Do you think bad weather is a good reason for moving?
Would you uproot your life, leaving behind your family, your job etc if you dont like the weather in a country.
(Obviously theres always more than one advantage of moving someplace but to build a life somewhere, would weather be top 3 factors in choosing where to live).
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I would love to leave the south for cooler climates but I have too much family here so heat stroke it is.
Those of us in the north want to move south so we can stay active for 6 more months.
Cross country skiing, downhill skiing/snowboarding, snow shoeing, fat tire biking, hiking, winter camping. Most of the equipment you can find at thrift stores or used sports equipment stores. You don't have to become a shut in in the winter.
You become a shut in during summer because it's constantly 90+°F outside and AC keeps breaking
Yeah fuck summer!
I moved away from the south specifically to avoid my family
I am one who would love to move south to avoid the snow and have more time outside
I think absolutely yes. I'd give up a lot to move to Finland or some shit just because the weather there sounds like haven to me. I live in the Middle East and it's not as much the heat that kills me (it's "only" a factor for about a third of a year and it sucks too of course) its the goddamn dust storms, I'm so sensitive to these things. I still have no idea why some people like living in deserts under a scorching Sun, with all the sand and dust in the air, it's dreadful, not to mention the nature is super boring without proper fields, forests and rivers and stuff.
Saaame, tho Finland sounds too extreme.
I think of most of the middle east as coastal places less than actual middle of the desert life. I don't get the appeal of living in US states like Arizona or Nevada.
I grew up in Alabama/Tennessee/Georgia with all of those trees, rivers, and forests. I have to say, the bugs and extreme humidity make the heat unbearable.
I live in Southern California now and moved here because it is the best weather in the world in a few small pockets very close to the coast. It is 15°-25° year round here.
I don't know of any place with trees and rivers that is devoid of a terrible season or four.
Please realize Northern European winters are... dark. It's not the cold that matters much, it's the darkness for months on end that can be seriously detrimental to mental health if you're not used to it.
I live in Finland and used to live in Portugal. Trust me, you don't need to go so far north. Half the year you don't want to go out because of how cold it is. The novelty wears out fast!
Germany was pretty good but alas, hard to find work that pays well enough with the horrible housing situation.
I think dust storms sound like hell.
It's a great reason. Especially with climate change.
I met someone the other day that said they moved from Portland to Cincinnati because of their climate change concerns.
Over the next 50 years, we're going to see MILLIONS of people in the U.S. moving for the same reasons.
Because of the rising seas?
moreso due to heat and violent weather patterns like hurricanes imho. rising seas are coming, but the heat's going to kill a lot of folks before.
You're talking about your local climate, not weather, which can change any day
Thanks for the reddit flashback
I just think the distinction is important. Especially because climate change deniers try to confuse people about the two terms.
All good, makes sense. Thanks for elaborating
I moved from a town where it was hard to breathe because of the nearby toxic factories. During the winter, we'd have acid rain.
I now live in the Pacific Northwest. Housing is crazy expensive. Everyone wants to live here.
But my quality of living improved dramatically. No more being sick for 2-3 weeks a year. I owned a car that required yearly repairs because of how f'd up the roads were. I sold that because public transportation is so good. I go on hikes. Food diversity is better. Everyone is pleasant to talk to. A crazy homeless man apologized for yelling too much and a nice old lady walked him to get a sandwich. The biggest drama in my neighborhood is someone's tomatoes growing too wild and is encroaching into another neighbor's vegetables. I work remotely, and my wife found a job here, and we are paid significantly higher than before to compensate for the expenses.
Even though I'm paying a shitton for a small place that would have been a mansion in my old hick town, my quality of living skyrocketed.
It's definitely worth it. And if you're too concerned about the cost of living, try living here for a year. Don't be sticker shocked.
I'm going to move next year, and the weather definitely is one of the reasons (not the main reason though). At least half of the year the temperature here is above 30°c, 60%+ humidity and basically no wind. I somewhat got used to it after a decade here, but I'm sure I'll spend more time outside when I move away.
I don't get why a condition like that is still called "good weather".
If it's chill at night then it can be quite nice, if it's 23°C at night you feel like you are dying all the summer.
~25 at night these days
Where are you moving?
Canada
Not worried about the housing crisis? I see a lot post about it but I don't really know what is it like. If you have a good job in IT, is it still an issue?
It's definitely an issue. I'm saving up some money before moving there next year.
IT in Canada doesn't pay that great, not compared to the salaries you see in the US at least.
It's incredibly unaffordable in BC, Ontario, and Quebec. Maritimes and prairies are decently affordable.
Really? IT doesn't play enough to rent a decent apartment near work? That's not great.
It'll vary depending on the city, but generally not. Finding something affordable near downtown Toronto or Vancouver will be next to impossible, while in smaller cities like Edmonton, Calgary, or Ottawa, it will just be really, really hard.
Ok, I will stay were I'm now :)
Move sooner than later, before folks catch on that it isn't getting colder
When I was little, we had a saying, "go to Heaven for the climate, go to Hell for the people."
San Francisco it is!
Yes, especially if it's likely to worsen over the years due to worsening climate change.
I'm probably not your target demographic (I live in a campervan) but I move regularly to follow mild weather.
Like a bird migrating depending on the weather! Love it
Any reason that's important to you to warrant the costs and downsides of moving is a reason that's obviously good enough.
If you feel that the weather is affecting your day-to-day life for the worse, absolutely. You are not obligated to stay for family or for a job. Prioritise your health, you can always visit relatives.
Yes, but I'm in a pretty good spot now so it is in theory, not reality.
I think with global warming starting to have worse and worse effects that we will see more and more climate refugees moving around. A couple of my neighbors are planning to move to FL, which seems crazy to me.
You'd better take weather into consideration. Places like Florida are about to become uninsurable.
I live in Florida and want out for a multitude of reasons, the heat and weather being one of the main ones. You can’t enjoy anything outdoors when the humidity is so bad you’re instantly sweating when you walk outside and everything you own has condensation on it. I don’t know why people stay here. I don’t mind heat but this is a hellscape.
I’ve spent a lot of summers here and this has easily been the worst of them all. It’s much hotter than previous.
I got out of Florida in 2022 after Sally tore the roof off my house and insurance companies dropped and picked me up so I wouldn't sue them for not covering the roof. I got the roof replaced and left only friends behind. I don't blame you one bit. All my tools have a layer of rust on them from constantly being wet.
The way insurance companies act in this state is criminal. We pay them for a service and then in our most dire time of need, they drop us. We’ve been really lucky and have only had minor cleanup and damages. The worst issue has been loss of power, which regularly ranges from 3 days all the way up to 2 weeks.
Glad you got out. We have nothing holding us here except a handful of friends, but I really can’t stay here much longer. I’ve already told my partner that retiring here is absolutely 100% not an option.
I never knew house insurance was so dramaticly different from state to state. We had a wind storm at our new house. The insurance company called us to inspect our roof and replaced it. We've owned the house less than a year at this point. Florida doesn't care about home owners unless you own one on a beach and you get federal money to rebuild it everytime it gets blown away.
Get out while your house value is up. No one knows what's going to happen when the commercial property market crashes. People aren't going to return to the office for a dollar more then unemployment and commercial property owners think they are going to get their way because they always have, they'd rather watch the market crash then undervalue their property.
Definitely don't retire in Florida the state doesn't care if you can't afford to evacuate during hurricane. Now imagine trying to evacuate when you're 65 on a fixed income. Sounds like a stressful retirement.
Just chiming in. I live in South Florida. I'm a homebody so I'm not out too often. I usually don't mind the heat too much, but these past few months have been pretty unbearable. I'm glad I have a car now because commuting without one is becoming harder here as time moves on.
Weather is a way better reason to move than family or job are to stay.
Yes. It's actually the main factor in why I'd like to move from where I am currently. It's unbearably hot, and every time a hurricane forms, it's basically pointing towards my house. I'm going somewhere further north.
Lmao your story is the opposite of mine. I moved several years back because I was tired of being in a dark winter hellscape for half the year.
But I mean I suppose winter was somewhat tolerable. Alternatively, I could never imagine living in wildfire land and constantly worrying about whether or not my place is going to burn down.
In most cases (aside from contiguous first in Canada) you can evacuate a town over. If your property is well managed you'll be fine.
Also sweaters and blue light lamps exist
Ha, yea I guess the grass is always greener. I just can't physically handle this heat and humidity combo. I hated it 30 years ago when it wasn't even this bad.
I grew up in a region with extreme hot and extreme cold. After living many years in a milder climate, I think my family are all nuts for staying. Not the climate asshole for wanting to enjoy the outdoors.
Weather wasn't the only reason I moved from New Jersey to California, but it was one of the top three. Seasonal depression is a real thing and I definitely had it.
A bad neighbor is a good reason for moving, I don't see why bad weather wouldn't be.
Sure, why not? Everyone has their own reasons for moving and climate contributes to an area's quality of life.
When I moved from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest, the benign climate here was a factor. Didn't want to live somewhere where it was blazing hot every day for months, where it was a steam bath all summer or where I had to shovel snow every winter.
Only if it's really bad.
Like middle east heat.
Move now, beat the rush.
I'd be packed and gone before you finished typing that sentence.
I did, and I really haven't regretted it for a second.
Did you move from hot to cold or vice versa?
Moved from England to Spain, so from wet, miserable and a little cold to sunshine-is-my-default and warm, verging on melting in August.
I also escaped the death spiral that is the British economy. Double win.
Isnt it like mid 40s in most parts of spain these days?? Spain still sounds quite hot.
It depends where you go, there is a wide range of temperatures between the north and south. North Spain is MUCH more pleasant temperature wise.
But yeah, in August, all of Spain is melting xD
I just know every la liga game has the commentators dying over how hot it is and theres drink breaks etc too.
Oh yeah, there's a lot of cultural adaptation to the heat. It's why siestas are a thing.
I’m in the same boat as the commentator. Moved from Phoenix to Chicago. I like seasons.
I think the weather where I live now is not bad enough to move as the only reason, but if I was looking to relocate anyways I would for sure take it into account. I do not well in heat, especially humid heat, but cold doesn't bother me that much. So somewhere north would be great.
I moved to get supposed better and warmer weather. Can't tell you how much I despise summers now. The heat is relentless and I'll be escaping back to "bad" weather whenever possible.
Honestly as the climate gets worse, I think this will be a lot more common.
I moved from one corner of the mainland US to the opposite for 3 reasons:
I could have accomplished 1 and 3 without moving thousands of miles away. I chose to move where did mostly because of the weather.
Yes, but I'm biased as I've considered leaving the UK just because I can't stand the weather for about 1/2 of the year. The grey and wet really gets to me
The UK was my dream weather location 😭😭. Even tho I know its famously hated for the rain.
I love the rain and cloudiness! It's peaceful (flash flooding aside, that can suck depending on where you live)
Yes! Especially now that climate change is starting to have a serious impact. If it family truely loves me, they'll come visit.
I hated the heat in my home country, so I asked my employer to relocate me. Unfortunately they moved me to a place where the summers are even worse. lol. But at least the rest of the year is cooler than back home where it’s hot all year round.
I’d say generally no because for most people it’s a relatively small factor in what makes them happy. But if for you it’s a big thing, it could be worth considering.
Just be sure to be clear eyed about what will or won’t make you happy. I think a lot of dissatisfied people find excuses to pin their feelings on that may not be the real cause of their problem. You don’t want to move across the world only to realize weather wasn’t the problem all along. Also, if you’ve never moved long distances before, I’ve noticed many people underestimate the benefits of the connections they have with family, friends, and community. I know I did, and it can take a long time to rebuild those things.
I absolutely would. If it were a realistic option I'd mine my family to somewhere like Scotland, Iceland, Norway or Canada to get away from the unpleasantly hot summers we have here (relatively speaking - most people would probably not find it that hot.)
On the other hand, I'm pretty sure my wife would happily move to the Mediterranean for more heat...
You're tunneling there?
Well, of course! It's a good way to escape the heat - as long as you don't go too deep.
You should never delve too deep, and especially not too greedily.
Hey, hey, no shaming of mole-people or duergar here!
I'm on your boat. I used to get on fairly well with the british climate but as it's changing I do fancy going north. The issue for me would be the short daytime hours. I go to northern europe in winter quite a bit cause it's cheap then, but the 4 hours of daylight thing was hard.
I did go to Iceland in the summer once, no night at all, it was brilliant for my mood.
Lots of chronic illnesses are worsened by heat. These are going to increasingly suck as the world gets hotter.
I did this without intending to because by wife relocated (I can work from anywhere). Very dry here and it's been great for arthritis, sinuses, exema, etc.
It would depend on how much I liked my job, friends, and family and how much I hated the weather.
Yes, with the caveat that the combination of weather and local adaptations is more important than weather alone. For example, the heat is worse in Florida than it is in New York City, but in Florida you can drive everywhere in an air-conditioned car and experience the heat for only a minute or two each day while in NYC you'll probably have to either walk or wait for mass transit long enough to become miserable even though the weather isn't as hot.
It seems that unless you can live somewhere with perfect weather like parts of the west coast of the US, you're probably best off looking for the most car-friendly place to live and avoiding the weather entirely.
Manhattan at the height of a humid heat wave is hell on earth. Just the smells, alone, are enough to qualify. Still a cool place to visit.
It depends really. If I lived somewhere where natural disasters were a common occurrence then I probably would. Luckily I live in the UK which, while not great in other ways, has a temperate climate. That said, if the south gets too much warmer then I am tempted to move to Scotland. I don't cope well in temperatures above 19 Celsius. It would be one of several reasons though, not the overriding factor.
Damn 19C! My apartment is 24 right now and it feels cozy. When I bake it gets to 27. Without heat in the winter it hovers around 16 inside.
I'd consider going somewhere with more extreme day/night cycles like the Northwest territories, but within Canada I'm basically happy where I am. I like the super long days in the summer and I'm also ok living in the dark most of the winter as long as I can stay active.
Life is a rich tapestry and everyone is different but that’s 66 degrees F and that’s legit pretty cold to me from California. No one’s right or wrong here, that’s just so interesting to me.
Edit: typing is hard, apparently
UK's pretty bloody humid though, and we don't really have air con.
That’s super fair, we were at a theme park and it was 23c and 90% humidity yesterday and it was pretty gross.
We are consistently in the late 40s for months without reliable power and with humidity etc. 19 sounds like heaven. I considered Scotland but that accent man, I dont wanna hear that for the rest of my life (no offense to anyome intended).
I'd move to the south of my country just to escape the summer heat.
Unless you live in an extreme snow, flood, fire or tornado prone region, I'd probably think you're crazy if that was your only reason to move. But if weather is just one of many reasons, like job, lifestyle, housing, travel... I get it.
Or extreme heat. I've got family and friends fleeing Arizona every year
Yes. Totally a factor. I couldn't live in places with snow. A holiday maybe, but not a life
As someone who lives in a sunny place, and knows how much it impacts my general well-being when it's not sunny, I would absolutely move for the weather. If I lived somewhere known for being grey and rainy, I could guarantee I'd have depression. I need to live in a sunny place to function.
I havent lived in a grey rainy area (unless monsoon counts). But that sou ds like heaven to me.
Move. I moved to a country for work. It was miserable, and in turn, so was I. Moved back to Australia. Heaven.
However, I'm finding the humidity is too much for me here, so have my eye on New Zealand.
New Zealand is option 2 for me too, but australia and NZ feel like they are completely dosconnected to the rest of the world. Even tho I got some cousins there.
Yes. That was one of the reasons for my move.
100%
Depends a lot of the severity of the bad weather. I wouldn't live in antartica or cities that are constantly being hit by earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc. That would be a big reason for me to leave everything behind.
But if its just like a mild weather that I am not too happy about, then I wouldn't want to lose friends and or family because of that.
If I really, really hated it, yes.
I'm British, and I've had friends move to Australia and warmer parts of America in recent years. The first thing they comment on is how the move has improved their mood. Waking up to consistent sunshine and good weather puts them in good spirits, and inversely coming back to the UK and dealing with the rain and gloomy weather is a bit of a downer.
Was for me. On the flip side of the coin, if you find yourself always complaining about the weather to people who enjoy that weather, they don't want to hear you complain anymore either. Go find somewhere you'll enjoy living.