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I prefer that as well. I lived in London for a year and that was my most depressing experience. It is so far north that it gets dark super early and then it's also gloomy most of the time. With the snowfall, you actually get more light reflection and it is brighter out.
To add what you guys are talking about, another benefit IMO of not just living in Florida but anywhere closer to the equator is the amount of sunlight is more evenly distributed throughout the year on a day to day basis. Not a lot of people realize but everywhere in the world gets the same exact amount of daylight, what varies is obviously things like cloud cover and the angle of the sun which dictates the strength of it.
The amount of daylight hours and minutes on June 21st in Miami for example is actually shorter then they are in Chicago, though the sun in Miami peaks at 89 degree overhead while Chicago's sun would only peak around 72 degrees, making Miami's sun considerably stronger.
Seattle has more daylight minutes then Chicago on June 21st as well, for another example, since Seattle is father up north then Chicago. Seattle also has a "weaker" sun relative to Chicago's sun on June 21st since it's farther from the equator then Chicago.
So living in SW Florida, once again for a last example means our days are even shorter in the summer then northern Florida days, albeit not as much of a difference with north Florida as it is when you compare the difference to Chicago or Seattle, or on the extreme end Alaska, during the summer months, BUT during the winter months it works as the complete opposite which is awesome.
Living on the equator means the amount of daylight per day would literally only change by a few minutes throughout the entire year, everyday basically being the exact same where in Alaska some places will lose literally 30 mins of daylight in one day. From one extreme to anther.
Yes- that is true. You will get heat and dust storms, but I think FL is slightly worse than IL in terms of tornados (FL is something like #4 or 5 nationally in terms of tornados). To add insult to injury, FL has no sirens or good warning systems for tornados, so people just die. I am trying to sell my home in FL still and had the realtor tell me she had to go hide out during a tornado warning earlier this week. She said there was also lots of hail and flooding. The weather can be a problem even without a hurricane!
Where do you live in Florida?
I'm guessing somewhere very rural in the middle of the state?
We have plenty of warnings/sirens in South Florida.
(That being said.. I'm not saying Florida's without issues. But that's a whole other thread.)
Honestly, I can see Florida being the next Illinois. The job market is crap there and what happens when the current retirees die off? Are the next retirees going to want to move there? Florida overdeveloped and because of it, lots of stores are closing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPrzybylski07
Florida won't be the next Illinois. Yes Florida has over developed no doubt but it has so much more going for it then Illinois. All Illinois has going for it is Chicago and even then the weather is crappy 6-7 months of the year. Florida has much much much, much more natural beauty going for it and much better weather then Illinois and as long as your are by any coast during the summer months they are not much different then Midwest summers, just with a more tropical sun. It will always be an escape haven for wealthy people and snowbirds during the winter months. The demand for warmer climates by the ocean won't ever go away therefore the real estate market will always hold steady. Certain real estate pockets are vunerable to bubbles but that's like anywhere in the U.S. The job market is really not much different then anywhere else, it comes down to how marketable your skills are and how good of a job you do networking along with spotting or creating your own opportunities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RamenAddict
Florida's weather is crap about 6-7 months of the year too. It's oppressively hot and humid in most of FL from may- halloween. The wages are really depressed there. I leftvthere because there was literally nothing better in terms of jobs. I know lots of other people who have left too because FL doesn't have a whole lot to offer in terms of career opportunities that pay well outside of south Florida. South Florida is also insanely expensive.
The demand by the ocean does decrease if there are more storms and insurance rates increase to unaffordable levels as they have in the past. If climate change continues, much of the land will be unusable as a lot of it already floods heavily in large storms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepoisson
When I was looking at relocating, Florida came up on my radar. There were only a few job postings in my field and the salaries were really low throughout the entire state.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPrzybylski07
Florida's weather is not crap for 6-7 months of the year, and this is coming from someone who grew up in Chicago for 24 years so I have experienced both worlds. The summers down here are by far my absolute favorite time of the year. They are not oppressively hot if you are living by a coastal area which I am fortunate enough to be doing. Living inland would suck because you don't get the ocean breezes or the actually ocean to swim in but even then during the day the massive thunderstorms would still cool things off in the afternoon.
The Gulf of Mexico is 85 degrees right now and just the other day while I was swimming 15 feet from shore and a huge dolphin came up less then 10 feet next to me, scared the **** out of me..... My least favorite time of the year here in SW Florida is Jan-Feb when everything is crowded from all the snowbirds and when the night time lows dip all the way into the lower 50's and day time highs are only in the mid 70's, not really good beach weather, great hiking and kayaking weather though, in January, try doing that in Illinois....
I love the true tropical climate we get from May-October and getting the San Diego weather for a couple months of the beginning of the year is a nice change up too. There is no comparison for me personally between the weather in Illinois and here in SW Florida. It is completely night and day and I would and DO choose SW Florida 365 days out of the year over Illinois, hence I moved and found my paradise.
I am sorry it didn't work out for you down here but if I find there is a lot of opportunities down here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wase4711
just bought a house in Arizona, and will be getting out of this dysfunctional, hell hole of a state by July 10th
good bye, good riddance, and I will be reading about the disaster that this state has become from my warm, sunny, balanced-budget home in the beautiful state of Arizona..
3 years with out a budget...in addition to the ridiculous taxes/politicians/corruption filled cluster f*** this state has become....sorry, done with it....
Quote:
Originally Posted by wase4711
my wifes fear of bugs, which, even though there are in arizona, we know about the notoriety of the Florida bug population, plus, the concern about some of the "residents" in certain areas of Florida, plus, frankly, the oppressive humidity there most of the time. Hurricanes also loomed large in her decision..
Quote:
Originally Posted by RamenAddict
Hurricanes are huge. People often don't consider that in the coastal areas, homeowners insurance is expensive. Your tax savings can easily be eaten up by differences in homeowners/flood/auto insurance, which are much pricier. Utilities tend to be more expensive as well because you can't really ever turn off the AC/heat entirely due to the humidity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavePa
Coastal Florida is the best:
- the warmth w/ocean breezes
- the white sandy beaches/w ocean breezes
- the sun and sudden short storms/ocean breezes
- the palm trees and tropical foliage w/ocean breezes
- the sound and smell of the sea and birds w/ocean breezes
This all is a more moderating climate on the coast. But inland Florida? Has the more oppressive humidity and breezes can be much less. If poorer and retire to Florida? You will probably be more inland due to cost. For snowbirds who know they can't afford the coast it is a great alternative. Especially as they leave for back north skipping the more oppressive summers.
I hate winters and prefer humid summers over them. But some mind the heat w/humidity much more. I'd have no problema with all year in Florida and on the coast would be the ultimate locations.
I find it funny the discussion has turned into Florida vs. Illinois as it has become in many threads in this forum. Check out the Florida forum it's the same way. Anyhow, I lived in Florida for 15 years, moved back to IL because I wanted to. People say IL only has Chicago going for it, but you know what, if Chicago wasn't here, I would never have moved back. Not being born in the US but growing up most of my life in and outside of Chicago, the bond is there, so strong enough to leave a decent job in FL I could have retired from. I'm surprised I survived 15 years down there, not all of it is bad, I raised my kids down there, but I do find the heat and humidity oppressive. The few months of cold, even bitter cold, don't bother me, I like the four seasons. If I ever move back to FL for some reason, I will not live inland in Orlando where I was at all those years, that place is a concrete jungle I don't even want to get into the details or read all my previous posts when I lived down there. I'm getting paid more in IL than I did in FL, but with the taxes, yes, everything evens out. But it's a matter of preference really, if you don't like it here in IL, then get the heck out, just the same with FL. To each his own, every place has its good and bad.
It was 67 degrees today, warm sun, cool breeze, and no humidity present in the Chicago area. What crappy weather?
Ironically SW Florida has been dealing with a tropical storm the past 5 days, I haven't seen the sun since and I'm starting to freak out!!
Sounds like a nice day! The summer was always the best time up there in Chicago for me..... Hence I moved somewhere that has summer weather 48 weeks of the year.... The other 4 weeks is either fall or spring depending on how you look at it
Florida's weather is not crap for 6-7 months of the year, and this is coming from someone who grew up in Chicago for 24 years so I have experienced both worlds. The summers down here are by far my absolute favorite time of the year. They are not oppressively hot if you are living by a coastal area which I am fortunate enough to be doing. Living inland would suck because you don't get the ocean breezes or the actually ocean to swim in but even then during the day the massive thunderstorms would still cool things off in the afternoon.
The Gulf of Mexico is 85 degrees right now and just the other day while I was swimming 15 feet from shore and a huge dolphin came up less then 10 feet next to me, scared the **** out of me..... My least favorite time of the year here in SW Florida is Jan-Feb when everything is crowded from all the snowbirds and when the night time lows dip all the way into the lower 50's and day time highs are only in the mid 70's, not really good beach weather, great hiking and kayaking weather though, in January, try doing that in Illinois....
I love the true tropical climate we get from May-October and getting the San Diego weather for a couple months of the beginning of the year is a nice change up too. There is no comparison for me personally between the weather in Illinois and here in SW Florida. It is completely night and day and I would and DO choose SW Florida 365 days out of the year over Illinois, hence I moved and found my paradise.
I am sorry it didn't work out for you down here but if I find there is a lot of opportunities down here.
Only 2 seasons there, summer/winter. I never got used to holiday lights on palm trees.
I also made the mistake of owning a black vehicle, and when I left AC cooled buildings my glasses fogged up all summer. The humidity is brutal in the morning, then it rains, then gets even more humid And you cannot walk on the sand for 6 months without shoes, nor even sit that close to the ground on Vanderbilt beach without risking heat exhaustion.
And and...
Having resided in 3 states and the Dominican Republic, I have not found that perfect place yet. Whether we are happy in our locations is more dependent on internal happiness as opposed to external environments, barring prisons and such.
No humidity? It was VERY muggy feeling in Bridgeport today. I checked the humidity level earlier and it was 60%. Pretty high IMO.
Strange, but I was out in the suburbs. Maybe all those building trapping the humidity instead of allowing the breeze to blow through. I did say Chicago "area"
Only 2 seasons there, summer/winter. I never got used to holiday lights on palm trees.
I also made the mistake of owning a black vehicle, and when I left AC cooled buildings my glasses fogged up all summer. The humidity is brutal in the morning, then it rains, then gets even more humid And you cannot walk on the sand for 6 months without shoes, nor even sit that close to the ground on Vanderbilt beach without risking heat exhaustion.
And and...
Having resided in 3 states and the Dominican Republic, I have not found that perfect place yet. Whether we are happy in our locations is more dependent on internal happiness as opposed to external environments, barring prisons and such.
I still don't understand why people don't like humidity.. Without the humidity things start getting chilly if it's below 80 degrees lol....
Anyways I'm getting tired of hearing myself talk about how nice it is here, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way lol..... All I can say is after 2 years and 10 plus years of vacationing down here before I moved here that I love it more and more not less and less.... Just wish we could stop over development.....
I still don't understand why people don't like humidity.. Without the humidity things start getting chilly if it's below 80 degrees lol....
Anyways I'm getting tired of hearing myself talk about how nice it is here, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way lol..... All I can say is after 2 years and 10 plus years of vacationing down here before I moved here that I love it more and more not less and less.... Just wish we could stop over development.....
It won't stop until every square inch is utilized, like the east coast. Florida has the 5th largest population by state in the country, very little available land before it was developed, and population still climbing.
There are things I miss about SWFL, mainly peace and quiet.
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But that's a whole other thread.)
