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I'm from the South and live in Indiana and miss heat and warm weather activities. It's cold, snowy, and cloudy here most of the time in the late fall and winter. I nearly fell on the ice taking the trash out today. There are no decent lakes near Indianapolis for boating or swimming. Since it's so cold and consistently wet/snowy, there's verry little that can be done outside from November to March/April. The climate itself is depressing, especially having lived in SC and TN.
We moved from Dallas to SW Florida. We are semi-retired, self-employed (or unemployed as the days go ). At our age we just got tired of,the rat-race extreme heat (2nd in nation behind Phoenix) and cold (ice storms, etc). Lo e it down here. Summers are in the mid-90s with cooling in the evenings, winter, temps in the 60's to low 80's. love it.
Florida is great for Seasonal Affective Disorder, especially people with severe cases. Florida is NOT great for people escaping their personal problems. Florida does not have the power to make anyone happier unless that person's happiness depends largely upon the climate and nothing else.
Given that, you should consider that many people who grew up in the North are quite used to it, and would disagree that there's nothing to do in the Winter. For people who are not depressed by the dark, and are used to the bitter cold, they go out all winter long to downhill ski, cross-country ski, sled, ice skate, snow shoe, snowmobile, watch the falling snow, build igloos and hang out in them (they are actually quite warm and comfortable), make snow angels and snow people, or even on those dreary days sit out with a cup of hot cider and watch the freezing rain. You can be busy outdoors every single day of the year and love it in a cold climate, if you know how to dress and prepare properly. So it's not a given that there is nothing to do for all of those months. Winter is also a popular time to catch up with friends, go to movies, and do other indoor stuff that one doesn't get to in the better weather.
I have found that a lot of people are supremely unhappy in Florida, and some feel the heat is too oppressive to go outside for about 6 months of the year, especially in SFL. So it really depends on the tolerance and interests of the individual. A huge number of people come here to escape their personal problems, thinking sun fixes baggage - but then they are miserable when they find that they still can't handle stress, they still have family problems, they still have money problems, etc. etc. It's just a sunnier place to freak out.
I do like the sun, and I like hot and humid. But aside from that, I could be happy pretty much anywhere, because every place has its good qualities that you can't find exactly the same place anywhere else. And every place I have moved from, no matter how terrible and dangerous, I have missed some aspect of in my new place.
Generally speaking, there are probably a lot more friendly people in Indiana than there are in Florida. So that might be something to concentrate on while you are there. If you don't like it, you don't like it, but until you have the chance to move you might as well make the most of it. Maybe some day when you don't have it anymore, you will miss the snow drifts changing colors under the sunset, or the way it looks like piles of diamonds under a crisp clear night sky.
Florida is great for Seasonal Affective Disorder, especially people with severe cases. Florida is NOT great for people escaping their personal problems. Florida does not have the power to make anyone happier unless that person's happiness depends largely upon the climate and nothing else.
Given that, you should consider that many people who grew up in the North are quite used to it, and would disagree that there's nothing to do in the Winter. For people who are not depressed by the dark, and are used to the bitter cold, they go out all winter long to downhill ski, cross-country ski, sled, ice skate, snow shoe, snowmobile, watch the falling snow, build igloos and hang out in them (they are actually quite warm and comfortable), make snow angels and snow people, or even on those dreary days sit out with a cup of hot cider and watch the freezing rain. You can be busy outdoors every single day of the year and love it in a cold climate, if you know how to dress and prepare properly. So it's not a given that there is nothing to do for all of those months. Winter is also a popular time to catch up with friends, go to movies, and do other indoor stuff that one doesn't get to in the better weather.
I have found that a lot of people are supremely unhappy in Florida, and some feel the heat is too oppressive to go outside for about 6 months of the year, especially in SFL. So it really depends on the tolerance and interests of the individual. A huge number of people come here to escape their personal problems, thinking sun fixes baggage - but then they are miserable when they find that they still can't handle stress, they still have family problems, they still have money problems, etc. etc. It's just a sunnier place to freak out.
I do like the sun, and I like hot and humid. But aside from that, I could be happy pretty much anywhere, because every place has its good qualities that you can't find exactly the same place anywhere else. And every place I have moved from, no matter how terrible and dangerous, I have missed some aspect of in my new place.
Generally speaking, there are probably a lot more friendly people in Indiana than there are in Florida. So that might be something to concentrate on while you are there. If you don't like it, you don't like it, but until you have the chance to move you might as well make the most of it. Maybe some day when you don't have it anymore, you will miss the snow drifts changing colors under the sunset, or the way it looks like piles of diamonds under a crisp clear night sky.
I didn't grow up in the north, and while I am *slowly* adapting, I am not sold on Indiana. There are no mountains, beaches, not much in the way of rivers or lakes near where I am. Even in the summer, decent hiking is an hour to two hours away from me. No boating to speak of or clean good sized lakes/rivers to swim/boat in. The closest water rec is at Morse Reservoir, about thirty minutes away, but it is a TINY lake with no privacy compared to what I'm used to in VA/SC/NC/TN. I also like the sun/hot/humid, and I grew up in it, and Indiana has nothing to trade it for, like the scenic beauty of western and upper MI, for example. As far as winter rec, there's not a lot you can do when it's 35-40 and raining/damp. It's not cold/snowy enough for things like ice fishing, snowmobiling, or skiing, nor is it warm or dry enough to do things outside.
I live in a nice, comfortable, affluent suburb of Indy with a good job (making $55k...so not like I'd be replacing a world beating wage). I work with a small, relaxed team, and the job is the only thing I'd really worry about leaving behind.
NE Ohio to FL. I am sooo much happier here! I'm closer to family here, but I don't think that explains it. I really think it's the weather and the bright open house that we have, and the ability to be outside year round. People act like it's "just" the weather as if it's meaningless, but it's not. Our house in OH was dark and much of the year it was cold and dark outside. Summers were nice, but there were days when it was even hotter and more oppressive than here. I'm not retired, so I've still got the same old daily grind going on here, but I feel lighter and happier doing it here and knowing that hubby doesn't have to get up early to blow snow off the driveway and I don't have to scrape ice off the car or wait for it warm up. I don't have dry chapped skin. My glasses don't fog up in the winter. I don't have to bundle up or worry about driving in the snow and ice every time I go out for months on end. The dog is happy to go outside and doesn't track in snow. I can wear shorts and sit outside by the ocean and eat fish and chips when it's freezing up north. Or ride my bike or go hiking or go to the farmer's market or enjoy any of a number of parks. I love feeling that I can flit in and out of the house with no big ordeal. I don't have to bundle up to leave and get the car ready or stomp my feet to get muck off my boots, unbundle myself, hang wet clothes, change, warm up and then finally relax when I come home only to have to bundle back up in wet coat and boots to get the mail that I forgot. You can say it's "just" the weather, but that weather up north causes a lot of extra work, discomfort, anxiety, expense, accidents, and yes even depression. Here I can do whatever makes me happy giving little consideration to the weather. I just have to remember sunscreen and bug spray.
Hey there! I've seen you in the Indy forum. We are making the move to NE FL this summer. We came back to Indy after living in the SE (NC, SC and FL) because we wanted to give it a shot raising our kids here. We hate it. The kids hate it. We have to GO! The weather in Indiana is awful and the geography just makes it worse. My daughter and I love to swim and the pools are barely open here in the summer. My DH and son love to fish and like you said there are so few bodies of water available and either they have mansions built around them with little or no access or they are mud pits. Also the cold and dry of winter makes my joints and skin hurt and SAD is a REAL thing with me and I think at least one of my kids. I love humidity. It makes my sinuses and skin feel better, my back feel better and I just feel wrapped in a warm blanket of life.
Now don't get me wrong, I dislike the bugs and the extreme heat of the summer, but I'm a water seeker so I see more bugs and I get myself wet to deal with the heat. I have family and friends near where we are moving and I have a job I can take with me.
People try to talk Indy up like it is an up and coming city and maybe just maybe it could be if it sat in a better location than the middle of farm land. The brain drain and the lack of support for the arts is worse now than when I grew up here. There are better places to live and enjoy life. I've been out there and seen it. I chose the wrong way four years ago and now I'm fixing that.
GL to you whatever you choose! If I were single and going to stay here I'd move closer to water and out of Carmel. Fall Creek area is nice, but Geist is too expensive. There are lots of places along the creek though. And on the other side of town is Eagle Creek. I haven't been there much but I have friends that run a restaurant over there and love it.
Best decision i ever made was moving down here from NE Ohio. The cold, cloudy, dreary and depressing months from November till almost May were just too much for me and causing me extreme anxiety and SAD. I now no longer have to deal with waking up early to warm up my car and scrape snow and ice off of it, nor do i have to deal with driving in it. The days are sunny, i'm surrounded by water and i see palm trees everywhere i go. To me this is my paradise and am grateful for waking up to it everyday.
Granted, i left my entire family to move down here, but they still come down to visit and stay with me whenever they can. It was just a sacrifice i had to make for my own well being, and while alot of people just can't do the heat and humidity here, i would still take it anyday to the 6 months of hell up north.
I spend six months a year in total in Florida and the rest,usually in the summer,in Europe.I reckon I have the best of both worlds and like most people from the Northern states I just got fed up of the weather in the winter.
They were never as harsh as here in terms of snow and freezing temperatures but grey skies and rain for months of end are just as depressing.
I do spend some time in the summer months here too and absolutely love it - the heat and humidity really don't bother me because I tend to take the view that you can't beat nature so you have to adapt to it.
This means restricting the amount of time I spend in air-conditioned surroundings,mainly during the day-time when I like to get out and about, and only really retreat inside later in the evening.
If only people could wean themselves off A/C and let their bodies adapt to the surroundings they'd enjoy them more.
Of course that also means losing weight. Some of my friends who are seriously obese really suffer in the heat but when I suggest to them that taking a little exercise in the cooler hours and cutting back on the huge amount of food they consume might help them cope a little better with the temperatures they look at me like I'm mad.
I'm always wishing I could take them to some of my favourite countries in South-East Asia where it's rare to find grotesquely overweight people and the local population perfectly able to live and work throughout the day without living under the artificial surroundings of an A/C cracked up to full volume.
They also seem to exist perfectly well eating fresh,cheap and healthy food such as rice,fish,fruit and vegetables.
Ditch the deep-fat fryer and the griddle folks !
Am I happier here? It depends on what you consider "happier."
I've made my bed here, started my family here, went to college and have a career here (Orlando.) In that sense, I am happy.
Florida cities, however, lack that dense urban feel that northern cities have. I miss that. While Orlando and Miami are ethnically diverse, I find them to be much less so than where I am from. As such, I am not exposed to as many cultures as I would like.
I miss the snow, but don't miss the freezing cold.
I miss hills and mountains, and overall scenery. Florida is flat and rather dull.
That being said, I wouldn't move back there, as, again, I've made my bed here, and am very satisfied with what Florida has offered me, and with what I've made out of it.
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). At our age we just got tired of,the rat-race extreme heat (2nd in nation behind Phoenix) and cold (ice storms, etc). Lo e it down here. Summers are in the mid-90s with cooling in the evenings, winter, temps in the 60's to low 80's. love it.
