[BicoastalAnn]

Originally Posted by Blargrifth

Why are people here so obsessed with warm weather? Does it really feel that bad to wear a jacket? Remember when comparing intolerable cold to intolerable warm, you can always put more clothes on.

I don't mind cold weather too much in terms of temperature but it's the inconveniences associated with it that are a pain to me. Especially if you're an urban commuter - not fun walking 1/2 a mile on slick roads while carrying a heavy laptop, trudging through a few feet of snow, or navigating through harsh winds AND falling snow. When I was in a more suburban area where I drove everywhere, it wasn't too bad at all. Just had to shovel once in awhile.

What do you consider intolerable warmth? I haven't spent a lot of time in the south but the humid heat in New York is probably the worst I've experienced (in this country at least).

[Blargrifth]

Originally Posted by BicoastalAnn

I don't mind cold weather too much in terms of temperature but it's the inconveniences associated with it that are a pain to me. Especially if you're an urban commuter - not fun walking 1/2 a mile on slick roads while carrying a heavy laptop, trudging through a few feet of snow, or navigating through harsh winds AND falling snow. When I was in a more suburban area where I drove everywhere, it wasn't too bad at all. Just had to shovel once in awhile.

What do you consider intolerable warmth? I haven't spent a lot of time in the south but the humid heat in New York is probably the worst I've experienced (in this country at least).

I start getting unhappy when it gets above 80, usually because of the humidity associated with it. I guess I would consider above 90 to be intolerable. Even when walking, I would rather be walking through snow and ice than bugs and sweat.

[JGBigGreen]

Just a quick question on one of your cons. As far as St. Petersburg being one of the most violent cities in the US, doesn't it rank better than any of CT's major cities for crime?

Originally Posted by FunkOdyssey

As an example, here's my list for St. Petersburg vs Connecticut:

PROS

• Warm winter
• Amazing beaches
• Fun downtown area, arguably better than CT cities
• Art scene
• Affordable housing
• Tropical flora (love me some palm trees)
• Great area for watersports

CONS

• Miles of poverty beyond anything you will ever see in CT
• Terrible crime, one of America's most violent cities
• Summer is equally unpleasant and long as CT's winter
• Completely flat, uninteresting, swampy landscape for hundreds of miles around with no escape
• Giant insects from hell
• No hiking, mountain biking, skiing, or anything to do outdoors besides watersports and walking/biking on flat land
• All roads are exclusively straight lines in a grid pattern. Sell your sports car, you won't find a single fun road to drive on (brought my miata once and it refuses to go back)
• Wilderness is not accessible, nor would you want to access it, because its a swampy jungle full of giant insects from hell

[sandy6879]

We moved out about 6 years ago and we're looking at moving back. The reasons are varied but let's just say there are more important things in life than better weather and low taxes (at least for us).

My major concern is re-acclimating to the winters there. I figure a year or two and we'll be used to it again. For the person who asked what is considered intolerable heat - 120+ days of temperatures 100+ degrees can easily get to you. 100-105 isn't that bad but 110+ for a few weeks on end is pretty intolerable. I'll take the CT summers, even with humidity. I just keep thinking - CT doesn't get 100+ days of negative temperatures a winter.

[FunkOdyssey]

Originally Posted by JGBigGreen

Just a quick question on one of your cons. As far as St. Petersburg being one of the most violent cities in the US, doesn't it rank better than any of CT's major cities for crime?

It is worse than our cities, from city-data's 2014 index (higher is worse):

St. Petersburg: 539.5
Hartford: 499.7
Bridgeport: 449.7
New Haven: 510.7

What you have to consider though is that St. Petersburg is geographically much larger than our cities (137.6 sq mi vs. Hartford's 18) and encompasses many areas that middle class people live in. That means the areas that are bad are REALLY bad in order to produce crime stats that high, despite a significant presence of normal people.

Imagine if you combined Hartford with West Hartford, Glastonbury, Wethersfield, etc. and averaged the crime stats across that population. I'm guessing you'd end up with something around 200 or even less.

Also, not that it matters but my grandmother works for the St. Pete Police Dept and the anecdotal things I've heard are crazy. I've been in many police dispatch centers for professional reasons -- I've toured theirs and I've never seen anything like it. The number of dispatchers and the amount of activity in there was incredible.

[BicoastalAnn]

Originally Posted by sandy6879

We moved out about 6 years ago and we're looking at moving back. The reasons are varied but let's just say there are more important things in life than better weather and low taxes (at least for us).

My major concern is re-acclimating to the winters there. I figure a year or two and we'll be used to it again. For the person who asked what is considered intolerable heat - 120+ days of temperatures 100+ degrees can easily get to you. 100-105 isn't that bad but 110+ for a few weeks on end is pretty intolerable. I'll take the CT summers, even with humidity. I just keep thinking - CT doesn't get 100+ days of negative temperatures a winter.

120+ is pretty intolerable... 100 or so isn't so bad if it's dry heat, like we get in CA. Sometimes I'm surprised to find out it's 100 on a given day just because it doesn't feel too bad... but when you add in humidity, 80+ to me is really uncomfortable. I suppose if you lived in a beach community it might be ok, since you can basically walk around in your bathing suit and a cover up to run errands.

[Robert137]

Originally Posted by FunkOdyssey

It is worse than our cities, from city-data's 2014 index (higher is worse):

St. Petersburg: 539.5
Hartford: 499.7
Bridgeport: 449.7
New Haven: 510.7

What you have to consider though is that St. Petersburg is geographically much larger than our cities (137.6 sq mi vs. Hartford's 18) and encompasses many areas that middle class people live in. That means the areas that are bad are REALLY bad in order to produce crime stats that high, despite a significant presence of normal people.

Imagine if you combined Hartford with West Hartford, Glastonbury, Wethersfield, etc. and averaged the crime stats across that population. I'm guessing you'd end up with something around 200 or even less.

Also, not that it matters but my grandmother works for the St. Pete Police Dept and the anecdotal things I've heard are crazy. I've been in many police dispatch centers for professional reasons -- I've toured theirs and I've never seen anything like it. The number of dispatchers and the amount of activity in there was incredible.

And yet it regularly shows up on "best places to retire" lists.

[FunkOdyssey]

Originally Posted by Robert137

And yet it regularly shows up on "best places to retire" lists.

There are manmade islands on the bayway in between St. Pete and St. Pete Beach that are ideal for retirees. They have perfectly manicured landscaping, look like you are at a tropical resort of some kind, and are quite safe since they're surrounded by water and are gated with guards. That's where grandma lives and I would agree it could be a great place for retirement.

[Zambon]

Originally Posted by FunkOdyssey

As an example, here's my list for St. Petersburg vs Connecticut:

PROS

• Warm winter
• Amazing beaches
• Fun downtown area, arguably better than CT cities
• Art scene
• Affordable housing
• Tropical flora (love me some palm trees)
• Great area for watersports

CONS

• Miles of poverty beyond anything you will ever see in CT
• Terrible crime, one of America's most violent cities
• Summer is equally unpleasant and long as CT's winter
• Completely flat, uninteresting, swampy landscape for hundreds of miles around with no escape
• Giant insects from hell
• No hiking, mountain biking, skiing, or anything to do outdoors besides watersports and walking/biking on flat land
• All roads are exclusively straight lines in a grid pattern. Sell your sports car, you won't find a single fun road to drive on (brought my miata once and it refuses to go back)
• Wilderness is not accessible, nor would you want to access it, because its a swampy jungle full of giant insects from hell

If the mid-size city of St Pete is worthy of comparison to an entire state, we are doing ok. Here are my feelings about your cons list:

Miles of Poverty? Try several blocks. I'll just bring up Bridgeport in passing. Also, I spent several years in Southeast Asia. I've seen poverty, and if you are not one of the impoverished, it doesn't ruin your weekend.

Crime. Reasonable point, but I've been entirely unaffected by it. This city is made up of lots of separate neighborhoods. Most of the crime occurs in one area called mid-town.

Horrible Summer? No. It isn't much muggier here by the coast than it was in central CT really. If it gets too bad, I will walk to the beach. Problem solved.

Flat. So?

Giant insects. Fair point. Not a deal breaker though. Insects don't really impact the quality of life. At least not in Tampa Bay.

No biking? You must be joking.

Skiing? That would require cold...please see pros of Florida for my feelings about that.

Driving. Driving here does stink. You are right. Florida is a candidate for worst state to drive in. I personally dislike driving anyway though.

Wilderness. First, what do you mean by wilderness? Are we still talking about St Pete vs CT, or can I mention that Florida has wilderness areas nearly the size of CT? If you are scared of giant insects, surely Lyme ticks are also scary. I know Florida has them too, but CT is ground zero for Lyme.

[RunD1987]

Driving in the snow is a PITA. To get anywhere in CT you need to drive. Then when it does snow your stuck inside. I mean not a skier ot snowboarder, but even with cross country skiing or snowshoeing the snow isn't heavy enough for that most of the time. The cold thankfully had a mild winter, but electric bill goes up and just brutal being outside.