Do people overrate Southern climates b/c of Air Conditioning? (snow, average)
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This Southerner spends 8 hours a day sweating. If it were possible (and I could afford to) I'd crank my A/C down to 55 F after I got off work. My high school wasn't air conditioned when I went there-all my classes had an unmistakeable scent of a locker room.
Florida in particular owes it's ridiculous growth to A/C. Most commercial buildings since the late sixties were designed for artificial environments-the windows don't even open on the buildings anymore. It would be a window retro fitters dream if we suddenly didn't have A/C, but I'm guessing there would be A LOT of vacant buildings and homes.
Southern half of FL is like another world. Hard to grasp till you live here as long as we have and I actually do like 82/62 type days but that is about the maximum I find to my liking. Anytime the median temp for the day is somewhat below the 75 degrees I crank the A/C to during our nine months of summer 94/80 I treat as a blessing from the heavens above. Quite different from all the northerners yawning for eternal summer weather.. I bet more and more long suffering Floridians will escape as far north as possible in coming decades.
Quite different from all the northerners yawning for eternal summer weather.. I bet more and more long suffering Floridians will escape as far north as possible in coming decades.
That's very true, and I'm convinced it's the trend of the future - "get out of Florida with its miserable summers and experience snow and cooler summers" will be the rallying cry, as opposed to "get to a warmer climate and avoid all that miserable shoveling". Sure, those existing in Florida now because of a climatic move will stay there, but as new generations arise a lot of these people will be inclined towards cold and snow (seeing as they obviously didn't move there by choice) and will want to move north. The proportion of winter-lovers in the next generation in the Sun Belt will be much greater than in the previous generation. This is sort of a pendulum effect - the Northerners who want snow stay where they are and the ones who want warmer climates move southward - they have children who have preferences more in line with the averages, then the ones who want warmth stay where they are and the ones who want snow move northward.
This trend is already starting to take shape. The previous demographic trend of moving south and west has morphed into just a westward track - the biggest growth rates now are in the west, not in just the Sun Belt as was previously the case. There are more young people in the Sun Belt that want out (and want cooler summers and snowy winters) as opposed to their parent's generation, and for the first time ever last year I saw advertisements for one-way plane tickets to get out of Florida.
So I think the trend as the next generation takes hold in the next 30 or 50 years and the old generations die out or settle down will be northward, and possibly still westward as well.
Yes, yes, yes! Southern climate is miserable from June to August. It's so humid that on some days I'd rather take Arizona's dry heat. And it's hot - 90+ degrees happens very frequently in most summers. Southern climate is good in October to April, but geeze, I'm in Tennessee and would take a Massachusetts climate ANY day of the week.
Yes, like northerners I avoid the outdoors a few months. But rather than winter, it is summer, I despise it! This is why you may have noticed my preference for very mild to semi-nonexistent summers, I simply cannot enjoy going outside during them.
I think they only like summer because of the long daylight hours, they enjoy 8-9pm sunsets (with DST) in the summer but still like cool environment. Well if its like that then climates like PNW or coastal Norcal (or most of Europe) is preferable for them. 9pm or later sunsets + comfortable cool summers.
Weather is meant to be fun not just comfortable all year! Since we have this great technology. Just because I like the inside to be a cool temperature, doesn't mean I can't enjoy the sensation of high dewpoints for temporary periods of time during the summer.
No A/C here... yet it doesn't get has hot as Florida for sure, although we have our fair share of 35+ days most summers.
For me it is normal to have my house between 25 and 30c in the summer, we close our curtains in most hot days in July and August (and sometimes June and september) and I don't wear a shirt inside at that time of the year, but that's what summer is about. A/C is more useful in buses or cars because you usually stay behind a window which makes it hotter.
I don't know how I fould feel if I had to live in Bangkok though.
Cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas would barely be a blip on a map if not for AC. Houston, Dallas, or any major city of the Deep South would not be nearly as important today without AC.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagogeorge
Cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas would barely be a blip on a map if not for AC. Houston, Dallas, or any major city of the Deep South would not be nearly as important today without AC.
I live in Phoenix and spent years working outdoors, even during July of 2009 which was a tie for our hottest month ever. You learn to hydrate and adapt. I'm still here anyways
Cities such as Phoenix, Las Vegas would barely be a blip on a map if not for AC. Houston, Dallas, or any major city of the Deep South would not be nearly as important today without AC.
I doubt that is true, New Orleans for example was at one point the top 5 biggest cities in the USA in the 1800s. The reason Northern cities flourished was due to industrialization which allowed Southern cities like New Orleans, Charleston, and Savannah to stagnate. Now with the economy more "white collar" than ever before Southern cities are again surging but this time because of weather considerations and cheap QOL.
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