[Sparrow_temp]

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to find a job in the Lansing area yet but if it doesn't happen -- I'll be looking west.

Counterpoints:
1. It's the same sun --- if it's clear -- it's the same brightness. Sunglasses ftw.
2-3. When there's snow on the ground -- most ppl here are doing nothing but indoor activities. I suspect it's the same during the summer there but here's the difference. To go anywhere -- even to get the mail -- I'm putting on winter gear where I expect people in the sunbelt are simply going outside or to their cars and just trying to spend as little time as possible in the broiling heat. We get heat here in MI too in the summer -- generally just the 90's though but with a lot of humidity. I was in Vegas in mid May once where they were having record heat in the 100+ category -- definitely hot but it's a "dry heat".
4. Frostbite and seasonal affective disorder
5. We have the same dried out vegetation and forest fires in MI -- just not in Winter and for as long a duration.
6. Michigan is a big state but it's rarely nice anywhere in March (that would be the freak event -- there's normally still snow).
7. I'll agree with you there -- assuming with AC you can get the temp to whatever you want or is that a myth where it gets so hot?
8. That's definitely a long term concern.
9. This sounds like a plus to me -- I hate dealing with the lawn.
10. Gravel and cactus sound fine -- low maintenance
11. Never experienced one -- sounds like a blowing snow event but with sand.
12. People don't walk here for transportation either so the same traffic given the same population

If I had to work outside -- I would probably not consider a place like AZ. Otherwise, I don't really see the big deal. Think I'd rather be trapped inside looking at clear skies and sunshine than cloud cover and rain/snow. The one thing about not having a cold season though is that the bugs aren't killed off. Maybe that's not such a big deal in the desert though than what it would be in the SE. MI is also kind of nice in that very few insects/animals can really hurt you -- the spiders/scorpions/snakes/etc of the SW scare me a bit.

The only other part of the SW that worries me is the illegal alien situation and all the problems associated with it. I don't speak Spanish nor feel it should be a requirement in the USA. If I'd be handicapped to any significant degree by this -- that would be a show stopper.

Originally Posted by odinloki1

1. The light is so bright it hurts your eyes.
2. You can put a coat or sweater on when its cold, what can you take off when its 110.
3 When its 100 degrees outside every day you can't do anything outside without carrying 2 gallons of water everywhere you go, again when its cold suck it up and put on a coat
4. Sunburns and skin cancer
5. Dried out vegetation and forest fires vs... not.
6. Here in Tucson the heat goes from April to the beginning of November, it was 90 last week during the day. Thats almost 6 months and March and April in MI are quite nice with the exception of a freak storm every year or two.
7. Sleeping in the heat is miserable and you wake up in a puddle of sweat
8. There's so little rain that we constantly have to worry about a water shortage
9. You can't grow grass
10. If you want a yard its gravel and cactus
11. No plantlife to hold the topsoil down leads to constant dust storms
12. No one walks anywhere because of the heat so traffic is horrible

I'd rather be making minimum wage and living in MI than 100K a year in the sun belt, I've been on both sides (sunbelt and midwest) of the fence and trust me, the grass is greener in MI both literally and metaphorically.

[odinloki1]

Here there is 300 days of sun, sunglasses get old and whether you believe it or not its much more intense here. The AC is a myth I need it to be 70 when I sleep and its never that low. I lived in MI for 25 years and March was always very nice minus only a few days.

All of your counterpoints may be true but whatever MI has, its much more extreme here and again unless you have no ability to endure cold November and March aren't bad, I rarely needed more than a medium thickness jacket. There really is only 3 bad months and I was outside quite a bit, and frostbite with a coat on takes a lot longer to set in then dehydration and heat stroke here in the summer. Cactus and gravel means its impossible to enjoy your yard without 10 layers of sunscreen (there is no shade here) and thick soled shoes. Blowing snow is just water, dust will choke you and make it hard to breath. I've seen a lot more people walking in MI than out here.

If I owned AZ and hell, I'd rent out AZ and live in hell.

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

Thanks for the info. I'm trying to find a job in the Lansing area yet but if it doesn't happen -- I'll be looking west.

Counterpoints:
1. It's the same sun --- if it's clear -- it's the same brightness. Sunglasses ftw.
2-3. When there's snow on the ground -- most ppl here are doing nothing but indoor activities. I suspect it's the same during the summer there but here's the difference. To go anywhere -- even to get the mail -- I'm putting on winter gear where I expect people in the sunbelt are simply going outside or to their cars and just trying to spend as little time as possible in the broiling heat. We get heat here in MI too in the summer -- generally just the 90's though but with a lot of humidity. I was in Vegas in mid May once where they were having record heat in the 100+ category -- definitely hot but it's a "dry heat".
4. Frostbite and seasonal affective disorder
5. We have the same dried out vegetation and forest fires in MI -- just not in Winter and for as long a duration.
6. Michigan is a big state but it's rarely nice anywhere in March (that would be the freak event -- there's normally still snow).
7. I'll agree with you there -- assuming with AC you can get the temp to whatever you want or is that a myth where it gets so hot?
8. That's definitely a long term concern.
9. This sounds like a plus to me -- I hate dealing with the lawn.
10. Gravel and cactus sound fine -- low maintenance
11. Never experienced one -- sounds like a blowing snow event but with sand.
12. People don't walk here for transportation either so the same traffic given the same population

If I had to work outside -- I would probably not consider a place like AZ. Otherwise, I don't really see the big deal. Think I'd rather be trapped inside looking at clear skies and sunshine than cloud cover and rain/snow. The one thing about not having a cold season though is that the bugs aren't killed off. Maybe that's not such a big deal in the desert though than what it would be in the SE. MI is also kind of nice in that very few insects/animals can really hurt you -- the spiders/scorpions/snakes/etc of the SW scare me a bit.

The only other part of the SW that worries me is the illegal alien situation and all the problems associated with it. I don't speak Spanish nor feel it should be a requirement in the USA. If I'd be handicapped to any significant degree by this -- that would be a show stopper.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

It's not even just the cold here -- it's the lack of sunlight. So many dreary overcast days thanks to the Lake Effect. It's just depressing. I can see that hot summers may make it hard to do a lot outside but I think we have a longer winter period which amounts to the same thing but with even more inconvenience. And we also have days in the summer where it's so hot and humid you don't want to be outside... So, please elaborate on what makes the Southern summers worse?

I have to have sunlight. Maybe have some of that Seasonal Affective Disorder -- because in the cold north with the cloud cover I lacked energy and I feel much happier with sunshine filled days.

I live where they say it's hot -- but it's a desert heat and I don't feel it - I don't use air conditioning -- when it's dry -- 95 degrees is very comfortable. In the desert the temperatures drop at night, you might have 95 for the high and 50 for the low.

The desert regions are quite interesting because they are near mountains -- and a short drive of 2 hours will have you in cool pine forests in the summer and good mountain skiing in the winter.

To me it's too hot in much of the south -- where it's humid -- 95 can be scor ching, 100 unbearable but then I'm acclimated to the cool arid desert. I've spent time in San Antonio Tx where it can feel tropical and muggy -- but I could probably adjust if I had to. I'm just not used to sweating.

[malamute]

Originally Posted by odinloki1

Here there is 300 days of sun, sunglasses get old and whether you believe it or not its much more intense here. The AC is a myth I need it to be 70 when I sleep and its never that low. I lived in MI for 25 years and March was always very nice minus only a few days.

All of your counterpoints may be true but whatever MI has, its much more extreme here and again unless you have no ability to endure cold November and March aren't bad, I rarely needed more than a medium thickness jacket. There really is only 3 bad months and I was outside quite a bit, and frostbite with a coat on takes a lot longer to set in then dehydration and heat stroke here in the summer. Cactus and gravel means its impossible to enjoy your yard without 10 layers of sunscreen (there is no shade here) and thick soled shoes. Blowing snow is just water, dust will choke you and make it hard to breath. I've seen a lot more people walking in MI than out here.

If I owned AZ and hell, I'd rent out AZ and live in hell.

I probably would not live in Arizona -- although Flagstaff is quite nice -- and some of the other mountain towns.

New Mexico has a milder climate. I've heard parts of Utah and Nevada are very nice. They probably get too cold though for my tastes. I think of all the states -- while I like Michigan because I was from there -- New Mexico is my favorite.

[motown mary]

I have to move to Texas from Michigan later this year (husband job reloc.) and I can't even talk about it without crying. I miss Michigan and I am still here! If you're from Michigan, you understand.
BTW Scuba, my husband also had an offer in TC on the Bay. No 401k & a pay-cut....I still think it would have been worth it.
I hope the $$ in Texas is worth the turmoil we're going through to get there.
I am so sad.

[ErikU19]

Sparrow,

You just summed up the exact reasons i'm moving to texas.

Where abouts did you live in MI and where are you now?

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

I hear this quite often but don't really
understand it since I've lived in MI all my life. I figure 11/15-4/15 the weather basically sucks in MI. You have to have the furnace on and can expect the possibility of snow -- that's 5 mo's out of the year. Sure -- some years that can go down to 4 mo's or in a very rare year even 3 mo's. When you introduce snow, that also means shoveling it, brushing it off the car, hazardous driving conditions, and having to put on the winter apparel every time you exit the house. What's the equivalent of that in the sunbelt in summer? It's hot -- you turn on the air conditioner. I have to do that from June to September anyway in MI. What are the other inconveniences that even make it comparable to the crappy winters here?

It's not even just the cold here -- it's the lack of sunlight. So many dreary overcast days thanks to the Lake Effect. It's just depressing. I can see that hot summers may make it hard to do a lot outside but I think we have a longer winter period which amounts to the same thing but with even more inconvenience. And we also have days in the summer where it's so hot and humid you don't want to be outside... So, please elaborate on what makes the Southern summers worse?

[barkerbob]

I would not say I am missing MI bob.
1. it costs less to cool your home then heat it.
2. when it is hot, you can go out side and work or walk just before dark and it is nice. in mi after dark it goes farther below 0
3 just because some states in the sun belt have no plant life does not mean all of them are the same, MO,AR,AL,MS,FL,LA, just to name a few, have ample plant life and much of it is the same as michigan,KY,TN,AR,and mo have pines,oaks,maples, just like MI minus the snow and cold.
And no water shortage.
Oh and they have work, another thing michigan has lost.
Acording to the AP MI has become one of the poorest states in the union, the new aplacia.You know in the webster the def. of a hillbilly is a michigan dirt farmer.

[Sparrow_temp]

Grew up in Boyne City, college degree from MTU, currently living in Holt. Looking for work in the Lansing area --- if I don't find it -- I'll look in the SW.

Originally Posted by ErikU19

Sparrow,

You just summed up the exact reasons i'm moving to texas.

Where abouts did you live in MI and where are you now?

[ErikU19]

Best wishes buddy!

You can't go wrong with the South. It's booming! No Snow?!

What else do you need to know ?

Originally Posted by Sparrow_temp

Grew up in Boyne City, college degree from MTU, currently living in Holt. Looking for work in the Lansing area --- if I don't find it -- I'll look in the SW.

[darstar]

Moving south , is , the wrong thing to do , these days. With Global Warming , it will soon be so bad , that there will be a mass exodus out. No joke , its already started.
The best advice , is , move further north , I am , to the UP !