Best year-round Florida weather? (Jacksonville, Miami: homes, jobs, crime)

[kwick release]

We live in Satellite Beach and will be experiencing our first summer. So far so good with alot of seabreeze, but July and August are a ways off...

[randian]

Originally Posted by Magnulus

I ride a motorcycle year round in Orlando and I either have to drink a pint of water or Gatorade every thirty minutes, or I have to wear a special cooling vest. I don't even dream of wearing a leather jacket in that kind of weather (I do wear a helmet and it is also somewhat hot, but better than no helmet).

What are you using for abrasion protection if you aren't wearing a leather jacket?

[wacahootaman]

North Florida is your best bet for climate.

All of Florida has hot summers but they are shorter in North Florida. And the nights are cooler in the summer in N Florida, lows in the 70s instead of the 80s like is common in South Florida.

Generally the coastal areas of North Florida have cooler daytime highs in the summer but their nightime lows are warmer. I have seen lows at Cedar Key along the Gulf coast in the low to mid 80s when they are in the mid 70s at Gainesville 50 miles inland. Interior North Florida has hotter highs in the summer unless there is a strong west wind that blows the heat to the coast.

One year it got above 100 for 7 days in a row in Jacksonville with a hot west wind. But if jax gets a seabreeze, it will always be much cooler than Lake City which is inland.

North Florida gets a real spring, fall and Winter unlike S florida where you basically have a long hot summer and a brief warm winter.

You have about a half dozen nights where it drops to freezing or below in NF but the sunny days usually warm up to the 50s or low 60s. Hard freezes are rare in recient years with 25 being the coldest temp here this winter near Gainesville.Cold raw daytime temps are rare.

[tamcim72]

I lived in Boca Raton (S FL) for 15 years and got very used to the warm weather. I've been up in St Aug now for 2 yrs and I was really scared about the winters but I have been thru 2 now I a can say I like the winters better here. We do get cool days and cold mornings but kids just need a light jacket in morning. DH doesn't use one at all. 80 feels hot to me now! I'm dreading summer temps coming. IMO it's just as hot up here in the summer, but I and our visitors from down south can tell a noticable difference in the humidity.

[Pink flamingo]

tamcim72...Are you saying that it is also less humid in northern FL state as well as cooler in the winter. Or is it less humid all year long? I live in Wisconsin..Yes, yet another one considering a move to Florida. One day it's northern, next day it's coastal, next day it's eastern. I don't think I can tolerate blasting heat 'all year long'.

[BacktoFLigo]

It's hot here no matter where you live... It does cool off for 3 months though.

[Alphaman]

Originally Posted by Pink flamingo

tamcim72...Are you saying that it is also less humid in northern FL state as well as cooler in the winter. Or is it less humid all year long? I live in Wisconsin..Yes, yet another one considering a move to Florida. One day it's northern, next day it's coastal, next day it's eastern. I don't think I can tolerate blasting heat 'all year long'.

The summers are hot in Florida no matter where you are but northern Florida gets a longer cool season then central or south Florida.

Sea breezes are nice but the air is still thick and humid in the summertime.

[tamcim72]

pink flamingo,

to you it will probably feel extremely humid (being from up north) in the entire state

We can a difference when we travel to s. fl and our relatives can feel less humidity when they travel from s. fl to n. fl.

St Aug/Jax area are in 60's mostly in winter, S.Florida is upper 70/low 80's.

[tamcim72]

pink flamingo,

to you it will probably feel extremely humid (being from up north) in the entire state
We can a difference when we travel to s. fl and our relatives can feel less humidity when they travel from s. fl to n. fl.

The first thing I said when I stepped off the plane from Dallas almost 20 years ago was "God, it's humid!"

[OysterCatcher]

Thanks for all the great feedback! It seems fairly unanimous that Northern Coastal Florida (Jax to Daytona) has the best climate for greatest year-round comfort in the state.

What's your favorite town to live in this zone and why?