Northern Virginia vs. North of Tampa (insurance, pool, property)

[DC_Transplant?]

Originally Posted by wsamon

I agree. "What do you do" (and for whom), "where did you go to school", and "where do you live" (is it posh or trendy enough) are asked all the time, especially in the dating game, and it's so annoying. You often have to pass those questions first before you can discuss other things. Meeting people usually winds up feeling like a job interview at first lol. It's funny, whenever I leave DC, I meet and talk with so many more people, both girls and guys. I think the rat-race just wears people down, and people have so little free time in DC they want to cut right to the weeder stuff to see if you're worth their time.

Ha, you're dead on about the job interview. I bet you're right about the "not enough time so go right to the weeder stuff" theory. Also, it might be because a lot of people in DC struggle to talk about normal people things.

[Leaving4Ca]

Wow great thread, thanks for all the information! I live in Prince William County - right outside of DC - and hubby and I are researching places to move when he retires. I won't be retiring - will find something to do for at least another 10 years - BUT I am SO TIRED OF THE RAT RACE HERE! Traffic jams... day, night, you can never predict it.

No way can the traffic in Tampa be worse than here.

Yes - the people can be quite shallow here. I hate that. Always asking what you do, where you live, what you drive, etc. UGH

The one thing that concerns me about FLa is the extreme heat... I would have to live 24/7 with sunscreen on... (can do it) but can you actually enjoy the outdoors during any part of the day during the summer? I understand that the fall/winter/early spring is great down there... the summers worry me.

Weather input would be greatly appreciated... thanks & have a great Memorial Day everyone!

[MortonR]

Having lived in less temperate parts of the country before moving to Florida, I can tell you that it is definitely hotter here, but believe it or not, it's not the oppressive humid heat that you get in NOVA and the midwest through the summer. I used to travel to DC on business regularly, and I can recall those sweltering humid days of late summer when you walked outside and felt like someone could just pour you into a bucket.

Today is pretty typical, with it approaching the 90s, and yes, it's hot, but it's certainly bearable in the shade, and there is a decent breeze.

Just as I once lived in Wisconsin, people would ask, "How do you stand those cold temperatures?" Simple. You dress for it and spend as much time as possible indoors. The same can be said for Florida, depending on what you like.

You can hole up indoors when it's hot, or you can go to the beach or sit around the pool and cool off. Working in the shade is not bad at all. And you try to avoid doing things outside in the hottest part of the day, that's all. The seasons are broken down between roughly April and October. Between April and October, it's hot. Between October and April, it's wonderful.

If you're not in the sun, sunscreen is not necessary.

When I first moved here back in the 90s, a good friend who was also from the Midwest that had relocated down here told me something that I found to be amazingly true to this day:

"Living in Florida is like the movie Groundhog Day. Every day you wake up, and everything looks the same. You lose track of time, since there are no real seasonal changes. There is no "last summer" or "two winters ago" because there is nothing to mark the time."

Think about this relative to living in NOVA:

It was cloudy and even a little overcast this morning. This is the first time I have seen it overcast in several weeks, if not months. It is a rare day that goes by where you don't see the sun, and I don't just mean seeing it peeking through the clouds.

My peers at work think I'm nutty because I like it when there is an overcast day, usually in the winter. I miss them (a little) from when I lived up north. I find it nice to see it overcast or blustery every once in a while....

RM

[DC_Transplant?]

Temps in the summer months are surprisingly similar. Interestingly, the record highs are way higher than in Tampa, which has *never* had a 100 degree day. Wow.
Weather.com comparison

It's actually hotter in DC than Tampa right now.

[Leaving4Ca]

@MortonR, yes the humidity here is awful too... but I am hoping that we could afford a house with a pool in Fla.! I've been watching the prices on homes in Hillsborough and Polk County.

I have a friend in Lakeland and he told that you get used to the heat after a year or 2, but I dont know.

What I DO know, is that I absolutely hate the snow. Hate it... driving in it, shoveling it, dealing with the mess it causes. Ugh. If I have a craving for a change in weather, my thought is that we could always go somewhere else for a few weeks, and then go back to Fla, land of sunshine.

How many hurricanes have you weathered in Tampa Bay? Are all the homes hurricane proof (does that even exist!?)

[Leaving4Ca]

Originally Posted by DC_Transplant?

Temps in the summer months are surprisingly similar. Interestingly, the record highs are way higher than in Tampa, which has *never* had a 100 degree day. Wow.
Weather.com comparison

It's actually hotter in DC than Tampa right now.

I just don't get that. I hear about how hot it is in Fla, etc., but DANG it is hot here!!!!! I have been all over Fla, just not Tampa Bay - not yet, planning a trip down this fall for a look see and some house hunting.

It is hot here, and we get snow in the winter... AND it is crowded and super expensive... not loving NOVA/DC Area so much anymore.

[NALEXAND]

Originally Posted by MortonR

My peers at work think I'm nutty because I like it when there is an overcast day, usually in the winter. I miss them (a little) from when I lived up north. I find it nice to see it overcast or blustery every once in a while....

RM

So do I! Glad I am not the only one who appreciates a dreary day

[beauchampagne]

Did that 25 years ago. Over all quality of life in Tampa is worse than No. Va. No I'm not some nut from "up north". I'm a native of the good ole sunshine state, so if I sound like I'm dissing this area, forget that thought. Just calling it as I see it from experience. Schools are better in No Va, period. Yes taxes are different, but the wages are better. Real estate is more expensive, its true. Wouldn't want to complain about the the cold weather in Virginia. Florida, I laughingly say is the land of Quickly Shuffle---quickly shuffle from the air conditioned home to the air conditioned car..to the air conditioned office..to the air conditioned mall..to the air conditioned whatever. So get ready for the muggiest day in Northern Virginia times 2. We have heat, humidity, mold, mildew, mosquitoes, bugs, vermin, no public transportation, hurricane season (5-6 months long), and 3 distinct allergy seasons according to a physician I spoke to. To say the people in Northern Virginia are nasty, can't agree. In Northern Virginia, especially nearby to DC, there are so many people from all cultures, walks of life, living, working, playing so there are bound to be clashes. Florida is the same, so many people from different states, countries, cultures and they are here to stay, which is good. Think long and hard. One of my friends from New York has a favorite remark: "We don't do it like that up north". My reply: Welcome to Florida.

[wsamon]

Originally Posted by beauchampagne

Real estate is more expensive, its true... Florida, I laughingly say is the land of Quickly Shuffle---quickly shuffle from the air conditioned home to the air conditioned car..to the air conditioned office..to the air conditioned mall..to the air conditioned whatever. ...hurricane season (5-6 months long), and 3 distinct allergy seasons according to a physician I spoke to. To say the people in Northern Virginia are nasty, can't agree...

I don't think that NoVA (or DC metro in general) people are nasty. It just feels rushed and very focused. It's probably not even conscious, but they've got so much going on all the time that they want to know how the time spent with you is going to improve their life somehow. There's also a very big tendency for people in DC to look down on blue-collar and even middle-income people. Areas that would be considered solidly middle-class in most parts of the country are often viewed with disdain.

The diversity there is awesome though. As is the intelligence of the populace and a whole host of other positives. I made a big post about some of the positives recently in the DC forum. Unfortunately, that real estate difference you mentioned is substantial. From what I've seen recently, housing in the DC area costs about 4-5 times what it does in the Tampa area. That's a massive factor in the daily life of most people. Bars, restaurants, parking, etc. are all much more expensive as well.

I would say that if you feel like you have to shuffle from a/c to a/c then you're living in the wrong climate for you. Personally, I enjoy feeling the sun on my skin, and the heat and humidity don't bother me much, neither does sweating. What I can't stand is cold weather. It makes my joints hurt, my skin feels somewhat painful, my muscles get tight and don't want to move as well, I don't breathe as well, and I dislike bundling up. 95 degrees with 90% humidity might not be paradise for me, but it's only mildly unpleasant at worse. I'd take that over even 50 degrees on the low end.

Could you expand more on the hurricane and allergy seasons? I was under the impression that hurricanes aren't nearly as big a deal to the Tampa area as they are to most of FL. I also have seasonal allergies. I don't know what I'm allergic to, only that they're much better in the DC area than in central PA. I'd like to know what / when the 3 allergy seasons are so that I can make sure that none of them are bad for me.

[Sumermarie]

^Just a quick note about the hurricane question.

Being worried about hurricane's hitting Florida is like never taking a trip to California because there might be an earthquake.

Most of the storms, if any, we get are Cat 1-3, which equates to a really bad rain storm and wind. In fact, most of the damage caused by hurricanes are due to wind damage, so just make sure you throw your lawn chairs in the pool and enjoy.

Fortunately we have a wonderful thing called the news which brings us up to the minute information and lets us know what to do and usually with a few days notice.