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I will be moving out of California next summer and I am considering Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, or Colorado. How hard is it to get used to cold and snow? I am tired of the heat and 110 degree summers, but I don’t want the other extreme, either. Everyone says California has the best climate, well I am trying to find the SECOND best climate. I have no experience with snow, I don’t mind a few inches, but can’t do feet and feet of snow. Is it possible to acclimate? And if so, how long does it take?
It's not hard if you want to do it. It's a mental game. If you come into it thinking you're going to hate it or that it's going to be hard, it will never work unless you change your mind.
I'm from Riverside. Saw snow fall from the sky twice prior to moving to CO at age 23. I *wanted* to live in snow, and have loved every minute of it since I moved here 12 years ago.
I'm in the Denver area, and our summers are still plenty hot, our winters have occasional bitter cold, and occasional "feet" of snow (more than one foot in a storm is very rare). But most of the time during winter, it's just chilly (and usually sunny), and there may or may not be snow laying around (usually it snows, melts, and snows again, at least here). You take it as it comes, and you will acclimate quickly.
It's nowhere near as big a deal as you think. For me, the biggest takeaways from it (having never lived in it prior to moving here):
-windshield washer fluid...I had no idea how important this stuff was
-keep the winter gear handy (jackets, gloves, beanies, windshield scraper/brush)
Shoveling is just like any other yard chore (raking leaves, mowing lawn, etc). You take more care when walking in icy areas. You learn how to drive in it, or do your best to avoid doing so. You take time to enjoy the beauty of it, and enjoy the change in seasons.
Now, harsher climates (upper Midwest, New England, northern Great Plains, higher elevations in the West, etc), are a different story. It could be piled up snow on the ground for months, it could be bitterly cold for weeks at a time, and have painfully grey skies with no sun in sight for what seems like forever. Should you consider moving to a place with a harsh winter climate (most of CO is not considered harsh, the frequent sun and dryness dilute it a bit, even in spite of heavy snow totals), you should have an open mind, and a willingness to relish in your new climate.
P.S.
IMO, using the scale you're using, the second best climate to coastal CA would be the very-hot summer W/SW climates (Central Valley or Desert CA, Vegas, Phoenix, etc). It's hell for 4 months and paradise for the other 8. Not too shabby.
It shouldn't be that much of an adjustment, as it can get mighty cold along the coast in Southern CA in winter, late fall, early spring. Why do so many homes in Southern CA have fireplaces? Just for looks?
It mostly depends on if you're smart enough to dress appropriately. As someone else said, Canada has millions of immigrants from warm or even tropical climates and they do fine. Same with NYC. We have a huge population of Caribbean Islanders (Barbados, Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, etc.), people from Central America and Brazil, people from Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africans, Middle Easterners, Indians, Vietnamese, etc. Millions of people move to cold cities from places that are much more hot and humid year-round than California, yet only Californians are the ones that I ever hear complaining.
Also, in my experiences, those complaining in NYC about winter and wanting to move to Miami or LA are usually the ones who dress completely inappropriately for the season. I'm talking like wearing Keds or Nikes when it's a blizzard out and complaining their feet are cold and wet. Yes, humans invented insulated waterproof boots for a reason. Even in just cold rain, wear them...don't wear your knitted Nikes and canvas Vans. Yes, your ears may get cold. Beanies exist for a reason, not just for hipster fashion. Yes, the air can get cold enough to the point it's uncomfortable to breathe. Scarves exist for a reason, wherein you breathe into/through the scarf to warm the air. There are even these crazy cool things called parkas that people wear and they sometimes come with insulated material that will cover your nose and mouth when the jacket zips up all the way to your nose to make it easier to breathe. Legs are cold? Cool, well long underwear exists to give an extra layer of warmth there. Gloves now come with finger things so you can use your cell phone through your gloves.
It baffles me every year when I hear people complaining about the cold, yet they're dressed so inappropriately for it. I was born and raised in LA. Moved here a few years ago and I've adjusted totally fine. In fact, I now love winter because I have the proper attire for it and the coziness of snowfall outside while in a warm apartment or festive restaurant/bar is beautiful and comforting to me. I might hate it, though, if I tried wearing jeans with Vans and a hoodie over my long sleeve shirt with a baseball hat on. That doesn't sound warm. But that's what some idiots wear in the cold and then they wonder why the're cold...
Also, here in NYC, the highs are rarely in the single digits. When it gets cold enough that temperatures with wind chills don't go above zero, it usually becomes a work from home or everything is closed day. I'm sure that's different in a city like Minneapolis where it gets much colder, but in cities where it doesn't regular stay below zero for days at a time, this isn't a big issue.
^
Minneapolis cold gets an unfair rap, as I lived there for 21 years. Decades ago, in the middle of winter, I flew out to Washington DC, where the temps were higher, but the damp cold, I thought, was more cruel than the drier winter cold of Minneapolis. It was the kind of cold that went through you to the bones, which I didn't experience in Minneapolis.
I will be moving out of California next summer and I am considering Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, or Colorado. How hard is it to get used to cold and snow? I am tired of the heat and 110 degree summers, but I don’t want the other extreme, either. Everyone says California has the best climate, well I am trying to find the SECOND best climate. I have no experience with snow, I don’t mind a few inches, but can’t do feet and feet of snow. Is it possible to acclimate? And if so, how long does it take?
Where in SoCal?
Places in San Diego near the water don't get that hot. It's mainly inland.
If you want to stay in CA, why not move closer to the water?
It mostly depends on if you're smart enough to dress appropriately. As someone else said, Canada has millions of immigrants from warm or even tropical climates and they do fine. Same with NYC. We have a huge population of Caribbean Islanders (Barbados, Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, etc.), people from Central America and Brazil, people from Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africans, Middle Easterners, Indians, Vietnamese, etc. Millions of people move to cold cities from places that are much more hot and humid year-round than California, yet only Californians are the ones that I ever hear complaining.
Also, in my experiences, those complaining in NYC about winter and wanting to move to Miami or LA are usually the ones who dress completely inappropriately for the season. I'm talking like wearing Keds or Nikes when it's a blizzard out and complaining their feet are cold and wet. Yes, humans invented insulated waterproof boots for a reason. Even in just cold rain, wear them...don't wear your knitted Nikes and canvas Vans. Yes, your ears may get cold. Beanies exist for a reason, not just for hipster fashion. Yes, the air can get cold enough to the point it's uncomfortable to breathe. Scarves exist for a reason, wherein you breathe into/through the scarf to warm the air. There are even these crazy cool things called parkas that people wear and they sometimes come with insulated material that will cover your nose and mouth when the jacket zips up all the way to your nose to make it easier to breathe. Legs are cold? Cool, well long underwear exists to give an extra layer of warmth there. Gloves now come with finger things so you can use your cell phone through your gloves.
It baffles me every year when I hear people complaining about the cold, yet they're dressed so inappropriately for it. I was born and raised in LA. Moved here a few years ago and I've adjusted totally fine. In fact, I now love winter because I have the proper attire for it and the coziness of snowfall outside while in a warm apartment or festive restaurant/bar is beautiful and comforting to me. I might hate it, though, if I tried wearing jeans with Vans and a hoodie over my long sleeve shirt with a baseball hat on. That doesn't sound warm. But that's what some idiots wear in the cold and then they wonder why the're cold...
Also, here in NYC, the highs are rarely in the single digits. When it gets cold enough that temperatures with wind chills don't go above zero, it usually becomes a work from home or everything is closed day. I'm sure that's different in a city like Minneapolis where it gets much colder, but in cities where it doesn't regular stay below zero for days at a time, this isn't a big issue.
I personally love NYC weather. I like varied weather & seasons. I don't like that CA is mostly the same weather all the time. It's very boring for me there. I like weather bi-polarness of NYC lol.
Last week it was 89 & sunny one day and then the next day was 57 & rain. Love it. Keeps things interesting.
It's all about persistence. The longer you fight through cold, the more you get used to it. So it's a matter of whether you can hang in there long enough.
It's all about persistence. The longer you fight through cold, the more you get used to it. So it's a matter of whether you can hang in there long enough.
I always feel like such a badass too after getting through winter. The people who leave b/c it is "too cold" are wimps. Tough it out. Makes ya feel awesome afterward lol
The harder part is adjusting to the change in scenery. Trading the beautiful vibrancy of a subtropical SoCal winter for the colorless, barren North...
It's only "barren" looking in the dead of winter and usually in places where there are no evergreens. There is color everywhere. The colors are just different. Winter scenery in northern regions can be gorgeous. The planet would be a very boring place if it was all the same.
FWIW, I grew up in that "subtropical" SoCal and hated it. Hardly any seasonal change at all. Dull as cardboard.
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It's only "barren" looking in the dead of winter and usually in places where there are no evergreens. There is color everywhere. The colors are just different. Winter scenery in northern regions can be gorgeous. The planet would be a very boring place if it was all the same.
