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I can honestly tell you that I workout outside at least 5 days a week. I did a 100 miles challenge last month where I ran 70 miles and speed walked 30 miles outside, in June, in Houston.
Id be lying if I said that was comfortable. It wasnt. But you still find people active on the running and biking trails during the summer months here. People still spend lots of time outside here. Kinda like Minneapolis in winter, people just learn to deal with it.
Im kind of the opposite. Im very intolerant of dry heat because of my sinuses. I need humidity. Of course, I dont spend most of my time outside and I could see that being the reverse if I worked outdoors.
Wow, there's no way I could do that. Some of us are built differently . I've been hospitalized twice (severe dehydration and heat stroke) from being outdoors in humid weather so I'm weary of it.
But most people I know feel the same way, in any part of the country.
Yea, most of the population lives in the cold and hot summers. I love Chicago, but hated the winters and disliked the hot summers. You learn to live in it as best you can.
Housing: Mostly suburban tract homes in both areas. Even at the higher end, the homes in both places don't have much character. Tie
Schools: Both California and Texas are laggards when it comes to public education. Spending is relatively low in both locations. Tie
COL: Sugar Land is significantly more affordable than Irvine by nearly every metric aside from the property tax burden. Sugar Land
Location: Texas is toward the center of the country, and Texas, like California, is quite a dynamic state with a lot of opportunities to explore. Tie
Parks: Sugar Land's master planners set aside a healthy amount of public outdoor space. The Irvine Company did the same. However, Irvine's variable topography and proximity to the Pacific Ocean makes the recreational opportunities more diverse—not to mention the spectacular weather. Irvine
Where would I rather live?: If money were no object, I'd prefer to live in Irvine for the weather, aesthetics, proximity to Los Angeles, and waterfront. If costs were more of a concern, Sugar Land offers a significantly better value, and that's where I'd be. At the end of the day, neither of these areas are quite my cup of tea.
I'll have to disagree with you on education. You can't just look at California vs Texas as a whole. You have to look at Irvine school district vs. Sugar Land school district.
The average Joe doesn't walk three miles outside a day, to begin with, and therefore would be much less affected by the heat than you would be.
But 3 miles isn't a tough work out. it's 1.5 miles somewhere, and 1.5 miles back. The avg joe wouldn't want to walk 2-3 miles with high dew points, that's the point. I love to hike 4-5 miles three times a week, but thats because the low humidity helps. Even in the summer here, it's somewhat dangerous. But with high dew points? Oof.
If it isn't an issue, why does downtown Houston have pedestrian tunnels? Minneapolis and Chicago have that for extreme cold. It must be extreme heat people are dealing with.
But 3 miles isn't a tough work out. it's 1.5 miles somewhere, and 1.5 miles back. The avg joe wouldn't want to walk 2-3 miles with high dew points, that's the point. No, that's not the point. Even in balmy San Diego the average Joe isn't walking three miles everyday. He's driving, because public transport in San Diego sucks.
If it isn't an issue, why does downtown Houston have pedestrian tunnels? I never said Houston isn't very hot. I'm simply saying it isn't as intolerable as Great Lakes winters.
I'll have to disagree with you on education. You can't just look at California vs Texas as a whole. You have to look at Irvine school district vs. Sugar Land school district.
Both Irvine and Sugar Land school systems have the same challenges with funding. You can't make an apples-to-apples comparison with test scores on tests created by the states. School quality is pretty subjective and satisfaction will depend on the individual student and family, anyway. That's why I look to the challenges that each state faces, and when you look at that, California and Texas have similar challenges. Compared to where I live, Illinois, both states fare very poorly. A school that is 9 or 10/10 in California or Texas is not a similarly ranked school in Illinois.
Both Irvine and Sugar Land school systems have the same challenges with funding. You can't make an apples-to-apples comparison with test scores on tests created by the states. School quality is pretty subjective and satisfaction will depend on the individual student and family, anyway. That's why I look to the challenges that each state faces, and when you look at that, California and Texas have similar challenges. Compared to where I live, Illinois, both states fare very poorly. A school that is 9 or 10/10 in California or Texas is not a similarly ranked school in Illinois.
California has a ton more illegal immigrants and their kids who skew school performance downwards. Illinois is a whiter and more Asian state, hence higher average performance.
Find me a school district in Chicago land that rivals Cerritos or Santa Clara County schools.
The point is people in Irvine/California are more comfortable being outside for longer periods of time to
do whatever. it's a benefit for most.
Does everyone take advantage? No. But you've never heard of people jogging/biking after working or anything? The beach bike paths?
On my trails, hikers are everywhere after evening rush hour. Its the busiest time. Early mornings too, but that's not my preference. And because it cools down (and not staying at 85 degrees at 7-8 pm) it's a very easy, comfortable work out. There's a reason why so many professional athletes choose Socal to train in the summer.
The point is people in Irvine/California are more comfortable being outside for longer periods of time to
do whatever. it's a benefit for most.
Does everyone take advantage? No. But you've never heard of people jogging after working or anything? On my trails, hikers are everywhere after evening rush hour. Its the busiest time. Early mornings too, but that's not my preference. And because it cools down (and not staying at 85 degrees at 7-8 pm) it's a very easy, comfortable work out. There's a reason why so many professional athletes choose Socal to train in the summer.
I can see your point but I think another huge reason is because Irvine has much more trails and hiking than Sugar Land.
Weather plays a factor in how much people walk but urban planning is an even bigger factor.
That's a good thing if you want to be outdoors. Not everybody wants to be, some people just want to work and go home. I know people like this. But it's nice to have the option.
I'm a city guy. I didn't care about hiking/outdoors until a few years ago. But now I'm hooked. I see the advantages of it. For the Irvine area, I hike at Top of the World in Laguna Beach, which isn't that far from the Irvine Spectrum/Business center offices.
If you live in a first floor, East facing apartment, you can even live in Oklahoma City without air conditioning. That's what I'm doing now. The AC has been off all year and so far, temps are hovering at 76-78. I don't even have any fans in the unit!
It's doubtful Houston would be dramatically hotter than OKC. More humid? Yes. But that humidity also stops the actual temp.from rising to high.
No way anyone wants to live without AC in Houston from May to September. I used to be a landlord and a tenant threatened to sue because the AC is old and the temperature won't go lower than 77. It doesn't matter what floor you're on or what direction you're facing.
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