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Another option could be The Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania.
Easton/Allentown and Stroudsberg areas are generally very nice, affordable, 4 seasons, plenty of amenities yet still spacious countryside setting, close to the Pocono Mountains, 3-6 hours from more skiing in NY or VT, Philadelphia is 90 min away, NYC 2 hours, Central/North Jersey beaches 2 hours.
This is a good one. Also, Lambertville-New Hope-Easton-Frenchtown-Hunderdton Co-Warren Co-Bucks County PA area.
Hello everyone,
These are some initial ideas we had but don't really know much about some states.
WI- Wife is worried about absolutely freezing temps and not much summer.
MN - Wife is worries its just flat with nothing to do besides freeze to death... hahah
CO - Extremely expensive and not much snow for xmas.
MI - Another peninsula, much like FL, and don't know the economy of MI.
KS- Initially a thought, but then remembered they have tornadoes so this was an no go..lol
NC, TN, KY - Not far enough north for a proper winter, and white Christmas.
CA- Too rich for my blood... lol.
Of these states, I've lived in WI and CO. I was born in MN and grew up just 4 miles from MN. Midwest winters are indeed a challenge. Summers are not bad, although it can be a bit humid at times. Nothing like the South, though.
I think your dilemma is going to be getting a reliably "white Christmas" in a place that's not terribly cold. You can look in Eastern locales that have a bit of elevation. I've never lived in the East, but from my reading, the western parts of NC or Virginia might fit the bill. These areas get some snow, but you would have to accept that Mother Nature may not cooperate with your Dec 25 schedule
I'm another Floridian who has also been doing research (for a while) and moving to the Cleveland OH area next summer. For a true four-season climate and astoundingly well-priced homes in top school districts check out NE Cleveland suburbs such as Beachwood, Cuyahoga Heights, Chagrin Falls (storybook-like), Pepper Pike and Solon. The NE side suburbs receive lake effect snow and are almost always "white" for Christmas. If you haven't visited in recent years or at all, Cleveland is no longer the city to make snide remarks about as it's actually more or less trendy these days with tons of art/cultural events, a great sports city, an emerging food/restaurant scene, and full of outdoor recreation options year-round. While just outside the NE snow belt you might also check out the town of Kent which is a total gem.
Erie PA would be worth looking into. Between being on Lake Erie, its location in between Buffalo and Cleveland, with Pittsburgh not too far away; there are ski areas within minutes and it is quite affordable. A town such as Millcreek Township is a nice community with good schools. You have Presque Isle State Park and an amusement park within the town as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millcr...,_Pennsylvania
I love the idea of selling your kids 'who love sun and swimming' on moving to the North by promising a white Christmas, which (1) isn't really a certainty even in the Upper Midwest or New England and (2) followed by at least three more months of dark and miserable winter in the North where (3) the beloved 'sun and swimming' can easily be limited to a brief 8 week window in the summer. The formula is kinda obvious - the bigger the chances of a white Christmas the longer the winter misery in the new year thereafter and the shorter the window for sunning and swimming.
I get wanting to move out of FL if you can't stand the fear of hurricanes anymore and generally don't like the vibe, but there's a whole lot of country in-between Tampa Bay and say Michigan or Upstate NY.
Depending on your work situation, if you don't have to go onsite for work, check out Colorado City CO. Weather wise it sounds exactly like what you want, you can drive up the road 20 minutes and hit 2 feet of snow for cross country skiing / snowmobiling but have 0-3 inches around the house so you can pick the weather you want. It's a little suburb that's off to itself, there's Pueblo down the road for shopping / food etc, but thankfully you don't have to live in Pueblo. It's still affordable and you can get a good house for 3-400K price range.
It's what the front range was before it went bezerk.
I love the idea of selling your kids 'who love sun and swimming' on moving to the North by promising a white Christmas, which (1) isn't really a certainty even in the Upper Midwest or New England and (2) followed by at least three more months of dark and miserable winter in the North where (3) the beloved 'sun and swimming' can easily be limited to a brief 8 week window in the summer. The formula is kinda obvious - the bigger the chances of a white Christmas the longer the winter misery in the new year thereafter and the shorter the window for sunning and swimming.
I get wanting to move out of FL if you can't stand the fear of hurricanes anymore and generally don't like the vibe, but there's a whole lot of country in-between Tampa Bay and say Michigan or Upstate NY.
I get your point but the bolded is a bit of an exaggeration among other things. You've got to get pretty far north like basically the UP or Vermont to encounter an 8 week swimming season. The problem with this is that the OP is also looking for summer relief in addition to relief from the pace of life in Tampa.
You don't really start getting measurable summer relief until you get north of the Ohio River. I get that Tampa is sweaty April to almost November so it's extra oppressive. In that "a lot of country between Tampa and Upstate NY", about 2/3rds of it is still pretty oppressive from May- almost October. My Pinellas county siblings came to visit me here in Louisville mid September expecting a break from the Florida heat, but what they encountered was still hotter than Florida at that point lol, minus the gulf breeze.
Based on the OP they will have to make a sacrifice somewhere. What they are describing is basically somewhere North of I-70 and South of I-90. Though It would extend that line to include Buffalo, Grand Rapids, MIlwaukee, and Madison since I-90 dips pretty far south as it passes the great lakes.
I get your point but the bolded is a bit of an exaggeration among other things. You've got to get pretty far north like basically the UP or Vermont to encounter an 8 week swimming season. The problem with this is that the OP is also looking for summer relief in addition to relief from the pace of life in Tampa.
You don't really start getting measurable summer relief until you get north of the Ohio River. I get that Tampa is sweaty April to almost November so it's extra oppressive. In that "a lot of country between Tampa and Upstate NY", about 2/3rds of it is still pretty oppressive from May- October. Based on the OP they will have to make a sacrifice somewhere. What they are describing is basically somewhere North of I-70 and South of I-90.
I agree that something has to give. But East of the Rockies the 'sweaty and oppressive' time is exactly the window for swimming and beach days. The lakes (as well as the Northern Atlantic) need some time to warm up, so the time where the combination of water and air temperature is really inviting is shorter even than just summer itself.
I think there's a real potential of 'winter shock' though for the people in the family who haven't spent a long time living in a Northern climate. People who grew up in a place without winter (like my wife did) often get excited about the first snow, the holiday season with sweaters and walks in the crisp air etc., but it's when you get into February/March that's when people start feeling the pain for real.
My wife hates humid heat and by early September she always wants fall to come, but she'll sing a different tune in a cold spring when you have the winter storm warning around St.Patrick's Day. And that's here in the comparatively 'mild' southern Mid-Atlantic. But I remember flying through Minneapolis in May one year and it being 50s outside and there being a potential snowstorm in the forecast. May.
^The thing is that will they get the white Christmas that they are looking for? You can still get a good 3 + months of swimming/sun even in the North. So, it may come down to what is more important to the family.
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