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Obviously proximity to the coast helps moderate temperatures. To me, the truly horrid areas are places where it is both consistently cloudy with a largely consistent snowpack. Think Cleveland.
Moving to cold weather is all about having the right gear. While Pennsylvania is not necessarily considered a warm place, where I came from is now 65 degrees, and the flowers are budding. I moved to Maine.
If its a snowy place, you would do well to have an AWD car, but you will also need winter tires(not all seasons). You will need to have a snow blower, unless you pay someone do clean the snow out of your driveway.
You will need a house with good insulation so that the heat doesn't escape and you can stay warm. If you are able to burn wood, then this is a good and comparatively cheap alternative.
You will need decent coats and gloves and hats. You will wear more sweaters and fleecies.
Move to a place where even though its cold and dreary there is still plenty to do. Also make sure that the people are like you politically, and that there is a religious group for you to affiliate with. We live in a cold climate but could be out of the house every day for events if we wanted to be. You need to choose one of those places.
Here on the coast of Maine, we have summer from about June 1 to August 30, fall from September 1 to November 1, winter from about November 2 to May 1, Spring from May 2 to May 30.
Cold weather involves work, or paying someone to do it for you. There's a reason most retirement communities are in temperate climates
I recall a retirement magazine being asked why they don't feature more cold weather/snowy northern retirement destinations.
The person asking said.........." we love the outdoors in winter and prefer to be active outside in the cold and snow"
The answer given was that a very small percent of people proclaiming that will actually be enjoying the cold and snow outside in winter.
The majority will spend most of their winter days being inactive inside.
Talk is cheap.
Minnesotans like to brag how they are outside enjoying activities regardless how bitterly cold the temp is.
However, during a bitterly cold snap the TV stations will interview ski slope operators who are complaining that their business is so slow during the cold snap they are having financial troubles.
I recall a retirement magazine being asked why they don't feature more cold weather/snowy northern retirement destinations.
The person asking said.........." we love the outdoors in winter and prefer to be active outside in the cold and snow"
The answer given was that a very small percent of people proclaiming that will actually be enjoying the cold and snow outside in winter.
The majority will spend most of their winter days being inactive inside.
Talk is cheap.
Minnesotans like to brag how they are outside enjoying activities regardless how bitterly cold the temp is.
However, during a bitterly cold snap the TV stations will interview ski slope operators who are complaining that their business is so slow during the cold snap they are having financial troubles.
Talk is cheap.
Exactly. Of course you'll find people who love cold weather and activities that can be only done in the cold, but I think it's a small subset of the population. People generally prefer warmer weather. To me, anything to do with snow is a hassle. Snow weight can cause power lines to sag/fail. Getting around on hilly terrain in snow and ice can be virtually impossible. Heating bills, especially in the northeast where energy isn't cheap, can be prohibitively expensive. Speaking of that, in very cold climates, you may often have to install some form of auxiliary heating.
Warm weather activities, like boating, golfing, outdoor sports, etc., may be immensely impractical or downright impossible in a difficult winter environment.
There is a reason Sun Belt states are growing quickly. People are not beating the doors down to get into the Snow Belt.
I recall a retirement magazine being asked why they don't feature more cold weather/snowy northern retirement destinations.
The person asking said.........." we love the outdoors in winter and prefer to be active outside in the cold and snow"
The answer given was that a very small percent of people proclaiming that will actually be enjoying the cold and snow outside in winter.
The majority will spend most of their winter days being inactive inside.
Talk is cheap.
Minnesotans like to brag how they are outside enjoying activities regardless how bitterly cold the temp is.
However, during a bitterly cold snap the TV stations will interview ski slope operators who are complaining that their business is so slow during the cold snap they are having financial troubles.
Talk is cheap.
I've never lived in super cold area like Minnesota but I assume they have underground tunnel like Montreal.
Obviously proximity to the coast helps moderate temperatures. To me, the truly horrid areas are places where it is both consistently cloudy with a largely consistent snowpack. Think Cleveland.
Even people live right near the coast here have problem, it's fog and it's can be chilling. Some people move to closer to land as they get older. My husband used to live right on the beach and he couldn't take the temperature and the noise associated with it.
We traded Miami for Eastern Washington and couldn't be happier. There are lots of winter activities and if you outfit yourself appropriately as slyfox2 suggests, there are very few days that you can't enjoy yourself outside. Retirement means that if it's unusually nasty outside or if we just feel lazy, we can throw an extra log on the fire, grab a book, and enjoy the view from inside. Haven't had the desire to get away yet, but with an airport literally 20 minutes way, we can be at any number of warm weather vacation spots in less than half a day.
This......... "take heed" -- you WILL be shoveling snow, "winter weather for younger people"
We got the heck out of Idaho, found Hilo hawaii for the same price. Nowhere's perfect, we complain when it gets down to 71 degrees. Oh well, nowhere is perfect.
More and more retired moving here. Not much of a place for younger people. Not much night life and full of minimum wage jobs.
Yeah. Not to mention incessant rain unless you drive over to Kapoho.
WOW! I don't know what part of Puna you saw. I have seen most of it including:
Kalapana (currently a spectacular overlook of lava entering the ocean)
Kalapana-Kapoho Rd along the coast including the beaches
Kapoho tidal areas
Lava Tree State Monument
Cape Kumukahi
Luquins Mexican restaurant in Pahoa
The Orchid nursery near Volcano
Puna Forest Reserve
Macadamia Nut farms
Puna even includes Volcano National Park!!!!!!
Oh this brings back memories! Loved all these sites. Spent a couple months in a little studio on the Kapoho tidepools. The Kalapana road is the most scenic road I've ever been on. And the little "town" is such a kick. "Uncle Robert's" free bar....
I am still willing to bet Slyfox and Gator Fan are well under 70.
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