Tired of Florida (Des Moines, Ankeny, Delaware: farm, winters, garbage)

[ElleTea]

Whether the winter is Iowa is harsh is subjective. They were unbearable to me. Endless snow, ugly landscapes of grey and dirty snow, the WIND (ugh the wind is one thing I do not miss), the damp cold...all enough to get me to finally move 1400 miles away. I don't plan to ever go back.

It's supposed to be near 80 here today

[capitalcityguy]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Whether the winter is Iowa is harsh is subjective. They were unbearable to me. Endless snow, ugly landscapes of grey and dirty snow, the WIND (ugh the wind is one thing I do not miss), the damp cold...all enough to get me to finally move 1400 miles away. I don't plan to ever go back.

It's supposed to be near 80 here today

Yes, it is subjective but I think it paints a false picture of Iowa winters to blanketly describe them as harsh.

Today is mid-December and all I needed for a jacket was a sport coat to be warm enough to head out to work. That is hardly what most people would consider harsh conditions.

Do we get harsh conditiions at times? Yes, but that is the exception, not the norm. IMO, it is more correct to say you will periodically experience days in winter with harsh conditiions as opposed to declaring the entire winter season as harsh.

Semantics, yes, but for people trying to reseach an unfamiliar part of the country, words have important meaning.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by capitalcityguy

Yes, it is subjective but I think it paints a false picture of Iowa winters to blanketly describe them as harsh.

Today is mid-December and all I needed for a jacket was a sport coat to be warm enough to head out to work. That is hardly what most people would consider harsh conditions.

Do we get harsh conditiions at times? Yes, but that is the exception, not the norm. IMO, it is more correct to say you will periodically experience days in winter with harsh conditiions as opposed to declaring the entire winter season as harsh.

Semantics, yes, but for people trying to reseach an unfamiliar part of the country, words have important meaning.

That's YOU.

In December I would be wearing my Columbia coat, boots, hat, scarf, gloves...and still be cold.

To me? HARSH. From November to March.

Subjective.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by nomoreflheat

Hi everyone!
So as the title states I'm tired of Florida lol! I've lived here most my life and have always disliked it. I'm considering a move but I'm just not sure. I've narrowed it down to either Iowa or one of the Carolinas... so I thought I'd share a list of what I dislike aboit FL and what I'm lookimg for and maybe you guys can help me out.

I'm 26, African American and I have a cute mixed 4 year old. Work wise, I have clerical experience, paralegal experince, medical billing amd coding and I'm am HHA.

Hate about florida:
1. The unbearable heat ALL YEAR! Christmas never feels like christmas
2. The humidity sucks
3. The people are so stuck up and rude
4. The schools are terrible
5. Way too "city"
6. Jobs don't pay very well
7. Housing costs are crazy
8. Cost of living in general sucks

What I'd like:
1. All four seasons
2. Good schools
3. Friendly people
4. Rural environment
5. Decent paying job (that allows me to actually pay my bills without worry)
6. Cheap cost of living
7. Cheap housing

Oh and lots of single guys wouldn't hurt either lol!

Did you have somewhere on this planet in mind?

[fezzador]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Whether the winter is Iowa is harsh is subjective. They were unbearable to me. Endless snow, ugly landscapes of grey and dirty snow, the WIND (ugh the wind is one thing I do not miss), the damp cold...all enough to get me to finally move 1400 miles away. I don't plan to ever go back.

It's supposed to be near 80 here today

Really? I don't think Iowa is all that windy. Maybe the far western portion of it is, but central Iowa is downright calm compared to the eastern Dakotas, much of Minnesota, and the rest of the Great Plains.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by fezzador

Really? I don't think Iowa is all that windy. Maybe the far western portion of it is, but central Iowa is downright calm compared to the eastern Dakotas, much of Minnesota, and the rest of the Great Plains.

Yes, Iowa is very windy. Even on a warm day, those stupid 25 mph gusts, UGH. And don't even get me started on wind in the winter. A friend moved from Omaha to SD and has said she is glad to be AWAY from the wind.

I moved to a city that has very little wind and I love it.

[atler8]

Hmmm...
I don't intend to rain on your parade, but the lack of wind out there in The Valley, other than the intense summer heat, is one of the main things that bothers my dad's wife (as she ages) the most in winter..and summer actually.
As she explains it, when the air stagnates & creates an inversion that traps & collects the air pollution & dust, her lungs & eyes suffer more & more as she ages. That's what the dirty looking brownish/grey cloud is that hangs over The Valley through much of the winter. It's more noticeable when you look back over the city from a higher elevation such as out to the north in a location such as Carefree.
She has lived there since 1986 & has noticed the gradual change in air quality to the point that her singing voice has been impacted & she complains about it.

[smpliving]

Arizona in the winter is clear and beautiful. In the summers with the heat, the air gets stagnant and it can be hard to see the beautiful mountains surrounding the valley. Same as in California, except the strong Santa Ana winds usually start up in the fall and get rid of the smog. Those winds are so powerful they can almost blow a person over.

I remember when first moving to Iowa, one of our neighbors were newcomers from Northern Minnesota. They laughed at me in the winter when I thought it was so cold. To them, it was nothing and they missed the Minnesota winters. Our other neighbors were from Brazil and felt the same way I did. To each their own. Can't have everything. But after living here a few winters, some winters can be very cold and other winters are much milder. Or it can change from day to day, or week to week. This winter started out earlier with the freezing temps, though it sounds like a lot of the country is colder than usual this season with temps fluctuating.

[fezzador]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Yes, Iowa is very windy. Even on a warm day, those stupid 25 mph gusts, UGH. And don't even get me started on wind in the winter. A friend moved from Omaha to SD and has said she is glad to be AWAY from the wind.

I moved to a city that has very little wind and I love it.

I've lived in eastern SD, southwestern MN, and central IA, and Iowa is by far the least windy of the three.

And according to this:

Stakeholder Engagement and Outreach: Utility-Scale Land-Based 80-Meter Wind Maps

North Dakota to northern Texas is the windiest section of the Lower 48. The western 1/3rd of Iowa or so is comparable to the Great Plains, but the central and eastern portions of the state are fairly moderate.

[ElleTea]

Seems clear to me and I've already been to the tops of a few peaks.

And its 80 and sunny. No rain on my parade!