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I used to do the snowbird thing when DH was alive, but I have now settled permanently in a snowy area. I rent, so heat is included (yay!) which is great after years of heating with wood. I am still amazed and pleased when I come home to a warm house. The parking area gets plowed but I have to shovel a path from my door to the car, about 25 feet, and around the car. I don't mind shoveling as I need some exercise in the winter. I do back exercises every day to keep in shape, and rest in between every few shovels. (age 62)
I do try to keep up walking in the winter; if the roads are clear, it's sunny and not windy, I can handle down to 20 or so. I am only about 75 feet from a paved road. There have been a few times when the roads were just too bad to drive and I called out from my volunteer gig. They are very understanding.
I have issues with walking on ice, I realize everyone does but my balance is poor because I lost feeling in my right foot from a surgery (to remove something on my spinal cord) so walking in a parking lot, on ice, is very treacherous for me (I'm in good shape and likely won't break anything if I fall, but still, no one wants to do a header on ice) and then I found these:
The soles on these boots are called "Arctic Grip" and are amazing, the difference in walking on ice is like night and day. Total confidence when wearing my boots. I think Merrell has the patent, as I've not seen anyone else selling this type of sole, but if you want better traction, these are for you.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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At 66 I can still shovel snow, but a lot slower with more rest periods. Having someone else do that is a big help. The biggest problem is one I just experienced with an unusual 30” over a few days here, and the city taking 6 days to get the plow to our street. That is, having to postpone medical appointments. Not a big deal for routine checkups, but could be a problem if there is some urgent need, and you cannot get out even with 4WD. As we have found, the older you get the more you seem to be going to the doctor.
My mother just turned 80 years old in January, and for the last two years she hasn't felt safe driving during winter so I do her shopping, and on occasions when it's easy enough for her to walk to the car and in the store parking lot I take her there. She's been in surprisingly good health, she's just getting frail as time goes on. If she does go outside the colder temps bother her more than ever as you can imagine.
So when considering your move also consider how much help you'll have when you start needing it, be it in 5 years, 10 years, or whenever. Not always easy to find someone reliable to shovel snow or cut the lawn or do various other things like shopping. Hopefully you have family wherever you move to.
There are some very helpful posts in this thread, both for and against living in a heavy snow area. I live in a heavy snow area and as I look out my window this morning I see snow everywhere.
Some points to consider:
If you live in an apartment or condo/townhouse they will clean the snow. Check on your stairs to sidewalks and whether or not they will also clean those.
Keep you car in a garage.
Make sure your cupboards are never empty and you have bottled water.
Buy the best winter coat and boots you can afford.
If you have to drive make sure you are practiced in snow or ice conditions. Buy studded snow tires. Get behind a semi on the highway and you will likely be in trouble. If you do not have experience with icy conditions do not go out, at all.
Have friends or family help and check on you often.
On a beautiful day the snowscape is stunning. But it is also dangerous. Good luck in your decision and possible move.
How is snow for seniors in every day, practical life?
I don't live in a snow area, but am considering moving to one.
I am late sixties.
I lived in the snow when I was very young and don't remember any problems.
I am kind of a home body, and can go without leaving the house for several days.
I cannot shovel snow, but would arrange for someone to do that.
Comments?
I moved from a snow area (northern NJ) to a rare-snow area (NC) three years ago at age 60. I am widowed so have no one at home to help shovel. I am very short, though, and for some reason that seems to make me uniquely built for snow shoveling. Maybe it's the low center of gravity.
I would never want to move back north. The last winter I was in NJ, it snowed and snowed and snowed. I had kind neighbors who helped with shoveling and snowblowing, but I did not expect them to continue to help forever. My landscaping company charged $10 per inch of snow and as a residential customer who didn't have to drive to work, I was low on the priority list. When it snows a dozen times in a winter, that can add up. If you are thinking "hiring a neighborhood kid", good luck with that. The area where I used to live was full of kids and not one of them shoveled to earn money. (I insisted on paying the kind neighbor's kids, though.) Arranging for snow removal is not always easy.
Power outages were common with even a little snow. Unless you have a whole-house standby generator, you're pretty much screwed.
If you live alone, being snowed in can really suck.
If you have ANY propensity to get seasonal affective disorder, the relentless gray can get depressing. Where I live now, there is always something green to look at, even if just the pines. In the three winters I've been here, there has been exactly one snow or ice storm each year, and it does usually go away quickly.
You don't have to be in Florida to get away from snow. There are places like where I live where you still get seasons but don't have to deal with winter's relentlessness.
The topic of the thread is snow, but related to that is the formation of ice on the ground as a result of melted or melting snow in the freeze-thaw cycles of winter weather. And the hazards of ice, to which maybe seniors are more susceptible, but everyone is affected.
My sister, age 70, lives in Minnesota, and is working to overcome intense fear of going outside in the winter, caused by a couple of falls on ice that resulted in serious injuries. Several years ago she fell in the parking lot of her workplace on black ice, hit her head resulting in a skull fracture and a brain bleed. The bleeding was no doubt made worse because she was taking Eloquis ( she has atrial fibrillation), and the traumatic brain injury put her in the hospital fighting for her life. She spent about 6 months between the hospital, then rehab working to overcome the deficiencies (speech, balance, cognitive issues) resulting from her injuries. She got better, and apparently the only lasting souvenier of that incident is a total lack of a sense of smell or taste. She considers herself very lucky.
Then last year, she slipped on a patch of ice that was bumpy and uneven from a freeze-thaw cycle, and was hidden under a thin layer of snow. This time she shattered her ankle, had a couple of surgeries to fix that, a hospitalization followed by rehab, and that took several months, but she did heal well, and was walking again with not much if any sequelae as a result of that injury.
She's determined not to let that fear of the ice get in her way of being active, but she's fearful nontheless. She's still working, wants to continue, but at this point has made some compromises. She doesn't go out at night, takes work assignments that are close to home. She had considered moving to Florida ( where we are), but decided against doing so when she saw how crowded it was getting.
Wife & I, both retired for many years, were Snowbirds for 5 years between MA & FL, got tired of the back & forth, so moved to FL full time, lasted in the soup for 3 years before moving to the mountains of W. North Carolina. We live as rural as one can imagine on 65A, our private driveway is 1/2 mile up 3K’ to the our home at the ridgeline...gotta love it!
On occasion we do get snow, fortunately it’s gone in a few days, we don’t move until it melts and the driveway is clear, the generator is ready, and food is stocked.
We have a field close to the house that we use for a helipad in case of emergency, during Winter I leave my front end loader by the house in case we have to bail, and I also leave a vehicle in my barn at the foot of the driveway.
Only you can determine your destiny...go for it! I’m living the adventure of my life, but I do realize at some point in time I’ll have to come down from the mountains and sit and wait until I get fat & ugly.
I don't think it would be a problem. Just make sure the house is stocked up before a snowstorm - don't forget the toilet paper! - and enjoy the coziness of being stuck at home.
One more thought....wherever you choose, whether it's an apartment building or a single family house, make sure it's not on the bottom or top of a slope - even a slight decline. If you're at the top, it can be a scary drive down; if you're at the bottom, good luck getting out. Also, it's a good idea not to live too far "imbedded" in an area where you'll have to navigate through several blocks until you reach a main, and nicely shoveled, road.
I've lived in a number of homes, and all have been located on a level road, a block or two at most from a main drive. Never had a problem.
I've learned that the local "guy with a plow" who clears driveways will appreciate someone who doesn't pitch a fit if they have to wait for a plow out. If you calm down and tell them you aren't desperate, they will often pay MORE attention to helping you out. Remind yourself that you are not going to die like the Donner Party just because you can't get to the street in a day or so.
My neighbor plowed my driveway while we were away once. He had a heavy compact tractor with hydraulics and a plow attachment. The asphalt drive had been resealed in the fall and had a nice black finish. The heavy plow left a lot of obvious scrape marks in the black coating. For that reason I'm hesitant to have a truck mounted plow come in. There is a husband & wife team that we've used a couple of times to do some mowing & trimming in the yard. Their card says they do snow removal. I'm thinking I could get them to do it with a snowblower. or lighter tractor. We usually do it ourselves but I'll soon be 75 and want to have a back up plan.
I thanked the neighbor with the heavy with the heavy tractor. It was nice to come home from a trip to a cleared driveway. He never knew I had any issue with the job.
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