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Thanks. FS sounds good, except the weather sounds a bit too cold?
One of our criteria is: - Weather! Having lived in a wet, mild Irish climate for most of our lives we want to experience sun, sun and more sun. We could do harsh winters, but would prefer not to.
I have these visions of lazy evenings in the sun even throughout the winter..
Thanks. FS sounds good, except the weather sounds a bit too cold?
One of our criteria is: - Weather! Having lived in a wet, mild Irish climate for most of our lives we want to experience sun, sun and more sun. We could do harsh winters, but would prefer not to.
I have these visions of lazy evenings in the sun even throughout the winter..
I realize it rarely gets below freezing in Ireland, but America has a far more seasonably variable climate, unless you're talking about Miami or coastal Southern California. If you're looking for the "American experience" living somewhere with some below-freezing days would be pretty typical. By U.S. standards, the upland parts of the Southwest simply don't have particularly harsh winters.
The thought of a foreigner spending a year in Scottsdale, AZ as an "American" experience makes me Vom It.
OP - The poster above said it best. I think you have an unrealizable fantasy in your mind when it comes to America.
LOL. I like honesty :-) Maybe Scottsdale isn't ticking my boxes after all. My aim isn't necessarily to find somewhere that gives me the 'typical' American experience, but rather 'an' American experience. My focus is going somewhere that optimizes our chances of fulfilling the aforementioned 'list of wants' (below). People, culture and adventure of course are also important. And it sounds like Scottsdale is let down by the last 2 in particular (hence why I'm here getting all this valuable feedback). I'm realistic enough to know there will have to be sacrifices on some of the priorities.
Thanks again for all the thoughts (& warnings :-)).
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THE BUCKET LIST...
- Outdoor life. We want the kids to spend lots of time outdoors, preferably in beautiful scenery. We enjoy hiking, cycling and mountain biking for example.
- Weather! Having lived in a wet, mild Irish climate for most of our lives we want to experience sun, sun and more sun. We could do harsh winters, but would prefer not to.
- We want something quite different from life in Ireland. For this reason the east coast doesn't appeal as much (as beautiful as I'm sure it is). Different in terms of scenery, culture and weather
- Safe for us and of course the kids.
- We don't want to live downtown in a big city. Prefer small/medium town or suburb.
- We are very health conscious (food and exercise) and like living in places where other people have similar lifestyles and organic food etc being available is a nice to have
- Nature and beautiful scenery.
- We appreciate 'nice' things, as I'm sure most people do...nicely kept, pretty towns, nice restaurants etc
- I don't want to let budget be the determining factor but of course we prefer to spend less if possible.
- Wifey hates mosquitos...minor point, but worth mentioning. Also we are wary of lyme and things of that nature.
You must be talking about a specific part of California, San Francisco maybe? Where I live in Southern California, fog aka marine layer is expected in May and June, not all summer. Actually, we've had some morning marine layer right now in the beginning of August, but that's quite unusual.
I wouldn't say it's very sunny and warm here from October to May. The last few years with the drought it's been warmer and sunnier than usual, but from November on, temps are typically 50s, 60s, low 70s. Probably warm to someone from Ireland, but not exactly beach weather.
Someone said that southern California is cloudy in the winter. Yes, during rain, but LA only has 23 rainy days a year. Fog is an issue for all of the coast in the summer, but not that much in the winter. I hate fog and low clouds so I prefer the coast in the winter. San Francisco has about 100 rainy days per year and I don't like the bay area in the winter. Storms coming down from the gulf of alaska spread most of their rain from 35 degrees and north, but especially from 37 and north, San Francisco is 37.
Thanks. FS sounds good, except the weather sounds a bit too cold?
One of our criteria is: - Weather! Having lived in a wet, mild Irish climate for most of our lives we want to experience sun, sun and more sun. We could do harsh winters, but would prefer not to.
I have these visions of lazy evenings in the sun even throughout the winter..
Lazy evenings in the sun would be very cold in windy, cloudy places like boulder, Denver, St. George, Utah, Mammoth, Reno, Vegas, and Tahoe. So, I'd stick with something south of 35 degrees latitude.
Anything further north has more rain, more clouds, and when its not raining, its cloudy with high clouds that block the sun rays.
I know you're boosting the places you've suggested, but let's be real for a moment. The OP is coming from Ireland where the average high in the middle of summer is in the 60s. St. George is in the 50s in December, January, and February.
St. George is also within a couple hours drive of SIX National Parks. It's also 2 hours from Vegas and 4 from Salt Lake.
On top of that the COL of St. George is considerably lower than any of the cities the OP was originally looking at.
In the 50s yes indeed but lots of high clouds that block the sun rays, and freezing cold at night.
The thought of a foreigner spending a year in Scottsdale, AZ as an "American" experience makes me Vom It.
OP - The poster above said it best. I think you have an unrealizable fantasy in your mind when it comes to America.
Perhaps you can find what you are looking for in Mexico. Someplace in Baja California?
Google the video [see next post, edit] to see how the chamber of commerce advertises Scottsdale. I've seen the video and its quite accurate, featuring yuppies who are visiting the desert and all the things there are to do.
Many people compare Scottsdale to Boulder. However, the weather in boulder is windy every day of the year, and winters are freezing cold from November to April.
Flagstaff, is 2hrs from Scottsdale, and experiences very cold winters, but once a snowstorm dumps a foot or two of snow, its sunny for two weeks until the next storm.
Sedona, is 1.5 hrs and has milder winters. Much less snow and its possible to bike and hike for most of the winter in Sedona, unlike Boulder where winds are hurricane force.
Last edited by Arizona89A; 08-13-2016 at 04:13 AM..
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