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Tampa Bay: best for outdoor buffs, plenty of nice areas to raise a family, the economy is on an upswing again, it's clean (graffiti free, least amt of trash I've seen in a similar sized metro area), not too much of a rat race yet, wages lower but COL is the least of all major metro areas on the Eastern seaboard, so makes up for a good lifestyle. Securing a good job may be challenging for those that don't have marketable skills but in your wife's case, it should be a lot easier.
The rest with the exception of San Diego are rat race environments.
That's debatable. No doubt the winters in Tampa are better than the other areas, and Greater Tampa Bay has access to beautiful beaches and wetlands. But for most of the year, SoCal weather is more comfortable (no annoying bugs, not humid, cooler), thus, more conducive for being outside, and also great access to the water, but also has the desert and mountains environs that offer great hiking; something Tampa can't really offer.
That's debatable. No doubt the winters in Tampa are better than the other areas, and Greater Tampa Bay has access to beautiful beaches and wetlands. [b]But for most of the year, SoCal weather is more comfortable (no annoying bugs, not humid, cooler), thus, more conducive for being outside, and also great access to the water,but also has the desert and mountains environs that offer great hiking; something Tampa can't really offer.
I don't think not having mountains or deserts is a deal breaker for many Floridians or would be residents. Most like to hang out close to the water in the summer or stay indoors. CA weather though not as humid, it's dry and have to deal with massive fires. Honestly, I see humidity as an advantage in some cases.
Also, you can spray for bugs (most people do). To me that's part of biodiversity. HI for example has centipedes and people keep chicken in their yards to deal with them. They are far more disgusting than any bug in FL(but then again, they are part of biodiversity).
I agree that humidity is better than dryness. But most people would, for outdoors and weather purposes, prefer CA. As for bugs, just because they're part of biodiversity doesn't mean that they're enjoyable. Hurricanes are completely natural; doesn't mean I wanna be anywhere near one. And bugspray doesn't always work. I've experienced that firsthand.
Your comment about 'staying indoors' is exactly why I think, for most, CA is better for being outdoors. Unless you live somewhere in the Inland Empire or the desert, you never need to stay indoors due to the heat. With the exception of a few days in a heat wave, summers in SoCal along the coast are generally 80sF during the day with cool nights and low humidity. Nothing that forces you to stay inside.
I agree that humidity is better than dryness. But most people would, for outdoors and weather purposes, prefer CA. As for bugs, just because they're part of biodiversity doesn't mean that they're enjoyable. Hurricanes are completely natural; doesn't mean I wanna be anywhere near one. And bugspray doesn't always work. I've experienced that firsthand.
Your comment about 'staying indoors' is exactly why I think, for most, CA is better for being outdoors. Unless you live somewhere in the Inland Empire or the desert, you never need to stay indoors due to the heat. With the exception of a few days in a heat wave, summers in SoCal along the coast are generally 80sF during the day with cool nights and low humidity. Nothing that forces you to stay inside.
Fires can force you inside or force you to relocate. They are far more dangerous and in the news lately than any hurricane.
Not everyone stays inside in the summer here (if they do, it's in the middle of the day when the sun is above your head). I would say the majority of people are active year round, you just get used to the sun/temps, so this is a moot point. Both states offer outdoor activities; the major difference is CA waters are significantly colder (still in the 80's here (West Central FL). So CA waters are already in the mid to upper 60's.
Spraying for bugs works (not sure what you experienced). We spray and see very few to no bugs (wintertime they hide due to cold fronts) , certainly not an inconvenience as some make it sound. I've seen you rave about HI which has the most creepy bugs of all(centipedes), so I'm surprised you use it as an argument.
Fires can force you inside or force you to relocate. They are far more dangerous and in the news lately than any hurricane.
How many people do you think are really that affected by wildfires each year in CA? It's a pretty small percentage and doesn't really even affect many people each year. Also when you look at the death tolls and monetary damage caused by large wildfires vs hurricanes I'm not sure how you can state they are "far more dangerous". In what way exactly?
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Not everyone stays inside in the summer here (if they do, it's in the middle of the day when the sun is above your head). I would say the majority of people are active year round, you just get used to the sun/temps, so this is a moot point. Both states offer outdoor activities; the major difference is CA waters are significantly colder (still in the 80's here (West Central FL). So CA waters are already in the mid to upper 60's.
Normally the would be in the mid 60's by now, but they're still right around 70 right now. But yes the waters are a lot cooler but that's what also keeps the temperatures and humidity a lot more mild and less extreme that Florida.
How many people do you think are really that affected by wildfires each year in CA? It's a pretty small percentage and doesn't really even affect many people each year. Also when you look at the death tolls and monetary damage caused by large wildfires vs hurricanes I'm not sure how you can state they are "far more dangerous". In what way exactly?
Normally the would be in the mid 60's by now, but they're still right around 70 right now. But yes the waters are a lot cooler but that's what also keeps the temperatures and humidity a lot more mild and less extreme that Florida.
Actually since you're in SF, earthquakes are more of a threat than fires or hurricanes. With hurricanes you have time to react, not so much with earthquakes. Fires do affect many people. They are far more devastating to them than hurricanes, which unless you talk about Cat 4,5, they pose a lot less danger.
Even with upper 60's/low 70's, do you see many people in the water there in October? Most lay on the beach. Unless you're a surfer, or scuba diver in a wet/dry suit, these water temps are no fun for most people. But then again they keep surface temps low, unlike FL.
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