[darstar]

Originally Posted by bluebird39

I grew up in Louisiana, moved to Oregon, and now here. When people in LA or OR ask how I can tolerate the winter, I ask them how they tolerate the summer, or fire season. I'll take the cold over months of extreme heat and humidity. IMO, Texas is much drier than Louisiana.

I'll admit that living in the woods, the mosquitos up here in the North ARE bad. That's one thing I never took for granted in Oregon, their lack of bugs! I don't miss the dry heat either.

We've only turned on our window AC once this summer, and that was when family from Chicago was in town. We sleep with windows open every night (except the night after a bear tore down our bird feeders!!).

I don't know, Michigan's climate is pretty nice, in my book...

It depends SO much on just WHERE you are in Michigan. Likewise , most other states as well. Interior Oregon has nothing in common with the coastal areas, etc. , regarding the temps, and humidity ....Texas is same. Big State. the panhandle and west Texas is quite different than Galveston , or Houston.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by darstar

It depends SO much on just WHERE you are in Michigan. Likewise , most other states as well. Interior Oregon has nothing in common with the coastal areas, etc. , regarding the temps, and humidity ....Texas is same. Big State. the panhandle and west Texas is quite different than Galveston , or Houston.

Well, this is of course true. Depends what part of the state you are in. I am not from Michigan, and happen to agree with blue--I love the climate here in Michigan, generally. Here in the southeast corner, it's too cold for a few weeks in winter, but the rest is somewhat moderate. In the summer, it's too hot for a couple of weeks, but generally it's mild. Coming from the southern half of the states, I'll take Michigan's weather over southern heat-stroke weather, any day! But, to each his own...

[Wabbit]

Michigan certainly has humidity, but what makes the humidity in places like Savannah, New Orleans and Houston so bad are the (almost) daily
spurts of rain in the middle of sunny 100 degree days.
That's as unbearable as any weather I've experienced in the U.S.
Moving down south in the winter time is like going to the grocery store
hungry. Once summer rolls around (or you've eaten) you realize the error of your ways.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by Wabbit

Michigan certainly has humidity, but what makes the humidity in places like Savannah, New Orleans and Houston so bad are the (almost) daily
spurts of rain in the middle of sunny 100 degree days.
That's as unbearable as any weather I've experienced in the U.S.
Moving down south in the winter time is like going to the grocery store
hungry. Once summer rolls around (or you've eaten) you realize the error of your ways.

Amen to that! I remember as a child living in Texas, there were days during the summer where we stayed inside all day-as kids!-because it was that hot outside!

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by mimmic

I have lived in southern michigan, and to say the winter is cold for a couple of weeks is at best misleading. It depends on the winter. but it can get below zero for a month in southern michigan. It has not for a few years but when it hits it is not fun.
Michigan winters are nothing short of harsh, and hard to deal with.
I would tell any one thinking of moving here try a winter for a couple of years before you buy. you may not like it.
Some people like the cold, but as you get a bit older most people do not.
If you look at the books that tell you best places to retire michigan is not a state that is even mentioned. to dam cold.

*sigh* Of course it depends on the winter, and the person. But IMO, and many others, they prefer to be cool rather than hot. That's why millions of people choose to live in the north, and not the south. Millions more do live in the south, and good for them.

No one said it's only cold for a couple of weeks. I said it was, to me, only unbearable for a couple of weeks.

[and the]

I plan on leaving MI in large part because of the winters. It's not so much the cold and snow as much as it's the gray skies.....for a LONG period of time.....and the gray roadways...and sound the salt truck makes when it flies by your car as you're doing 10 mph....and the big smear your windshied wiper makes when you get the slush off that the salt truck just threw on your windshield......And trying to judge just how much frost on your windshield in the morning, or as you leave work, will be taken care of with a few long squirts of your windshield washer button, and at what point you'll actually have to scrape. If you judge wrong, you can use up a whole resevoir of windshield wiper solvent in two days. Then, you'll have to freeze your fingers off fishing around for the hood release to replenish the resevoir, or worse, try to bang on the hood to get it open because it's frozen shut.

If it were only sunny during the winter, at least it would be a lot more psychologically bearable. But to come home when it's dark, go to sleep, wake UP when it's dark and not see the sun all day....it's depressing. That diffused gray light you get through a blanket of clouds may as well not be daylight at all. May as well just be a 20 watt bulb at the top of a run down apartment building stairwell with 30 flights of stairs....and you live on the top floor.....and the elevator is broke. And if you work OUTSIDE.......when the wind is blowing at 50 mph on the top of a bridge overpass covered with ice at oh-dark-thirty in the morning....THAT'S a Michigan winter.

Stay at home moms, retired people, kids who aren't forced to shovel the driveway, BY HAND....three times a day sometimes..... and anyone else who doesn't have to get out of bed and go to work every day can only imagine how terrible it is.....The retired people can REMEMBER, but they don't have to go out there....Just stay inside with a warm fire mocking us.....

As far as heat vs. cold: How long can you survive outside, in the shade, with the same kind of clothes you wear in the house, and enough water to drink when it's 104 degrees with 90% humidity? How about when the windchill is 20 below and it's snowing sideways.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by and the

I plan on leaving MI in large part because of the winters. It's not so much the cold and snow as much as it's the gray skies.....for a LONG period of time.....and the gray roadways...and sound the salt truck makes when it flies by your car as you're doing 10 mph....and the big smear your windshied wiper makes when you get the slush off that the salt truck just threw on your windshield......And trying to judge just how much frost on your windshield in the morning, or as you leave work, will be taken care of with a few long squirts of your windshield washer button, and at what point you'll actually have to scrape. If you judge wrong, you can use up a whole resevoir of windshield wiper solvent in two days. Then, you'll have to freeze your fingers off fishing around for the hood release to replenish the resevoir, or worse, try to bang on the hood to get it open because it's frozen shut.

If it were only sunny during the winter, at least it would be a lot more psychologically bearable. But to come home when it's dark, go to sleep, wake UP when it's dark and not see the sun all day....it's depressing. That diffused gray light you get through a blanket of clouds may as well not be daylight at all. May as well just be a 20 watt bulb at the top of a run down apartment building stairwell with 30 flights of stairs....and you live on the top floor.....and the elevator is broke. And if you work OUTSIDE.......when the wind is blowing at 50 mph on the top of a bridge overpass covered with ice at oh-dark-thirty in the morning....THAT'S a Michigan winter.

Stay at home moms, retired people, kids who aren't forced to shovel the driveway, BY HAND....three times a day sometimes..... and anyone else who doesn't have to get out of bed and go to work every day can only imagine how terrible it is.....The retired people can REMEMBER, but they don't have to go out there....Just stay inside with a warm fire mocking us.....

As far as heat vs. cold: How long can you survive outside, in the shade, with the same kind of clothes you wear in the house, and enough water to drink when it's 104 degrees with 90% humidity? How about when the windchill is 20 below and it's snowing sideways.

You can always put more clothes on, for the cold, but , can never take enough off , for the heat !.

[darstar]

Originally Posted by mimmic

No, the reason millions of people live in the north is because it was at one time the industrial capitol of the nation, that is why there are so many blacks who live in places like detroit, and pittsberg, that was where the work was and the needed jobs. no one moved to the north because they did not like taking cloths off. The agurain south did not have the good paying jobs that the north did, this is also a big part of the reason the north could win by atrittion the civil war.
The south did not have the industrial stringht to win the war.
but now all that is changing. we won the war against japan, and germany, but they are winning the war of economics now, and china is winning the ecomomic war agains un also, this is weakning the north part of the usa, and the south is experiancing a rapid growth for this and the baby boomers are retireing and do not want to stay where they had to work for a living. now with new found freedom, they head to the south.
Not many people stay in the north because the like it. these are a few minority.
Even those who like michigan and can afford it have a second place in the south.
As the north continues to weaken the flood of people moving south will grow.
all you have to do is look at florida and the carolinas, florida has more people than it can support and is in need of some controls.
Where do you think these people come from? canada? some do, but most are from michigan, ohio, ill,ind,NY, and places all over the north.
You dont hear of people moving to florida from georiga, I am not saying this never happens, but nothing like form our state michigan. There are whole communities created for these people, towns created just for this type of person, hot springs village in arkansas, bella vista village florida, many in texas

Snowbirds have been around a long time now, its the freedom to travel, to see new places, pick and choose , that winter get-a-way, that most affords the retiree . They are not all rich, come from all over, and like to get away in the winter months to somewhere warm. So do I. but, I like the four seasons, I like some moderation in climate. I tried Florida , for five years, was ready to go back north. Not all the way however. I was a halfback , as they now call them folks that go from Florida to North Carolina. That lasted 20 years...now I am back north for good, and moving further north as we speak, for some of the same reasons we left to go South , so long ago now.....Once its in your blood, North , or South, you will always return.........even if its in a pine box.......

[and the]

.........even if its in a pine box.......

You can't be buried in a pine box in MI. The insulation isn't nearly thick enough to meet code and the pine won't handle the snow loads. You have to use steel...

I drive a 10 year-old car that's being eaten by rust. Engine runs fine, but the rust will eventually destroy it. One of my favorite things about going out west is seeing some cowboy driving a 20 year-old truck with a ton of dents and scratches, probably on it's third engine, with NO rust!!!!

[magellan]

Originally Posted by and the

You can't be buried in a pine box in MI. The insulation isn't nearly thick enough to meet code and the pine won't handle the snow loads. You have to use steel...

I drive a 10 year-old car that's being eaten by rust. Engine runs fine, but the rust will eventually destroy it. One of my favorite things about going out west is seeing some cowboy driving a 20 year-old truck with a ton of dents and scratches, probably on it's third engine, with NO rust!!!!

Sounds like you're pretty easily amused.

I think he was being sarcastic about the pine box BTW....