Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
This site might help you with that. Of course, the one flaw in this is that it doesn't reflect dry vs. humid, and to a degree high and low temp as well, although most people would use daytime temps since they'd prefer to be out during the day anyways.
Number of days a year between 50 and 80 (50s, 60s and 70s I would consider the "gold standard" for comfort (for me, personally though). I realize that putting it up a few degrees in the other direction would change things, but:
Orange County, California: 365
Macon County, North Carolina (WNC): 269
Lane County, Oregon: 247
Cuyahoga County, Ohio: 217
Miami-Dade County, Florida: 133
Changing it to 60-85 (though, realistically, 85 with humidity in Miami I think most would agree is outside of comfort range)
Hennepin County, Minnesota: 170
Cuyahoga County, Ohio: 181
Dade County, Florida 219
Dallas County, Texas 154
Still quite close, and if lowered just to 60-83, then Dade County and Cuyahoga County are tied, and if 60-80, then Cuyahoga County wins by about a month of days, and Buffalo and Chicago have more days like that, also.
Now, looking at overly hot days (what should we call that.. over 87?)
Now, for that metric, it doesn't list a single day being like that in the north, on avg. But, I would assume, there are perhaps 10-15 days per summer where it is that warm, so we'll add that. Dade County, on the other hand, has 119 such days (and for there, factoring in humidity) 199 days on avg. over 83.
For cold days, I think lets do anything under 40. Could be fine at that temp, certainly not unbearable, but that would usually mean the low is below freezing at night, so well add it in.
Cuyahoga County on avg. has 94 days where the daytime high doesn't reach 40. If we increase it to 50, it's still only 139 days, which is 60 fewer days than the amount of time at which Miami has a heat index during the day that exceeds 90 degrees.
So, for herd followers and such, which many are, it's clear cut, but for those who take a closer look, it's not nearly as clear cut as one would assume.
Edit: I also agree. People should look at many other factors than temperature before picking a place to live.
At the end of the day it seems MOST people prefer mild weather, and that's okay. I think I even prefer it over too hot or too cold, even if I prefer change to no change. I get why people like that weather, but I don't get why weather is the #1 priority for so many people over some other VERY valuable quality of life aspects, like safety, education, economy, family, etc.
On the weather topic, let's say we defined "ideal weather" as mostly sunny days with temperatures between 60 and 85 degrees (I realize some might find "ideal" to be 45 degrees -- I can -- or 95 degrees, but this is about generalities). I'd like to see which cities have which number of DAYS (not months) on average within that range. Obviously West Coast cities are going to fall almost exclusively within that range, but I'm most curious about Sun Belt cities in the South/Southeast compared to Midwest/Northeast cities. My guess is that the Sun Belt cities will have more days like this on average, but it won't be quite as stark a contrast as many people would like to think. E.g. Dallas has at least 4-5 months with average high temps higher than 85 degrees, and Minneapolis has at least 6 months with average highs below 60. Dallas also has periods with average highs less than 60 degrees though. Yet everybody and their mother says Dallas' weather is "ideal" compared to Minneapolis (or Chicago, Philly, Cleveland, etc.). It must be that people are more cold-averse than heat-averse (or maybe snow-averse).
Essentially what you are saying is what I am saying. And i think it goes beyond just the cold, also the overcast days, less daylight in winter the further north you go and snow. Some people love that, I just find that in general, people prefer the warmer climates than the colder ones. That's all.
While all cities have severe winters, Cleveland and Buffalo are warmer but with a lot more snow than the other three. Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit, while still getting a lot of snow, get less snow than Cleveland and Buffalo. On the other hand, those three get much colder and windier. All cities have fairly mild summers, but all are capable of getting very hot and humid.
While all cities have severe winters, Cleveland and Buffalo are warmer but with a lot more snow than the other three. Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit, while still getting a lot of snow, get less snow than Cleveland and Buffalo. On the other hand, those three get much colder and windier. All cities have fairly mild summers, but all are capable of getting very hot and humid.
It really depends on what you like dislike about winter. For me snow and gloominess bother me more than cold weather. I don't like any of the three, but if I had to pick on aspect I hate the most it's the gloominess, so in that regard, I would pick Minneapolis from this group.
I still disagree with that. I grew up in Chicago and still live here. People are far less interested in playing winter sports here than summer sports. The most people might do here in the Chicago area is go snowboarding in the Wisconsin, and that's maybe a 1-2 times per winter. In the summer (which just like winter is about 3-4 months)? People go to the beach, they play basketball, runners are everywhere, people on bike riders are everywhere, festivals take place, tennnis courts get full, etc. You don't see that happening in 50 degree weather and below.
I mean let's be honest here. Cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Buffalo, and Cleveland what time of the year are they most alive, with the most people out and about? When do all the outdoor festivals take place? When do you seem more people doing outdoor sports? Summer.
Some people prefer cold weather or enjoy it, totally find and I understand. But based on migration patterns, how people vacation during winter, and how people behave during the summer in seasonal cities, I think it's safe to say the majority of people prefer warmer weather.
Clevelanders are pretty active in the winter -- downhill ski and tube slopes, cross country skiing, and even toboggan chutes.
That's cool and all being halfway to Columbus, but nowhere in the Cleveland MSA or even CSA would I describe as "some of the best rural areas in the US."
Last edited by joeyg2014; 05-28-2016 at 08:00 PM..
That's cool and all being halfway to Columbus, but nowhere in the Cleveland MSA or even CSA would I describe as "some of the best rural areas in the US."
For what it's worth, back in 2009, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey in which people were asked if they prefer cold weather or hot weather. The percentage of people who preferred hot weather was nearly double the percentage of people who preferred cold weather. I won't link the article because I'm not sure if PRC counts as a competitor site
So, yeah, apparently people who prefer cold weather (such as me) are in the minority.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
