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Old 06-03-2012, 08:29 PM
 
Location: Crosstown *****
1,062 posts, read 2,046,730 times
Reputation: 557

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Quote:
Originally Posted by RustinginSeattle View Post
Let me understand this... you won't get into a heated pool unless its 85 degrees out or warmer? That's a sauna!

LOL! 85 degrees outside when going in an outdoor pool (or lake, etc), not 85 degrees in the water.

You guys have given me some great places to look into. Thanks!

I only spent a week in Key West. I've spent a couple days in Ft Lauderdale and Miami. I'm curious about areas around Sarasota and Tampa. I'm not too worried about hurricanes, but I am a bit worried about home insurance!

I do like Bend OR, but have only spent a couple nights there. Not so keen on Vancouver, WA. Kind of depresses me, although I've never really been there in sunny weather, so that would explain that.

I will suggest Knoxville or Chattanooga, TN. Great places, nice weather, and LOTS of outdoor activities. Only issue may be allergies. But drink some apple cider vinegar and you'll be OK.

TN does not have an income tax, its not too far from the midwest, and both are safe.
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Old 06-04-2012, 12:48 AM
 
Location: where you sip the tea of the breasts of the spinsters of Utica
8,298 posts, read 14,134,421 times
Reputation: 8104
San Diego has come down with housing costs, and has about the most perfect climate in the US - never too hot or too cold, and the humidity is usually just right.
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Old 06-04-2012, 02:36 AM
 
Location: Europe
325 posts, read 786,565 times
Reputation: 172
Quote:
Originally Posted by knucklehead_vol View Post
I will suggest Knoxville or Chattanooga, TN. Great places, nice weather, and LOTS of outdoor activities. Only issue may be allergies. But drink some apple cider vinegar and you'll be OK.

TN does not have an income tax, its not too far from the midwest, and both are safe.
I lived in Knoxville for two years (I got my master's at UT), and Knoxville definitely has the beauty aspect of going for it (depending on the part of town of course). And having the Smoky Mountains - and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - about half an hour away was awesome. So amazingly beautiful there.

Honestly, the winters in Knoxville and Seattle were not too different in terms of temperatures, amount of rain, etc. The summers of course were a different story completely, but Knoxville is not quite as humid as the rest of the South.
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Old 06-04-2012, 10:47 AM
 
Location: Crosstown *****
1,062 posts, read 2,046,730 times
Reputation: 557
Quote:
Originally Posted by lovingthegreen View Post
I lived in Knoxville for two years (I got my master's at UT), and Knoxville definitely has the beauty aspect of going for it (depending on the part of town of course). And having the Smoky Mountains - and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - about half an hour away was awesome. So amazingly beautiful there.

Honestly, the winters in Knoxville and Seattle were not too different in terms of temperatures, amount of rain, etc. The summers of course were a different story completely, but Knoxville is not quite as humid as the rest of the South.
I went to UT also. Yea the humidity is tough for someone who is not used to it. But you right, light considering other areas in the south. Chattanooga is great too.
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Old 06-04-2012, 11:14 AM
 
731 posts, read 932,875 times
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Wow! So many great suggestions. I'm writing them down and will do lots of googling and talking to people. Every time I've mentioned Austin to people I know, I hear stories about someone they know who moved there and loves it, so Austin has a great reputation about the NW Seattle area. Will it drive me nuts that I can't stand country music?! ;-) However, hubby is the biggest obsticle when I mention TX.

I think I'm really going to do more looking around in CA. I think I've always felt that it's just too expensive, but with the change in economy, maybe there are areas that are more doable. I'm trying to find a way to work part time, so I can spend more time with my family, so if it costs so much that I have to work full time again, it would be a real bummer.

Right now, I'm sitting in my house with a down coat on and the gas fireplace on. What a bummer. It's so hard to get motivated in weather like this.
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Old 06-05-2012, 11:43 AM
 
Location: N26.03 W80.11
326 posts, read 948,107 times
Reputation: 329
I'll trade places with you. I live in a condo with an outdoor heated pool overlooking the beach and ocean. It might be a tight squeeze since it's only 1 bedroom, but I'm ready to head to Washington.
Seriously though, if you have school age kids Florida is not for you. I really don't know why so many people want to move here. It's a fantastic place to visit and I think people usually see it through vacationer eyes. Once you live here for awhile, it loses it's charms. Quickly.
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Old 06-05-2012, 12:16 PM
 
Location: WA
4,242 posts, read 8,760,686 times
Reputation: 2375
Asheville, NC: Warmer, still liberal, still very scenic
Savannah or Charleston: Very warm, Coastal, have some liberal pockets
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill: Lots of people love this area. Not much water, but lots of employment, and generally a pleasant place to live
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Old 06-05-2012, 01:07 PM
 
3,117 posts, read 4,577,423 times
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The South (the whole South, and that includes Tennessee) is difficult at best for someone acclimated to Northwest weather. I've spent time in most of Tennessee's major cities during the summer months, and I was about ready to die. My experience with coastal states such as North and South Carolina is significantly more limited, so I can't say anything about that. Georgia has the same problem as Tennessee - just too damn hot for a reasonable person.

Texas presents the same issue. Austin is an odd bird compared to the rest of Texas, but the 105 degree days with high humidity will kill you every time. When an Austinite's defense about the weather is stating that the humidity isn't as bad as Houston, you know you're in a rough situation. People who move to Austin from the Northwest typically like it because, culturally, there are a number of similarities, aside from it having 40% more redneck. But you (and your husband) had best be prepared to melt.
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Old 06-05-2012, 01:10 PM
 
510 posts, read 887,377 times
Reputation: 289
For Honolulu, many people I knew that lived there couldn't handle it. They got 'island fever' so badly they had to quit/transfer jobs and head back to the mainland. The odd thing was they said they felt trapped and it was too prohibitive to travel....but when they moved back to the mainland they never really traveled or left their little area. The traffic there is absolutely horrible. I keep hearing people on here attack people in Seattle talking about bad traffic and say 'try driving in LA or NYC', big difference is LA/NYC you might be in traffic for 3 hours for a 50-60 mile commute....in Honolulu it is like 3 hours for a 5-6 mile commute. Worst traffic I've seen. You also get to see 'laid back' taken to an extreme. It takes so much longer to get anything done there--15 minutes Hawaiian time is like 2 hours. Don't get me wrong I like the area, but many old coworkers had to leave or ended up getting divorced because it was too much shock to them or their spouses.
Austin, TX has a big lake (Lake Travis) that runs through town. It is the liberal enclave of Texas (due to the university). The area had so many restaurants and live music venues..it was great. On Fridays-Sundays they block off 6th street and it is like a huge street fest, tons of things to do. Austin even cools off enough in the evening to make it pleasant. Houston/Dallas stay hot through the night. Any of the warm places, though, as soon as there is any rain...have bugs hatch in almost apocalyptic numbers. One of the main drawbacks (for me) for warm areas is the BUGS.
Another place I've lived was Florida (Pensacola). Beaches and water views were great. And people think it is all sunshine, but in summer it rained nearly every day. Right around 3:15 pm and you'd get a 30 minute thunderstorm. More lightning than I ever thought I'd ever see.
Also lived in Charleston, SC. Very interesting town, lots of history and neat architecture--southern charm. Beaches there were awesome. But it is surrounded by swamps. The humidity and BUGS there was not my thing, but it kept the area plenty green. And you can only take so much about the 'war of northern aggression' and how the south will rise again.
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Old 06-05-2012, 03:51 PM
 
Location: Greater Seattle, WA Metro Area
1,930 posts, read 6,524,382 times
Reputation: 907
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustinginSeattle View Post
Inkpoe, Sorry to hear about your pregnancy keeping you down for now. I would love to hear where you end up at. Is your husband game to move, too? The places that you mentioned intrigue me. I'm brimming with envy right now when I talk to my sister-in-law in Chicago and they had a 96 degree Memorial Day weekend. They spent tons of time at the pool or on the slip and slide. I don't think they bother selling slip and slides around here! ;-)

I always hated it when I was a teenager and I would get out of school in June all ready for summer, then we wouldn't get sun for at least 3 more weeks. I even craved hot summers back then. I think I read too many books about playing in the hot sun during summer vacations, but rarely experienced it! :-)

It's also so hilarious that when the sun/heat does come out around here, people go into a panic - where are we going to go? What are we going to do? Quick take advantage of it before it's gone! We get more hyped up instead of more relaxed like places where people are accustomed to experiencing heat.
Well, I grew up in the Midwest for 22 years (Iowa) and lived in TX for 12 years and I hands down will take the summers here (albeit shorter) because you actually CAN be outside and enjoy life. Texas summers are when kids go INSIDE all day. Movies, bounce houses, malls, video games, TV. Because it's too blasted dangerous to have them outside for long in the heat of the day. Especially the little ones. If we did go outside, we'd be home from the pool by 10:30am and go back after 5:30pm. The rest of the time we'd sit inside in the AC. And we are the kind here that are out in the rain hiking - so a very active family. My husband and I both did triathlon in TX and I have been known to run and ride in extreme heat but learned to get out before 7am if possible or run at night at 11pm. Still never cools down at night from about mid-June through late August. Whoever above said it does did not live there for long. It can be 90+ degrees at night in TX some nights. I personally don't mind the heat but it's not healthy to be active in it for long. The Midwest is miserable in the summer. Hot, humid, dripping wet with mosquitos. My kids were 4 and 7 when we moved here from Austin and they marveled at the long, perfect summer days from the get go. At least our nice weather aligns perfectly with their summer vacation! They can live in nature sun up to sun down without fear of heat stroke and 50 mosquito bites.

And to comment on Lake Travis in Austin. It's fun when it's not a drought year and completely dried up with no water access. Which can happen and does with the extreme drought like they have had for the past few years. I go back every year and spend time on the lake and last summer there was literally no access in most cases. That and it is so dirty compared to the lakes here. The first year we went back to visit after swimming in the lakes here, my kids looked at me in a panic like "we swam in THAT?". And the bugs aren't that bad in Austin...they have a huge bat population that keeps bugs in check for the most part. Don't get me wrong, Austin is a great city but the weather is no picnic. You are trading rain for heat. Don't kid yourself. There are much milder places to live. Now for atmosphere, Austin is a lot of fun for the most part, very pretty by Texas standards and the people are fantastic IMO. If I could live there part year and here the other part...now life would be about perfect.

The place I lived with the mildest all around weather considering all 4 seasons is Colorado.

Last edited by texastrigirl; 06-05-2012 at 04:02 PM..
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