Is the winter really THAT bad?

[AliveandWell]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

It doesn't have to be like that. If you keep yourself healthy and fit, your joints don't have to hurt.

Very true indeed! If you exercise properly, eat the right food and limit stress, you should have very few problems, IMO. As I have said in previous posts, what can you do if it is 105F outside? Swim or go for a boat ride somewhere. I was born during winter so maybe that's why I prefer cold over heat

[yellowsnow]

MN Winters..... I had 15 or so of em and if you like Winter for 1/2 the year, you will love it there. And of course, if you love shoveling snow and the guck at the end of the driveway from the plow, even better. If you like going outside and feeling the nose pieces on your glasses freeze to your nose and feeling your eyeballs freeze, this is the place.

All kidding aside, the Winters are survivable but no fun. It just lasts too long.

Leaving MN for Vegas made me realize how much I hibernated and put my life on hold because of the bad weather and unrelenting cold. I just stayed home all the time. I love getting up every morning to another clear, hot day. I love my pool and my outside living space that I can actually use. No bugs either.

It IS too hot here for about 6 weeks a year. But that's easy to deal with, we have AC. But it's worth it to live in a place where I can run all Winter and enjoy outside without bugs, humidity, snow, days of overcast/rain, and most of all cold.

[jeid]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

All kidding aside, the Winters are survivable but no fun. It just lasts too long.

Leaving MN for Vegas made me realize how much I hibernated and put my life on hold because of the bad weather and unrelenting cold. I just stayed home all the time. I love getting up every morning to another clear, hot day. I love my pool and my outside living space that I can actually use. No bugs either.

Yellowsnow hit the nail on the head with this statement. As someone who's has grown up in Northern Minnesota and now lives in Uptown Minneapolis, I couldn't agree more.

People just kind of "shut down" during the winter here, especially in the city. Up north most people choose to live there because they enjoy outdoor activities such as ice fishing, snowmobiling, and skiing. If you enjoy these activities than Minnesota is a great place for you. However if you don't, the winter lasts very long.

Most people go to work when it's dark outside and come home to darkness for at least two months out of the year. I think the combination of the shortness of day and extreme cold really takes it toll on people. The only plus of this is the city becomes very active during spring as people have been cooped up for so long.

Then there's the snow - it makes rush hour terrible and if you live in Uptown and park your car on the street, can cost you a lot of money if you don't keep up with the snow emergency information.

tl;dr - the winter is OK if you like winter activities, but is too cold and lasts too long if you don't