Which state to move for milder weather

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:08 am

Planning to move from Michigan to milder weather, in the next few years.

Which State, city do you recommend for consideration and the reason.

Have to work in Technology for the next 10 -15 years.

Call_Me_Op · Post by **Call_Me_Op** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:30 am

Remember that milder weather means nastier bugs for longer time periods. I rather enjoy a bug-free period each year, even though I need to deal with some snow and ice.

Kitty Telltales · Post by **Kitty Telltales** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:56 am

Are you having the autumn blues? Will you keep the same job or are you looking for a new tech job in a city with a milder climate?

I'm a fan of southeast Florida and plan to spend quite of bit of our upcoming retirement there, despite the bugs.

Nova1967 · Post by **Nova1967** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 7:09 am

I believe it would relate primarily to you economic and Professional situation. If you are a high earner in the technology field and can afford a million dollar house the silllicon valley would be the place to live. Austin Texas is also a big technology area that is very affordable. If you don't have to be in a specific location for your profession or you can work from home you have quite a few options depending on your life style. AZ if you life the desert, FL is you like beaches, Texas if you like rodeos etc.

carolinaman · Post by **carolinaman** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 7:38 am

North Carolina has a lot of tech jobs, mostly in Research Triangle (Raleigh/Durham) and Charlotte. We have 4 seasons but mild winters. Conversely, we have hot, humid summers which are our worst season, but that will likely be true of any location you find based upon your objective.

It might help if you broaden your criteria for a new location and also better define tech. Are you in applications, management, infrastructure, research & development, etc.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 10:48 am

Call_Me_Op wrote:Remember that milder weather means nastier bugs for longer time periods. I rather enjoy a bug-free period each year, even though I need to deal with some snow and ice.

At this moment, we have to account for the bugs and see where we can move.
This do not preclude that we can relocate back to North East, later.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 10:49 am

Kitty Telltales wrote:Are you having the autumn blues? Will you keep the same job or are you looking for a new tech job in a city with a milder climate?

I'm a fan of southeast Florida and plan to spend quite of bit of our upcoming retirement there, despite the bugs.

Mostly will look for a new job in a new city, want some change as well.
See what is out there.

May take up a more busier job or an easier job, both are on the table.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 10:52 am

Nova1967 wrote:I believe it would relate primarily to you economic and Professional situation. If you are a high earner in the technology field and can afford a million dollar house the silllicon valley would be the place to live. Austin Texas is also a big technology area that is very affordable. If you don't have to be in a specific location for your profession or you can work from home you have quite a few options depending on your life style. AZ if you life the desert, FL is you like beaches, Texas if you like rodeos etc.

Appreciate your input. silllicon valley may not be in the first preference. Do not think I can be with twenty something again.
More suitable for more corporate technology jobs. Need that work / balance. Hence consulting is also out of preference.

Austin, was in the list, yes will consider.

orca91 · Post by **orca91** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 10:57 am

LiveSimple wrote:Planning to move from Michigan to milder weather, in the next few years.

Which State, city do you recommend for consideration and the reason.

Have to work in Technology for the next 10 -15 years.

The Seattle area?

I'm from MN and now in the Seattle area, find it very mild compared to MN, and don't miss the cold at all. Lots of gray in the winter, but mild temps. Some don't like the gray.

Plenty of tech jobs.

JamalJones · Post by **JamalJones** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:06 am

I would say move to the central coast of California: Somewhere between and including Monterey down to Santa Barbara. And get a place near the coast (obviously). Also, San Diego isn't a bad choice either.

sdsailing · Post by **sdsailing** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:12 am

I would focus on cities or counties rather than states because the climate can still be quite variable (CA and FL, for example).

San Diego is about as good as it gets in terms of "mild" (also quite lower in temp from Los Angeles in summer).

soboggled · Post by **soboggled** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:14 am

LiveSimple wrote:Planning to move from Michigan to milder weather, in the next few years.

Which State, city do you recommend for consideration and the reason.

Have to work in Technology for the next 10 -15 years.

Almost anything is milder than Michigan. I love the change of seasons, though not the winter. Others prefer year long warm weather and/or sunshine. How mild do you want it?

rixer · Post by **rixer** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:34 am

California. Mild weather and high tech jobs.

sixty40 · Post by **sixty40** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:50 am

I think CA has great weather, we live in the central region near Sacramento, but many parts mentioned by others have great weather. Here are some pros and cons I can think of offhand.

PROS:
Great weather overall, many different climates throughout the state
Easily can drive to mountains or the ocean in many areas
Many fresh water waterways and lakes
Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, redwoods, ocean, etc.
Surfing, sun bathing, skiing
Property tax only increases 2% max per yr due to Prop 13
Cultural diversity
Wide range of different foods including fresh fruits and veggies

CONS:
May have long commutes to work.
High state income tax, goes to 9.3% after $51k
High sales tax, in most areas are in the 8.5% to 9% range.
Other local taxes tagged onto your property tax.
State politics get skewed toward one side of the isle (whether that matters to or not)
High cost of living in many of the prized areas
Smog in some areas.

CA is big and so diverse that we are actually 3 different regions in one state, Northern, Central, and Southern. It will never happen but there is always talk of people wanting to breaker up the state. The 3 regions do not get along as one might think a state should.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 11:59 am

carolinaman wrote: It might help if you broaden your criteria for a new location and also better define tech. Are you in applications, management, infrastructure, research & development, etc.

I am in applications, technology management ( Not operations)

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:01 pm

JamalJones wrote:I would say move to the central coast of California: Somewhere between and including Monterey down to Santa Barbara. And get a place near the coast (obviously). Also, San Diego isn't a bad choice either.

Please can you help expand more. Your input seems to be more practical or meets our criteria.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:03 pm

soboggled wrote: Almost anything is milder than Michigan. I love the change of seasons, though not the winter. Others prefer year long warm weather and/or sunshine. How mild do you want it?

Anything above 40 degrees in the winter and maybe less than 100 degrees in summer ( 85 - 90 is better).
This may shoot up to 110 in some cities

JamalJones · Post by **JamalJones** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 1:18 pm

LiveSimple wrote:
JamalJones wrote:I would say move to the central coast of California: Somewhere between and including Monterey down to Santa Barbara. And get a place near the coast (obviously). Also, San Diego isn't a bad choice either.

Please can you help expand more. Your input seems to be more practical or meets our criteria.

Well, Santa Barbara has great weather. It never gets frost. Granted, it can get into the 40s in the winter, but nothing terrible. Very nice mild summers and the city and surrounding area are so amazing, you'll possibly never want to live anywhere else. Now, of course, it's quite expensive, but you get what you pay for. You get the benefit of a small town and some of the luxuries of a larger city. Very walkable city and lots to do in the surrounding area. Also, the college there (UCSB) has top a rated engineering program(s).

There are many tech companies there (and in the surrounding area) as well: http://www.davidpricco.com/santa-barbara-startups/

San Diego can get a little hot in the summer (especially, it seems, over the pas 5-7 years), but nothing like the Midwest or East Coast humidity. You can wear shorts and a t-shirt in January and February. In May and June it overcast most days near the coast, but it's always mild. Not as expensive as Santa Barbara and you can live in even more affordable areas if you get a place in east county San Diego or some places north or south of San Diego (Santee, El Cajon, Lake Side, San Marcos, Escondido, Vista Otay Ranch, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach).

Also has a fair amount of tech companies: http://www.sdtechcareers.org/ (but no Silicon Valley, of course).

I will admit, I don't know much about the rest of the Central Coast north of Santa Barbara, except the weather decent. San Luis Obispo isn't bad, but not as many job opportunities.

mrc · Post by **mrc** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 1:24 pm

I found winters in southeast Iowa and western Nebraska much colder and windier (read awful) than winters in southeast Michigan. Even the USDA hardiness zone maps take a dip south across the plains and mid west. This is a pick-your-poison question where you'll exchange pros/cons depending on the area. Cold/long winters, too-hot summers, humidity, earthquakes, long commutes, cost of living. It's really a balancing act that only you can work out. I've lived in Iowa, Michigan, and Maryland. We were thinking of moving to the Pacific northwest, until we weight the hassles of relocating against the probability of a catastrophic seismic event on the horizon. Plus, what makes winters (or any bad weather) a problem is interference with our work commute. After we retire, who cares if it snows three feet? We're not willing to trade four seasons for killer bees, fire ants, earthquakes, etc. Here is good enough.

sdsailing · Post by **sdsailing** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 1:24 pm

I don't think Santa Barbara and San Diego are comparable in terms of tech companies.

Meaty · Post by **Meaty** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 2:58 pm

SAN Diego

Jack FFR1846 · Post by **Jack FFR1846** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:03 pm

Honolulu, Hawaii. Great weather year round. It is a real city. There is tech there (a EE friend of mine moved there 5 years ago and works as a design engineer. Tip from him....you MUST live there first before applying to jobs. No employer believes you're not just looking to write off a vacation as a job hunting trip until you commit to live there and do it).

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:09 pm

I am originally from COLD and SNOWY NY State, although I live in Virginia now. Many folks in retirement from my home area moved to Florida, then ended up in North or South Carolina (for various reasons). I have heard these folks referred to as "half-backs" (move to FL, then half way back)

hoops777 · Post by **hoops777** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:23 pm

The best weather in the country is in California,period,and the cost of living has a huge range depending on location.
Hawaii is great if you like it hot all year and hcol.
Arizona has the very hot summer but has arguably the best weather the other 8 months.
The central coast of Calif has great weather and the cost of living is not so crazy.
San Diego has very consistent mild weather year round.

dm200 · Post by **dm200** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:36 pm

LiveSimple wrote:Planning to move from Michigan to milder weather, in the next few years.
Which State, city do you recommend for consideration and the reason.
Have to work in Technology for the next 10 -15 years.

The Raleigh, NC area (Research Triangle Park) has a great many technology jobs.

praxis · Post by **praxis** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:48 pm

Most of the country south of Denver/Kansas City has much milder weather compared with Michigan. Deep South has humid heat that some people can't tolerate, but if you can, the spring, fall and winter are great in the Gulf Coast, Florida, Georgia, Alabama. Southwest and West US weather varies with elevation and proximity to water, but the US west of the Mississippi is geologically desert. Expect dry except near the ocean or mountains. Phoenix is an oven in the summer, but Albuquerque is higher so it's milder. Of course San Diego is great weather, but that's why so many choose it. There are so many wonderful midsize cities in the US that don't headline much.

If you aren't really looking for a tech company, but as you said, looking for an IT job in a corporation, I would narrow down your options by deciding how much traffic and cost of living hits you need to take. That would take some CA cities off your list. Many corporations have located in business-friendly cities in the southern half of the US. Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky. For me, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Denver are too congested unless you can locate in one of their nicer neighborhoods closer to work. For me, finding out where I want to work for the next 10 years would play a big role in my choice. You might be pleasantly surprised after visiting for an interview, that a location previously off your list actually could present a great quality of life for you. If you really might return north, then that takes some pressure off the decision. But once you've lived away from the snow for a while, I doubt if you would retire and move back north.

Good luck!

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 3:53 pm

JamalJones wrote: Also has a fair amount of tech companies: http://www.sdtechcareers.org/ (but no Silicon Valley, of course).

Appreciate JamalJones for sharing your thoughts and the links.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 4:00 pm

dm200 wrote:I am originally from COLD and SNOWY NY State, although I live in Virginia now. Many folks in retirement from my home area moved to Florida, then ended up in North or South Carolina (for various reasons). I have heard these folks referred to as "half-backs" (move to FL, then half way back)

LoL

Understand

JamalJones · Post by **JamalJones** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 4:02 pm

LiveSimple wrote:
JamalJones wrote: Also has a fair amount of tech companies: http://www.sdtechcareers.org/ (but no Silicon Valley, of course).
Appreciate JamalJones for sharing your thoughts and the links.

Doral · Post by **Doral** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 4:32 pm

Be careful what you wish for......... I am 70 years old and have lived all over the U.S. Spent 28 years in a warm climate. Michigan has everything you could ever want. Yes.....winter is cold...but it is beautiful in Michigan. Go up around Traverse City and enjoy the beauty. There is no place on earth that I would rather spend my summers or fall seasons. I don't live in Michigan now as I had to move closer to my family for health reasons. However, visit these other suggested places for a LONG time and you will be contented with Michigan. SERIOUSLY. The longer I lived in a warm climate - the more I longed for Michigan and the Great Lakes.

Smorgasbord · Post by **Smorgasbord** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:03 pm

How about Colorado? While the winters get cold, the day time temps tend to be much more reasonable than what is found in the Midwest. Also, while the summers can get hot, a few hours after sunset you'll often need a jacket.

joebh · Post by **joebh** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:05 pm

States are pretty big places, so your requirements don't narrow things down much.

Southern California has milder weather than Michigan. San Diego is very, very nice.

sambb · Post by **sambb** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:05 pm

the humidity in NC (and roaches) is worse than the snow in Michigan to some people, caveat emptor
Overall this is a personal decision, and i would recc renting for a year wherever you go

soaring · Post by **soaring** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:32 pm

Victoria Canada!

Wish I had realized at an earlier age how wonderful the year round weather is in Victoria.

Winter lows 36-42 F and never ever snows
summer highs 54-68 F.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 5:58 am

joebh wrote:States are pretty big places, so your requirements don't narrow things down much.

Southern California has milder weather than Michigan. San Diego is very, very nice.

Southern California, is in the list.

Used to consult / travel to Southern California for business. LA, Oxnard, area.

What cities to consider, both for work and residence.

chicago_meatball · Post by **chicago_meatball** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 7:12 am

Atlanta/Alpharetta area is hot for IT and have enjoyed the climate change from Illinois a whole lot. Handful of days that got down to 15 degrees otherwise very mild.

Lots of out doors and close to great hiking if that's your thing.

KSOC · Post by **KSOC** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 7:27 am

I'd consider the Florida Panhandle if you can work from home.
Low property taxes.
Affordable housing.
No state income tax.
Mild winters. (a few cold days, lots of sunshine, a flurry occasionally)
Great beaches.
Southern hospitality. (This is real. Friendliest folks in the state)
Fewer people.

I'm ex-PA, been in Central Florida 13 years (requested job transfer), and seriously looking at The Panhandle as retirement approaches.

You've got lots of great choices!

carolinaman · Post by **carolinaman** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 7:33 am

LiveSimple wrote:
carolinaman wrote: It might help if you broaden your criteria for a new location and also better define tech. Are you in applications, management, infrastructure, research & development, etc.
I am in applications, technology management ( Not operations)

In NC, Charlotte is best for applied technology, RTP more for tech companies. The banks (BOA and Wells Fargo) are the biggest IT employers in Charlotte but there are plenty of other companies too as this is one of the fastest growing metro areas right now.

The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce says the 3 top places people migrate to NC from are NY, NJ and Florida. Florida seems an odd fit but most of these are people who migrated to Florida from the Northeast and discovered they missed having 4 weather seasons. So they move "half way" back, hence the term halfbacks. We have a lot of them in NC.

Best wishes in your search.

dbr · Post by **dbr** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 10:18 am

Washington DC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles

squirm · Post by **squirm** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 10:25 am

California, but you're not specific what type of living conditions. Do you want to be in a big city? San Diego. Want a smaller more spread out area with lower COLA? Probably Sacramento area. Plenty of tech jobs throughout the state. Although Central CA in summer will get hot, but anything beets Michigan winters.

CA has the coast and the mountains. And it's only a 5 hour trip to Hawaii

quantAndHold · Post by **quantAndHold** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 10:42 am

All of the west coast will meet your criteria, more or less. The closer to the ocean you get, the milder the weather is. Farther north is cooler and cloudier (but still not cold by Michigan standards), farther south is warmer and sunnier. Coastal San Diego county has some of the best weather in the world.

Every city of any size along the west coast has tech jobs. The number of jobs and how much they pay is roughly correlated with local housing prices.

jpjr · Post by **jpjr** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 10:44 am

While researching your choice, do yourself a favor and look at Greenville, SC. The weather provides you with four seasons, with a mild/short winter. The northwestern corner of SC is booming and should offer you an opportunity for a good job and the cost of living is below the national average. You are two hours from either Atlanta or Charlotte, there are several colleges (Clemson for one) in the region, and healthcare is excellent. We retired here and I wish we had discovered this area long ago. Good luck in your search.

Watty · Post by **Watty** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:33 am

orca91 wrote:
LiveSimple wrote:Planning to move from Michigan to milder weather, in the next few years.

Which State, city do you recommend for consideration and the reason.

Have to work in Technology for the next 10 -15 years.
The Seattle area?

I'm from MN and now in the Seattle area, find it very mild compared to MN, and don't miss the cold at all. Lots of gray in the winter, but mild temps. Some don't like the gray.

Plenty of tech jobs.

Portland Oregon where I used to live would be similar.

The Pacific Northwests reputation for bad weather is overblown because the first impression was based on Lewis and Clark being the first explorers there. They decided to spend the entire winter right on the coast during an unusually bad year El Nino year, which is rainy weather pattern that happens about every five to seven years. To say they had a miserable winter would be an understatement. If they had stayed fifty miles inland in an average year the first impression of the Pacific Northwests weather would be much different.

The rain really is not that bad since it is usually just a mist. The overcast and the short days are what bothers some people and in extreme cases can cause depression. It is not just the clouds. As I recall being farther north Portland gets about an hour a day less daylight each day between sunrise and sunset than San Francisco on the shortest day of the year. It does get an hour more on the longest day of the year. There is about a month in the winter when the sun sets by about 4:30 PM and when it is cloudy you get very little twilight so it is actually dark at 4:30PM. Depending on your work schedule you may have a few weeks each year when you are driving to and from work in the dark each day.

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/por ... &year=2016

The summers are great though and you can often do things outside until 10:00 PM because it stays light so long.

If you move to the Pacific Northwest be sure to rent for a year to see how you adjust to it. Many people love it there and I miss it but it is not uncommon for people who move there to decide to leave after a few years.

Compared to Michigan probably 80% of the country will have much milder weather especially if you don't mind hot weather like in the southwest. I would probably just search for the best job and then evaluate the climate of where it is located as one of many factors.

Questions about "where to live" will mainly get responses about large cities but in your situation I would also keep an open mind about smaller cites and especially college towns since they often have a lot of desirable features.

wilson08 · Post by **wilson08** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 11:46 am

I am looking to relocate somewhere else but for the opposite reason---
to find cooler weather but not extreme cold. I live in the deep south and
summers are brutal. This year September and October were just extensions
of the summer. I do like the cost of living, tax friendliness, and great food
of most southern states but summers are killers. Maybe I could compromise
and just find a summer home in the northeast or Washington state since
retirement is near.

hoops777 · Post by **hoops777** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 12:34 pm

It is a personal preference of course,but I have lived in the Bay Area my entire life,with the exception of a few years in AZ in which I still went back and forth to Calif.
The first time I visited Florida was was about 20 years ago.I got off the plane at about 8 p.m. and experienced real humidity for the first time.I was almost shocked at how uncomfortable it was.
So if you want no snow,no humidity and a lot less insects......California.It also has a very good job market.

LiveSimple · Post by **LiveSimple** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:25 pm

Appreciate all your input.

Based on all your input, our initial thoughts, and a few more the following are the preferences.

1. Look into moving to Southern California, from Santa Barbara, LA, Oxnard, Long Beach, and San Diego.
Any cities in particular is helpful or other pros and cons for this area. May add Sacramento, if that helps.

2. Next preference is Texas, Dallas, Houston, Austin

3. Next preference is Atlanta, Florida

The reason for Southern California is weather, less insects (?, don't know ), may be job opportunities.
Kids are in engineering program, may end up in California in few years, who knows. Can be near them. !?!

Looking for more small town and somewhat laid back, not interested in busy, busy, work environment.

Anyways, it all depend on the job I get and the then the other preferences kicks in.

Appreciate you input for improvements / know hows, pros and cons, etc. How to proceed, what to watch for, etc.

investor · Post by **investor** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:38 pm

Southbay of California... Torrance. Has everything: great weather, Jobs, schools, beaches, close to many college, universities.

investor

PandaBear · Post by **PandaBear** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 3:21 pm

orca91 wrote:
LiveSimple wrote:Planning to move from Michigan to milder weather, in the next few years.

Which State, city do you recommend for consideration and the reason.

Have to work in Technology for the next 10 -15 years.
The Seattle area?

I'm from MN and now in the Seattle area, find it very mild compared to MN, and don't miss the cold at all. Lots of gray in the winter, but mild temps. Some don't like the gray.

Plenty of tech jobs.

Seattle is super expensive. But the worst part about Seattle is the traffic. Some of the worst traffic in the country. I would suggest Tri-Cities or the Olympia area instead. But WA is definitely great for milder weather. I lived in the midwest for a while too. I do miss the snow though...

Elsebet · Post by **Elsebet** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:07 pm

Watty wrote: The rain really is not that bad since it is usually just a mist. The overcast and the short days are what bothers some people and in extreme cases can cause depression. It is not just the clouds. As I recall being farther north Portland gets about an hour a day less daylight each day between sunrise and sunset than San Francisco on the shortest day of the year. It does get an hour more on the longest day of the year. There is about a month in the winter when the sun sets by about 4:30 PM and when it is cloudy you get very little twilight so it is actually dark at 4:30PM. Depending on your work schedule you may have a few weeks each year when you are driving to and from work in the dark each day.

https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/por ... &year=2016

The summers are great though and you can often do things outside until 10:00 PM because it stays light so long.

If you move to the Pacific Northwest be sure to rent for a year to see how you adjust to it. Many people love it there and I miss it but it is not uncommon for people who move there to decide to leave after a few years.

This is a good post about the PNW. We live about 30 min. east of Seattle and have been here since 2013. Before then we were in Ohio for about 15 years. Before that I lived in PA and my husband lived in KY. I'd advise to live near your work since traffic is terrible and likely to become worse.

I do want to go back because I actually miss cold winters and hot summers. The seasons felt very distinct back in Ohio whereas it just feels like 6 months of rain/grey and 6 months of lukewarm. I'm a gardener and there are quite a few staple veggies that are challenging to grow here (tomatoes, corn, eggplant, etc) due to the mild summers. Driving in snow is definitely a pain and it's one thing to be sitting in front of a woodstove sipping hot cocoa and seeing 3 feet of snow fall compared to having to drive in it. But still I miss it, especially the smell.

I'm glad i came out here to show me how much I enjoyed living in a "flyover" state.

hoops777 · Post by **hoops777** » Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:52 pm

Sounds like you need to fly into Southern Calif and go on a road trip.