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I chose Hawaii, if nothing else because I've lived for 8 of my 29 years in Socal... the beaches here are great, but variety is the spice of life Hawaii has a lot of lagoons and is simply breathtaking.
For living, I've never lived in HI so it's tough to say; from everything I've heard from friends and family who have lived there, I think I'd like it... however, living in Socal, you've got the whole LA/OC/RS/SD megalopolis. Millions upon millions of people and countless cultural amenities... much more cosmopolitan. It's difficult to discount this.
Florida is too muggy for me; I'd take Texas over Florida.
Except if you want to enjoy the beach most the year LOL.
I personally find nothing enjoyable whatsoever about humidity and mugginess right on the shore. Id be complaining the whole time and would probably leave.
I was in SW Florida for a wedding in October a couple of years ago, Venice and Sanibel Island. The beaches were beautiful, soft sugar white sand, shells to admire everywhere, non-crowded areas, lush flora nearby- and it was so freaking hot and humid I have never been more miserable outside in my entire life, just dripping in sweat every moment- I actually hated to be outside, the ocean was so warm it made it even more miserable, all I wanted was to be inside in air conditioning- and I HATE air conditioning . Maybe in the winter Florida beaches are nice but at least for me certainly not for half the year when most people would want to be there.
I've never been to Hawaii (I think I am the only person left on earth that hasn't lol) nor Texas Gulf coast, but I would have to presume that the best beach life would be Hawaii, but the best place to live by the beach is Southern California. The water is cool to cold much of the year but it is absolutely doable, I find any water over 70˚ to not be refreshing and comfortable so I am in the water for hours comfortable as can be when it's 68-72˚- the waves are often awesome, the water clean, the cliffs and mountains nearby picturesque. I rough water swim in La Jolla Cove with the seals, dolphins and sharks (harmless leopards, mostly, yikes!) in just my jammers down to 64˚ - cold when you get in, fine when you are swimming hard. That works for me!
and dont get me wrong, i have no problem visiting and enjoying hawaii and florida beaches-just stating my weather preference if it came down to it, and its SoCal only.
I was in SW Florida for a wedding in October a couple of years ago, Venice and Sanibel Island. The beaches were beautiful, soft sugar white sand, shells to admire everywhere, non-crowded areas, lush flora nearby- and it was so freaking hot and humid I have never been more miserable outside in my entire life, just dripping in sweat every moment- I actually hated to be outside, the ocean was so warm it made it even more miserable, all I wanted was to be inside in air conditioning- and I HATE air conditioning . Maybe in the winter Florida beaches are nice but at least for me certainly not for half the year when most people would want to be there.
I've never been to Hawaii (I think I am the only person left on earth that hasn't lol) nor Texas Gulf coast, but I would have to presume that the best beach life would be Hawaii, but the best place to live by the beach is Southern California. The water is cool to cold much of the year but it is absolutely doable, I find any water over 70˚ to not be refreshing and comfortable so I am in the water for hours comfortable as can be when it's 68-72˚- the waves are often awesome, the water clean, the cliffs and mountains nearby picturesque. I rough water swim in La Jolla Cove with the seals, dolphins and sharks (harmless leopards, mostly, yikes!) in just my jammers down to 64˚ - cold when you get in, fine when you are swimming hard. That works for me!
SW Florida is not like SE Florida... As mentioned. They are both hot but SW Florida is hotter and doesn't have a sea breeze. Remember the poster TANaples??? Yeah...The everglades area is also swampy and stagnant. Yes, pretty disgusting, even for a native Floridian. Weather in Miami and the Keys is cooler in the summer than New Orleans, Houston, Tampa, Orlando, Tallahassee, etc...The weather in Miami/FLL etc is a reason why it's more populated there as opposed to other areas of the state both in winter *and* summer...(warmer in winter, cooler in summer) I guess some people find out the hard way.
I loved living by the beach in SoCal and would again in a heartbeat BUT I do understand the gripes about being too cool, although I think some people exaggerate it. SoCal coastal summer's can be close to perfect EXCEPT when it's below normal for extended periods of time. It's like on that border of being too cool when it's below normal, at least for beach swimming. Water temps are great when in the 70's but due to upwelling it can be highly variable and go through periods where it's too cold, or in the case of 2010 the entire summer.
Hawaii is the the best year round overall for beach weather. Summers aren't too bad at all with the trade winds and winter is PERFECT imo. Water temps are also better than FL too because they are warmer in winter and cooler in summer, upper 80's sounds too warm when it's already blazing hot and humid in the air. BUT the isolation factor is a big drawback. Takes at least 5 hours and usually at least $400+ airfare to go anywhere out of the state.
Florida has some great beaches but the weather is more extreme than HI and the topography pretty dull away from the coast. But it probably has the most accessible coast and ocean oriented living. COL is way lower than CA or HI and there are so many waterfront properties to choose from there.
Never been to the TX coast but I'm pretty sure I compared to these 3 I wouldn't be interested in it. FL is pretty cheap to begin with so not sure what advantages TX could possibly have.
I honestly don't know how I would rank them as all three are so close imo. I've already lived in SoCal so am interested in living in FL. Been to HI a ton and could live there too.
Ya i have to agree, the only problem with most beaches in Hawai'i is its too crowded.
What island were you on? I've been to the Big Island and found some great beaches that weren't crowded at all. Though the only thing I disliked about Hawaiian beaches was how small they were (compared to being in Florida where beaches go on forever) and I found the water to be more cold than what I was used to. But that's just nitpicking really, a great beach is a great beaches even if it's a little different than what I'm used to.
I think Oahu has the most crowded beaches, which makes sense as Oahu has Honolulu.
The reason Florida is more humid than SoCal is because it has a tropical (in the south) and subtropical (in the north) climate. SoCal has a Mediterranean climate. Hawaii also has a lot more humidity than SoCal (though not as much as Florida in the summer months).
I prefer humidity over the dry feeling of SoCal. Really the humidity isn't that bad in Florida, you easily get used to it after a while. It makes other places feel cold when you visit them.
SoCal beaches are a joke compared to Florida beaches. The only area it wins in is for surfing.
For swimming, surf fishing, sunbathing, sandcastle making, kayaking, free diving.....Florida wins hands down. Florida also has palm-lined inland waterways, bays, and lagoons for more boating and fishing. SoCal has brown hills instead.
San Diego's water temp in the summer can't quite get up to Miami's water temp in the winter.
I can see why some would prefer SoCal overall, but the true boating/fishing/diving enthusiast or beach bum would pick Florida.
Overall I would rather live in So Cal but will take So FL as a close #2 to live.
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