those temps I would hardly say "most" people find that too cold.
Well you stated it struggles to break the 70's which simply isn't true. And just because you find low to mid 70's too cold doesn't mean others do to, judging by how many millions of people are at the beach in CA with those temps I would hardly say "most" people find that too cold.
I swam off Redondo two weekends ago. With the heat and no wind, 71 was PERFECT.
There are other ways to enjoy the beach in CA though, besides just laying there, in which yes, you might get cold, but the beaches in CA provide for nicer walks and hikes year round as well, very scenic, and can go up the cliffs and such, taking dog out there, and of course surfing if you are into that.
FL has nicer sand, better water and warmer, better for swimming and wading certainly, different beaches really.
This is a tight race if I'm a beach goer or a partier...but let's say I want to go skiing or 4-wheeling out in the desert, or hiking on an alpine trail, or climb a 3,000 foot tall vertical rock face or take pictures of a glacier in July, or go big wave surfing ( I said BIG WAVE surfing) or be able to actually dry off after getting out of the pool or NOT have to keep the A/C on 24/7? Looks like Florida is a one-trick pony
wavehunter: thanks for posting all those pictures.
To the OP: I'm a little late to the game, but you said you were thinking of moving in a couple years, so hopefully this is still relevant. I've lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, and am planning to move to Florida (or somewhere else in the Southeast) in the near future. SF is lots of fun, incredibly walkable with great public transportation so you really don't need a car, compact, and an exciting busy place to live. There are so many great day trips surrounding SF: Napa and Sonoma for wine tasting, Tahoe for skiing/snowboarding, and up north are the redwoods. On the downside, it's frequently cold and windy, and the cost of living is absolutely ridiculous - e.g. one bedroom apartments run around $2,000+/month.
Los Angeles is a sprawling mess of concrete in many areas, but the beaches are pretty, there's lots to do, and the weather is much nicer than in SF (it's sunny and warm pretty much year-round). Cost of living is also a bit better, depending on the area you live in. You really need to know where you'll be working before moving there, however, because traffic is atrocious and you can easily find yourself commuting 1-2 hours each way if you don't live near your work. I really disliked LA at first because I moved there from Northern Cal, and the people seemed superficial (appearances, clothing, the car you drive, etc are VERY important), there is frequently smog (not as much a problem if you're living near the water), and there's less natural beauty (besides the coast) than the SF bay area, but it grew on me as I started taking advantage of all the fun activities the city offers.
San Diego is great, and would probably be my recommendation for you if you decide on California. It's beautiful, with a slower paced more beachy vibe, amazing weather, less traffic, and a slightly better cost of living than LA (again, this is very area dependent). You should check out the Pacific Beach area - lots of young people, pretty central location, and right on the water. SD obviously has fewer events/activities than SF or LA, but still plenty to keep you busy.
Btw, I'm planning to leave CA because I've lived here my whole life and want to experience something totally different while I'm still young and not too settled, plus it's really tempting to go somewhere that I can actually afford to buy a house and not spend most of my income on rent.
i think FL is best and cheapest place to live. (A poor mans paradise) is what us Mainers call it! nothing wrong with a good trailer park down there either
Dont be scared of the cost of rent. Go to where the jobs and money are and work hard so you can make it. Immigrants come with nothing to the most expensive cities in the nation and thrive, why cant we?[/quote]
That's EXACTLY what I believe! I fully believe that if immigrants can come to the States with no job, no money, no car, no family, no ties to anything, start from the literal bottom and not just make, but thrive, then we who were born, raised and live here can, too! Thank you for post this! I've read other posts that suggest before moving anywhere to make sure you have a job lined up and someplace to live. But I'm not above the struggle. I've seen first-hand immigrant families who are so well off now.
California seem to have a higher amount of state mileage that seems to be full of methheads and rednecks compared to Florida (I'm thinking Modesto, Fresno, Bakersfield, San Bernardino etc.)
On the contrary, California has Los Angeles and San Francisco. That is 2x the amount of world stage cities that Florida has (Miami).
This is coming from someone who thinks CA and FL are the best states in the US.
I've lived in both Florida (12 years) and California (4 years), and I vastly prefer California to Florida for a major few reasons.
California has a much stronger, more diversified economy than Florida. Hell, even San Diego, which is generally regarded as the toughest economy of the major California metro areas, has a stronger economy than just about anywhere Florida, especially for educated professionals. California has a larger corporate presence than Florida--more corporate HQ's, regional offices, office parks, industrial centers, etc. as well as more and better higher educational offerings. Therefore, California has a much stronger entrepreneurial spirit, more competitive ethos, and more professional vibe in general than Florida.
Even though California has a higher overall COL than Florida, wages and salaries are much more proportional to COL. I’ve met professionals that have relocated to California from Florida for this reason alone! Since professionals are generally better educated and compensated in the major California metros, they tend to be happier and more content with their careers and life in general.
While lacking the lush subtropical vegetation and pristine beaches of Florida, the scenery of California is vastly superior to the scenery of Florida, mostly due to the varied topography. Florida is as flat as a pancake and has pretty lousy surf to boot, so it's a less conducive place to physical activities such as hiking, mountain biking, surfing, et al. Compared to Florida, the weather of California is more preferable to most folks--milder, sunnier, drier, sunnier, less volatile, etc. Furthermore, the weather and topography of California encourage outdoor activity and help make it a much more active, outdoors-oriented place overall. Besides the beach, the population of Florida isn't very outdoorsy, LOL. The population of California is generally more health-conscious, too--more organic food stores, more supporters of CSA, fewer smokers, fewer overweight/obese people, etc.
People in California are much more pleasant and easier to live around than people in Florida, especially South Florida, which is home to the rudest, angriest, most aggressive people in the entire nation, IMO. There are definitely way more deviant/creepy/bizarre/shady/ghetto types in Florida.
Driving in South FL is a very scary experience, especially in Miami, as drivers down there are, perhaps, the most aggressive in the US after those in the NYC area, which is where most people in South Florida originate--go figure. On a similar note, since many of the people living in South Florida and Florida in general are from the Northeast (although mostly NYC/LI/NJ), you hear a lot of whining, complaining, and "kvetching" down there. If you don't wanna hear about how NYC is God's gift day-in and day-out, avoid South Florida.
Although not quite as bad as the Northeast, Florida is more conformist and less "questioning" than California because, after all, it's still the East. For example, lots of kids in South Florida become attorneys, MD's, CPA's, etc. because that's what their parents do for a living and that's all they know. Moreover, lots of these kids go on to work at their parents' firms/practices, and many live at home until they get married--very East Coast-like.
Oh, yeah--Florida is much more transient than California, too, the latter of which is home to tons of natives (to my surprise, actually), hence way more state pride in California. People in Florida are prouder to be from somewhere else or the children of transplants from elsewhere than to be from Florida. I lived in Florida for years, and I wouldn't be able to pick out the state flag if you were holding a loaded gun to my head. OTOH, I knew what the California state flag looked like by Day 2--speaks volumes, IMO.
California has a West Coast vibe: very casual; polite; tolerant, even if not approving; and generally aloof, but pleasant if engaged. It's a very live-and-let-live, "come as you are" type of place. Also, people in California are Westerners, so they are generally positive/upbeat, tend to avoid complaining, and are more likely to internalize conflict. Westerners definitely don't let whatever hits the brain to come out the mouth like East Coasters--thank goodness.
Florida just has a very strange vibe--East Coast/Caribbean/Latin American with some Southern/redneck undertones. Where it isn't Northeastern in culture (Palm Beach/Broward), it's Latin American (Miami-Dade). Where it's neither Northeastern nor Latin American in culture, it's Southern/redneck/ghetto (pretty much the rest of the state, save, perhaps, Collier). It's just a very difficult place to live and navigate socially, IMO.
Overall, California is simply a more pleasant, laid-back place to live than South FL, despite having worse traffic, congestion, and pollution as well as a higher COL.
Driving in South FL is a very scary experience, especially in Miami, as drivers down there are, perhaps, the most aggressive in the US after those in the NYC area, which is where most people in South Florida originate--go figure. On a similar note, since many of the people living in South Florida and Florida in general are from the Northeast (although mostly NYC/LI/NJ), you hear a lot of whining, complaining, and "kvetching" down there. If you don't wanna hear about how NYC is God's gift day-in and day-out, avoid South Florida.
Believe it or not, the counties of Miami-Dade and Broward have a low percentage of people born out of state compared to other large Florida counties. But PBC has a good amount of out-of-staters, especially from the NE. But a large percentage of those bad drivers are also natives and immigrants.
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