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Have any of you moved from on extreme to the other? And how do you like it? I live in Phoenix, AZ and want to experience some New England weather. Am I in for a shock? Any of you who have gone from cold to hot or hot to cold have some feed back for me? Thanks
I live in the valley as well - I grew up just outside Boston and moved here 12 years ago. Best thing I ever did. New England is very cold, not like the upper mid-west cold or anything but cold none the less! Yesterday I spoke to a friend there and it was 45 and raining....on May 3rd!
What would really get to me though more than the cold was the lack of sunshine. The days on end of clouds, rain and drizzle. This time of year they often forecast sun and 70 degrees and then you wake up and its 55 and cloudy and they would say..."oops, the cold front backed in off the ocean"......just about made me insane in the spring when I was DYING to see some sun and a little warmth.
Summer is very nice there though it can be hot and humid but unlike areas further south the extreme humidity comes and goes.
I am looking forward to visiting there later in the year however I would rather poke my eyes out then ever live there again.
A friend of mine moved there last year from LA and is so depressed from the lack of sunshine.
I think it all depends what you are "used" to. If you are from Phoenix and desire to move to a colder climate (I don't blame you), how about Flagstaff? Flagstaff, since it's at 6900ft, is dramatically cooler than Phoenix year round and at least according to the historical averages, gets an average of 100 inches of snow a year! The scenery there is completely different, being surrounded by a ponderosa pine forest with the San Francisco peaks just behind. And yet Flagstaff is still an extremely sunny place-- almost as sunny as Phoenix. Of course, being able to make a living in a town like that is a whole different story. Point is though, you don't have to go clear from one extreme (the desert of central/southern Arizona) to the opposite end (New England); there are shades of gray in between.
i have an aunt who moved from South FL to Northern Minnesota back in 2006, and she LOVES it in Northern MN!!!!!! she loves snow and cold, and she says the people are much nicer up there than in south FL.
The thing about New England is that you will often have long stretches of one type of weather. You may have a week of sunny days and then another weak of cloudy days. In all honesty, New England is much sunnier in the winter compared with most areas of the Midwest. If you have lived a long time in a sunbelt location then the persistant clouds could get to you though. I am moving to NH shortly, and I feel the climate there is far superior to most areas of the Midwest. The winters are milder and the summers are cooler than the Central US.
I think it all depends what you are "used" to. If you are from Phoenix and desire to move to a colder climate (I don't blame you), how about Flagstaff? Flagstaff, since it's at 6900ft, is dramatically cooler than Phoenix year round and at least according to the historical averages, gets an average of 100 inches of snow a year! The scenery there is completely different, being surrounded by a ponderosa pine forest with the San Francisco peaks just behind. And yet Flagstaff is still an extremely sunny place-- almost as sunny as Phoenix. Of course, being able to make a living in a town like that is a whole different story. Point is though, you don't have to go clear from one extreme (the desert of central/southern Arizona) to the opposite end (New England); there are shades of gray in between.
Well, as you stated in your comment, I can't afford to buy a home for 700,000 in Flagg or that would be a lot easier. Prescott is the same as with all our nice mountain towns. Now, Maricopa or Queen Creek, or any desert town is more affordable but then your dealing with scorps and commuting into Phoenix and all the heat along with it. Plus, the food on the east coast is really yummmy. I've had my fill of burritos. lol Great as they are, I would love a real fried clam or a 7 lb lobster!!!
I have been back to New England and I have been to Flagg and I have to tell ya, there is a huge difference. But, I still wonder if I could handle the "gray days from hell". I am use to the "hot days from hell" but I am sick of AZ. I just want a change. I would probably want this change if I was from the east and I would want to move out here and see it, and experience the wild west. I just want to see it all, and for me, money wise with 3 kids etc.... I think it would be easier to transfer (job wise) to one of our companies out there and live for a year renting to just see how it is and if we would like it. I can always transfer back if I get depressed. Im just looking for ideas on how to deal with the cold and the different things you have to do when you live in it. That kind of stuff. Driving, clothes, kind of heat, cost assoc. with.,etc.... Thanks everyone for your comments. I hope I get a lot of advise. Also, did you hate it, love it, think it was ok..... Did you go out in it, or just stay in? Are you glad to have done it, even if you left?
What about going a little further south than New England - more like mid Atlantic? I lived for a while outside Philly and really liked it. Spring comes about a month or so earlier than Boston and it is not as gray. You still have the lush green landscapes and four seasons but winter is a bit more tolerable.
Twiggy, sorry that I have no input for you. I've lived in the same place my entire life.
Just curious though~have you ever lived in a climate that has snow or gets cold?
You sound like you're really tired of your current location, but I'm just wondering about the extreme change you're considering. Garson has a wonderful suggestion. Would you be able to transfer to that area instead of making such a huge change?
Twiggy, sorry that I have no input for you. I've lived in the same place my entire life.
Just curious though~have you ever lived in a climate that has snow or gets cold?
You sound like you're really tired of your current location, but I'm just wondering about the extreme change you're considering. Garson has a wonderful suggestion. Would you be able to transfer to that area instead of making such a huge change?
Yes I would! That is exactly why I posted this thread. Thanks for that suggestion Garson. I will look into it. I really just want my family to see what 4 seasons would be like. What snow is like, fall, spring, and humidity for that matter. We have all been here for ever. Thanks again! I will indeed look around.
And no I have never lived where it snows. I was born in Calif. went back to Cape Cod every summer to stay with my grandmother and lived in Arizona for the last 30 years. I have gone up to see the snow once in Flagstaff AZ, but never lived with it. You see why I am curious. I only see it in the movies. lol My kids too! When we went up to the snow they were only 5 or 6, except for my 4 year old who has never seen it, the girls (13 and 15) now, have only seen it once as well. We have been in a situation taking care of my father with Alzheimers for the last 5 or 6 years so we could not vacation. He past away in April so we are now thinking about the move.
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Also, did you hate it, love it, think it was ok..... Did you go out in it, or just stay in? Are you glad to have done it, even if you left?
