Hey Florida Whats your Fascination with the Heat? (weather) (Oakland: sales, real estate market)
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Well, I'll start.
I am a lifelong Western NY'er, I live just outside of Buffalo NY. I can only speak for myself, and we are all entitled to our opinions.
I sense that the OP is on the younger side. His info states he wants to move to America, so he apparently lives outside the U.S.
As I get older, I have a tougher time handling the cold. Tonight here it will be 4 degrees, and we were below zero for days last week. I can not remember the last time we were above freezing. For those of you who have never lived for days in below zero weather, it can be hard. The air gets so cold it hurts your lungs.
During a hard winter, the snow and cold effects everything. Your house is cold no matter what you do. Heat bills easily go over $100 a WEEK. Poor people decide weather they want to EAT or HEAT. Roads can be treacherous, with ice, etc. Even if you are a good winter driver, others are not and can kill you. They do not clean off their windshields, etc, and drive almost blind, and skid into you. I'm a professional Firefighter, and I spend a lot of time going to accidents, seeing what most of you will never see.
The salt ruins your car. You can almost see the rust ruin your car. Your garage floor gets covered with dirty snow/ice. You cannot park anywhere in parking lots because there are no lines because of the snow and ice and HUGE piles of snow. You cannot push a shopping cart through the snow.
Your skin gets so itchy. You go to kiss your wife and the static electricity almost blows your lips off. Walking outside is dangerous......you slip and fall and break a bone or hurt your back. An elderly person who breaks a hip has a 25% chance of being dead within that year from the fall.
You need to start your car 20 minutes before you go anywhere just to warm it up. You have to scrape the ice off windows first also. You thank God for your remote starter on your cars. Potholes are everywhere....you can count on 2 wheel alignments a year, easy. You carry jumper cables and an emergency blanket and shovel always.
You either shovel, or pay a plow person to plow out your driveway for $30-50 bucks a pop, sometimes a FEW times a day, or you own your own snowblower...(mine costs about $2500.) and spend hours a week snowblowing.....just so you can get out if needed, or so an ambulance can make it to your house if needed. You throw salt on all your walks so no one slips and kills themselves or sues you.
You bundle up to go anywhere.....gloves, boots, hats and bulky coats are always needed. As you get older, the cold just creeps into your bones and it hurts. When I am down in Florida, the pain leaves.
Some people can take the cold. Some can't. Some people cannot take the humid heat. Some can. I love the heat.
Well, that just scratches the surface......I hope that helps answer your question.
Respectfully, Frank D.
I can understand all of these points from someone coming from the area you did, or any other "Rust Belt", state. The winters in Upstate New York, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Etc..., can be brutal and seem like forever. Kind of like our spring, Summer, and Fall here. In my opinion this case is like basically, "Picking you poison".
That being said, there are other areas of the Northeast in my opinion that have much more tolerable winters. I would rather have a 3 month window in Jan-Mar (and there are pleasant days in those 3 months also), where it is the worst the state has to offer climate wise. Instead of an 8-9 month window of what is here in FL.
Add to that the overall quality of life here when comparing these factors:
Schools
Crime
Healthcare
Employment\Wages
Average life Expectancy
Then more subjective factors:
Cusine
Sprwal
Landscape
Culture
Obesity Rates
Weather (Lightning, Tornados, Hurricanes, Flooding)
Alligator Risk in and around almost every natural body of fresh water
Fire Ant Risk
Now add in the cost of living and for what you pay to live here vs. somewhere else in the Northeast, do you get your monies worth?
Maybe if your single or have no children you would still think twice. Or if your retired and your kids are already grown and out of the house, you may not care. Maybe if you’re coming from a place like Flint Michigan or Oakland California you will dismiss everything I say and love your new found oasis here. That’s fine. But for me and I'm sure many Northeastern transplants, we know the grass was not greener over here because while we may not have known it at the time, we came from better and know it now.
It may still take some time for me, and I'm sure for a lot of us Northeasterners because of the economy right now, but eventually we will make our way back up over the mason Dixon line.
Mark,
I understand your viewpoint.....all valid concerns. As a near retiree, some of those points are not a high priority for me.
But, let's all stay on topic- the OP's question is in regards to the weather. Let's stay there.....there are many other posts howling the other woes of Florida.
Why anyone who hates Florida weather would post on a Florida forum is questionable. But I guess just as most northerners move down here and try to change things to the northern way, the northerns just can't help trying to impose their ideals on use even when they are not here. And then they wonder why they hate Florida after they move here.
Florida has six seasons. Those not from here are probably not familiar. Winter, spring, summer, cane, fall and snowbird. Each is different and distinct but for those who have a linear mind, this is proably difficult to understand. It was 34 when I woke up this morning. If that isn't a winter cold I don't know what qualifies. But then again, the cold blew into Florida from the north, and nothing really good comes to Florida from up north.
Why anyone who hates Florida weather would post on a Florida forum is questionable. But I guess just as most northerners move down here and try to change things to the northern way, the northerns just can't help trying to impose their ideals on use even when they are not here. And then they wonder why they hate Florida after they move here.
Florida has six seasons. Those not from here are probably not familiar. Winter, spring, summer, cane, fall and snowbird. Each is different and distinct but for those who have a linear mind, this is proably difficult to understand. It was 34 when I woke up this morning. If that isn't a winter cold I don't know what qualifies. But then again, the cold blew into Florida from the north, and nothing really good comes to Florida from up north.
Why anyone who hates Florida weather would post on a Florida forum is questionable. But I guess just as most northerners move down here and try to change things to the northern way, the northerns just can't help trying to impose their ideals on use even when they are not here. And then they wonder why they hate Florida after they move here.
Florida has six seasons. Those not from here are probably not familiar. Winter, spring, summer, cane, fall and snowbird. Each is different and distinct but for those who have a linear mind, this is proably difficult to understand. It was 34 when I woke up this morning. If that isn't a winter cold I don't know what qualifies. But then again, the cold blew into Florida from the north, and nothing really good comes to Florida from up north.
Hee!!
I am one of those native Floridians and I am freaking miserable right now with this cold air. Sorry but if it is under 75 degrees it is too cold for me. I was up in Arkansas last year for a visit and while it was absolutely gorgeous, the weather was way too cold for my taste. The snow was pretty and I was only there for a couple of days but that was more than enough for me to know I could never live anywhere else but Florida faults and all. The family members who live here in Tampa are originally from New York and New Jersey and they can't handle the cold anymore either.
I do wish we had a beautiful fall season though. I was visiting Washington DC a few years ago just as the leaves were changing and it was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen so those who do experience a gorgeous fall do have a one up on us in that regard.
Why anyone who hates Florida weather would post on a Florida forum is questionable. But I guess just as most northerners move down here and try to change things to the northern way, the northerns just can't help trying to impose their ideals on use even when they are not here. And then they wonder why they hate Florida after they move here.
Florida has six seasons. Those not from here are probably not familiar. Winter, spring, summer, cane, fall and snowbird. Each is different and distinct but for those who have a linear mind, this is proably difficult to understand. It was 34 when I woke up this morning. If that isn't a winter cold I don't know what qualifies. But then again, the cold blew into Florida from the north, and nothing really good comes to Florida from up north.
I will say one thing, I've been here for 5 years and I'm still not used to the summer heat - and everyone promised me I would, but I simply wilt. How much longer do you think it will take?
Sorry, but you will probably NEVER get used to it. I grew up in FL, lived there the first 35 years of my life, and stll hated the heat even though that is the only climate I'd ever lived in. I believe people are genetically predisposed to like either hot or cold weather, and obviously I'm designed for colder weather. You probably are the same. All the people telling you "you'll get used to" are probably those that like warm weather begin with, and are uncomfortable below 50 degreees.
I moved to PA in 2006, and adapted to the cold like a duck to water. I exercise often and have lost 25 lbs since moving up here simply because I have more energy in the colder weather, and love being outdoors up here. The heat made me want to do nothing but seek air conditioning. I got so tired of constantly sweating down there from doing just normal everyday activities. We had some below-zero temps last week and even that didn't bother me. It "warmed up" to 20 yesterday and that felt quite comfortable to me after the below zero degree weather we had lately. lol
But these topics are always kind of silly. Some people like cold, some like heat, what's there really to understand or debate about?
Why anyone who hates Florida weather would post on a Florida forum is questionable. But I guess just as most northerners move down here and try to change things to the northern way, the northerns just can't help trying to impose their ideals on use even when they are not here. And then they wonder why they hate Florida after they move here.
Florida has six seasons. Those not from here are probably not familiar. Winter, spring, summer, cane, fall and snowbird. Each is different and distinct but for those who have a linear mind, this is proably difficult to understand. It was 34 when I woke up this morning. If that isn't a winter cold I don't know what qualifies. But then again, the cold blew into Florida from the north, and nothing really good comes to Florida from up north.
Your assessment of the Florida seasons is interesting and no doubt accurate.
Your opinions on "all Northerners" is sadly prejudiced. Anytime one judges all people of a certain area, race, profession, etc unfavorably as a whole they are showing a very bigoted, prejudicial view. Very sad there are still people with this mindset.
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They don't. People in Florida hate the weather so much that they close their windows most of the year and use air conditioning. Before the air conditioner Florida was relatively unpopulated. The explanation is simple, all the nuts roll downhill!
I know several people who were born in Florida and moved north. One is in Minnesota! Like he says "you get your best weather when days are short, we get ours when the days are longer and you can enjoy them more". He earns more and lives in a bigger home, complete with basement bowling alley. Shoveling snow was a drag, but at my suggestion he bought a used Bobcat and now it's a snap getting the driveway clear. His son even begs to do the job for him! If it wasn't for the crazies who gravitate towards Florida this place would be a lot better. I wish there was a way to eliminate the air conditioner!
Actually, Frank and Big House, I was "asking" the question of why "you" live here to Edison, Naples, Cauley, DRB, etc. who are constantly COMPLAINING about Florida. If you hate it so much, MOVE!! If they can't, why not? That was my question.
I KNOW why you live there, Frank and BH, the same reasons we want to!!!
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If you hate it so much, MOVE!! If they can't, why not? That was my question. 
