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Indianapolis gets 2 feet of snow per winter. Compare that to Chicago which gets 7 feet of snow per winter or more depending on lake Effect. Or South Bend
Not really a comparison.
Less snow makes it better for life but in Indy you can still enjoy the 4 seasons. Hence the major advantage.
Chicago gets around 36 inches of snow per year and does not get lake effect snow as it is up wind of Lake Michigan save for a few rare occasions.
Truckee, CA is a good choice. It's on the other side of Donner Pass so it gets ABSOLUTELY DUMPED ON with snow. And the Summers are warm with occasional thunderstorms. You are close to Lake Tahoe which is beautiful also.
Mammoth Lakes, CA is another good spot, although a bit more isolated. Great snow, and warm summers.
Of course these are small towns, if you are looking for a city then...Denver is a decent start. Although not too snowy (about 60 inches per year) it does get chilly and the summers there are pretty warm too. If you don't mind humid summers then Upstate New York will work as it has a great variety of cities and smaller towns that have warm summers and pretty good snow.
It depends on what one is used to....if you have lived in low humidity all your life, then upstate NY which is occasionally humid in summer...in fact one of the least humid regions on the east coast/midwest region, would also feel sultry and difficult to adjust.
On the other hand, people from humid regions could find high elevation, very low humidity, dry places difficult to get used to....
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Originally Posted by City Data Guy
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Minneapolis doesn't really get very hot in the summer. The states I'd recommend for 4 seasons in their fullest are Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio. These states are about as close as you get to states that get both hot summers and cold winters in one setting.
Four very distinct, beautiful seasons: Snowy / Cold Winters, the best Autumns anywhere- period, Mild Springs, and Warm/Hot Summers that don't last too long.
Plus, it's extremely affordable and centrally located. I can't wait to move back
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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Originally Posted by stlouisan
Minneapolis doesn't really get very hot in the summer. The states I'd recommend for 4 seasons in their fullest are Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, and Ohio. These states are about as close as you get to states that get both hot summers and cold winters in one setting.
It gets hotter in Minneapolis than most of Ohio, but most of Ohio is warmer for longer (Cincy being the obvious exception example). Chicago and Minneapolis have almost identical weather 9 months of the year (N/I winter). Iowa is a 4 seasons super pro, as are the Dakotas and Nebraska. We lived in St. Louis when I was younger and we did NOT think St. Louis had real winters, not by a long shot! Rarely snowy, mostly wet and rainy, with periods of super cold or downright warmth -- not winter to us.
Obviously, it all depends on how you define "hot" and "cold". Minneapolis is not "hot", but it's very warm in the summer.
I would say the transition line between Humid Continental and Humid Subtropical really defines where real winters occur. St. Louis is about 80 miles north of that line.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Originally Posted by west336
It gets hotter in Minneapolis than most of Ohio, but most of Ohio is warmer for longer (Cincy being the obvious exception example). Chicago and Minneapolis have almost identical weather 9 months of the year (N/I winter). Iowa is a 4 seasons super pro, as are the Dakotas and Nebraska. We lived in St. Louis when I was younger and we did NOT think St. Louis had real winters, not by a long shot! Rarely snowy, mostly wet and rainy, with periods of super cold or downright warmth -- not winter to us.
Obviously, it all depends on how you define "hot" and "cold". Minneapolis is not "hot", but it's very warm in the summer.
Minneapolis does NOT get hotter than most of Ohio...if you believe that, you don't pay attention to the weather. Ohio sees many more hot and humid days than Minneapolis, and typically reaches the extremes far more frequently. It's not just Cincinnati. Central Ohio is also hot in the summer. The only places I'd compare to Minneapolis in Ohio are along the Great Lakes.
Rarely snowy...mostly wet and rainy...that doesn't sound like the St. Louis I've grown up in. I don't know what you're used to, but I've experienced winters all over the United States, and I can tell you that being in Syracuse wasn't that unbearable to me. If by real winters you mean severe ones, that's not St. Louis, although St. Louis is capable of getting those. St. Louis' winters are typically moderate ones, much like the rest of the Lower Midwest. indy, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Kansas City are all fairly similar. In the years I've lived here, St. Louis has seen numerous winters where the snowfall exceeded over two feet...and several periods of downright warmth i've seen happen all of over the Midwest...and that so-called warmth lasts very briefly. St. Louis' average snowfall is around 20 inches.
St. Louis will give you a healthy dose of all four seasons. Hot summers and cold winters. It hits all four extremes. So really, the answer I provided was perfect. Saying that Minneapolis gets hot in the summer is the equivalent of saying Florida gets cold in the winter.
Location: Jefferson City 4 days a week, St. Louis 3 days a week
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Originally Posted by GunnerTHB
I would say the transition line between Humid Continental and Humid Subtropical really defines where real winters occur. St. Louis is about 80 miles north of that line.
Snowfall also seems to increase as you head west.
Meteorologists typically place that line right through St. Louis, but all my years of living here incline me to agree with you. Cold, snowy winters have the potential to occur almost anywhere in Missouri, except below the line you mentioned...south of there snow is rarer...ice and rain are the typical norms.
Compared to the Upper Midwest or Canada, our winters are nothing. But they are almost always cold and can be quite snowy. At least 2 out of every 4 seasons guarantee moderate to heavy snowfall. Living here for almost 30 years, I've been exposed to mild winters, moderate ones, and fairly severe ones. The Lower Midwest typically works that way. If west336 thinks our winters are normally like what he lived through, he must not have paid attention or lived there for very long, or be from some place where winters are at their most extreme.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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Originally Posted by stlouisan
Minneapolis does NOT get hotter than most of Ohio...if you believe that, you don't pay attention to the weather. Ohio sees many more hot and humid days than Minneapolis, and typically reaches the extremes far more frequently. It's not just Cincinnati. Central Ohio is also hot in the summer. The only places I'd compare to Minneapolis in Ohio are along the Great Lakes.
Rarely snowy...mostly wet and rainy...that doesn't sound like the St. Louis I've grown up in. I don't know what you're used to, but I've experienced winters all over the United States, and I can tell you that being in Syracuse wasn't that unbearable to me. If by real winters you mean severe ones, that's not St. Louis, although St. Louis is capable of getting those. St. Louis' winters are typically moderate ones, much like the rest of the Lower Midwest. indy, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Kansas City are all fairly similar. In the years I've lived here, St. Louis has seen numerous winters where the snowfall exceeded over two feet...and several periods of downright warmth i've seen happen all of over the Midwest...and that so-called warmth lasts very briefly. St. Louis' average snowfall is around 20 inches.
St. Louis will give you a healthy dose of all four seasons. Hot summers and cold winters. It hits all four extremes. So really, the answer I provided was perfect. Saying that Minneapolis gets hot in the summer is the equivalent of saying Florida gets cold in the winter.
Woops....lived in Columbus and Cleveland. Have you? Living in Cleveland now I can assure you that it's cooler than Minneapolis at least 6 months of the year. Columbus is more humid but NOT hotter in terms of extremes. I lived there 5 years and it never got to 100 or above, and it only happens like once in 10 years there, whereas in Minneapolis it averages every other year. I believe the avg. July high in Columbus is about 86 and is about 84 in Minneapolis (using 30 year old data), and I already said Columbus and much of Ohio was warmer on average, but it's not more extreme and does not get as hot as Minneapolis and much of MN (with the possible exception of Cincy).
Columbus also does not have an ideal winter, any way you slice it. If you are a winter lover and love snow and ice and having reliable amounts of each to do winter activities, Columbus does not provide that. Again, I lived there for 5 years and aside from the occasional blizzard, there was rarely snow on the ground for more than a day or two. I couldn't stand the winters in Columbus -- wet and cold and gray -- and I grew up in Minneapolis! Being an avid skier and recreational hockey player and skater it's very hard to enjoy winter in most places in the U.S. If the OP is looking for a place with winter recreation AND summer heat to get outside and enjoy the water and such, Minneapolis is a fine recommendation. St. Louis isn't "bad" but it really falls short on the winter side of the equation, as does Indy, Cincy, Columbus and KC....WAY short! Saying St. Louis gets cold in the winter is like saying Minneapolis gets hot in the summer (if you want to use analogies correctly).
Last edited by west336; 04-30-2012 at 07:54 AM..
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