11 November, 2009

Question for the Americans

This is completely random, and will probably never happen, but call it idle curiosity in case it ever does.

If Mr Ruby Slippers and I were to move to America, where would we want to live?

Firstly, my priority would be weather. I need to live in a place that:
1) is generally warm, but when it gets hot it's a dry heat, rather than a humid, sticky heat that makes you feel like you've been hit in the face with a hot, wet towel.
2) Doesn't go over 30 C (86 F) as a general rule. (I used an internet converter; hope it's right :-))
3) Doesn't ever go below freezing in winter, and preferably stays a bit above. (Is freezing 32 F for you guys?)
4) Doesn't snow.
5) Stays fairly mild all year round; no massive temperature fluctuations
6) Where you can go out in the evening in summer wearing a light dress, and in winter wearing no more than one jacket/jersey/sweater/similar.

(I really want the moon and stars, don't I?)




Other priorities:
1) Must have a good number of cultural activities like a number of professional theatres, amateur dramatics, choirs etc. Actual celebrities appearing in plays/shows would be a bonus :P
2) Must be open to various lifestyle choices, such as homosexuality, atheism, etc. I don't want to live somewhere where people get beaten up because they don't believe everything everyone else does.
3) Doesn't have to be a big city; in fact I love peace and quiet, but must be nearby enough so one can attend functions mentioned in #1, and have a good supply of stores.
4) Prettiness. I'm thinking mountains or the sea. I'm deprived of those where I live, and I'm always happier when I'm near them.



I don't want much, do I? Seriously, does such a place exist?

Love Ruby S xxxx

PS - now I'm singing "I like to be in America, okay by me in America..." :P

20 comments:

  1. Hmm...those are quite hefty requirements!

    D.C. is great, but definitely not a dry heat. New York gets too cold. Arizona gets too hot. I think Atlanta and New Orleans are too humid. My best guess would be Austin, Texas. I think the weather fits into your demands, while it has a "cityness" about it that would fit the second set (unlike most of texas!).

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm 99% certain that such a place does not exist and, if it did, almost all of America would live there. Seriously though, your best bet would be something in the mid-country range - like North Carolina or so and then just live near some of the bigger cities. Unfortunately for the "open" attitude you're looking for you'd really have to move to either California or the Northeast - which is going to entire negate your weather requests. I'd just aim to live near a bigger city where you're less likely to face the small-mindedness. Of course, it snows even in North Carolina but not too often and the summers are mild.

    ...that's all I've got. Of course, if you find such a place, do share!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well, I figured I'd start big, and then slowly cross off the less important bits. :-)

    What's the weather like in California, then? Does it have that sticky heat?

    Also - Johannesburg has nearly all of those requirements. Yes, it does get icy in the winter, and you wear six sweaters to compensate, but it's only for a short time. I guess that's why people still live here - there's nothing else to recommend it (the crime and traffic SUCK ASS). Theatre isn't great, but better than anywhere else in the country. No prettiness, though. It's just the good weather, and unfortunate;y I'm very affected by weather.

    Keep 'em coming, guys!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Um, while you can get a dry heat it'll get into 100s easy.

    Actually the big limiting factor I see is that it can only get up to 30C. Even here in Nebraska where we get to face below 0F winters we still see 100F summers.

    There isn't as much of a moderate place and of course where there is it's expensive as hell.

    It's almost a go where you find the people you like. And if you're looking for culture don't feel like you want to be hemmed in by a state. Just look for a college town.

    Even though we're supposed to live in hick town usa being in a college town means we have so much culture and different appeals coming out our ears.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Truth be told, it does get up to the mid-thirties C here, but that's it. And then I DIE. Stupid weather being so fab, keeping me here. It's just...the USA is so BIG! There has to be somewhere where the weather is like it is here...

    My Dad went to California and he said it reminded him of here because of the cactus plants people had in their gardens! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. San Francisco! Moderate climate, it doesn't snow, a city, accepting of many lifestyles, pretty coast. I have a good friend from college who lives there- she had never seen snow until college and did not need a real winter coat in SF. It doesn't get hot in the summers either (I think it's usually around 20c) but I am not sure if it is humid... and it might even be too cool for your taste. I personally love having seasons and would be sad without snow, but SF doesn't have big season changes. Seems like a pretty good fit :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'd say SanDiego or maybe SanFrancisco. The temps may be a little to hot for you in the summers, but its not a sticky heat. I think Texas would be a pretty hot place live, and from what I remember as a kid visiting family there it is humid too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have to say I love the idea of living in or near San Francisco! But keep suggestions coming... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Austin is beautiful. It's green, and has mild winters. Here, we're already in November and have yet to see temperatures that require a jacket for more than a day. But the trade off is hot summers. In central Texas, the humidity isn't as bad as the coast, but it is still hot. This year we saw 60+ days of triple digit (F) temperatures (in all fairness, there was a drought going on at the time). But we do have glorious air conditioning in most buildings, so it helps! The city itself is wonderful. Lots of cultures, interests, activities. And many smaller towns to explore and see.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I was goin with San Diego but Maisy beat me to it :p

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm saying you sound like a California girl. Although it does often get a little hotter than you requested, it's not much hotter, and it sure fits the bill for everything else you requested.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Funnily enough, I'm going to add my vote to the Austin crowd. My hubby and I are native Texans, but we've lived everywhere from Dallas to Oxford to Toronto and I have to say, Austin is our favorite, especially when you think of weather and culture! The only thing on your list that doesn't fit is the heat - we do get some really hot days here. (60+? I'm not sure about that - but then, I'm used to it, I come from West Texas, where the temp is hotter) But none of that nasty humid heat! I hate humid heat! And, of course, if you really get hot, you can just go take a dip in Barton Springs - always a frigid 60 F! I think it's the hills or something, but there's always a breeze. I love to open my front and back doors and just let the air blow through! Fall is the best season - I've had my AC/Heater turned completely off for the last 3 weeks and haven't missed it at all!

    Theatre & arts are great here, especially the theatre - and there's always Dallas or Houston if you need a change. I love the beautiful hills and the wide variety of landscapes you can see. And, of course, we have the monopoly on gorgeous sunsets.

    For a good barometer of the weather, as well as the cool-factor of Austin, let me suggest you check out Indiana Adam's blog: www.adoredAustin.com - she primarily blogs about fashion, but there's also a lot of great tips on everything from parties to thrifting to where to get your hair done!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bethany (diopsideanddiamonds)November 12, 2009 1:02 AM

    I'm with the San Fran crowd - you pretty much described a large portion of the SF Bay Area to a T (four years spent in Santa Clara area, just a short drive south).

    Also, the north coast of Cali is pretty mild, I don't recall needing a coat all that often when I was up there (80 miles south of the Oregon border in a tiny town called Loleta which was a mile from a beach for two years) and it rarely ever got above 70F (21C) during the summer. Downside there is that rained nine months of the year :(

    ReplyDelete
  14. I was going to suggest San Francisco too. I'm actually thinking of moving there myself. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I would say SF but not in the city because it is far too foggy there most days. The best of both worlds would be to live on the Peninsula (about 30 miles south of SF). The only problem with living here is the cost of living is high. Very high. That's the price you pay living in a place that has nearly perfect weather. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Seattle.

    It's less crowded in California. Some people say we're like San Fransisco, but I think we're more geeky. You'll find lots of welcoming people here. We have lots of arts!.. but you're probably not going to find any celebrities here.
    I love the black box theatres. I'm guessing you'd like more big productions, and we have that too!

    We're right between the mountains and the sound here (2 visible ranges nearby, 2 lakes in the city, ocean only a few hours away) so you get plenty of nature :) Our weather is very mild! The average temperature might be cooler than you would like, but everything else is so nice. We only have one week of hot weather and it's not humid. And although it does snow sometimes, it's usually every other year: just about a week of cold, not quite freezing. You could come always visit and see if you like the atmosphere :)

    And for all the people that think it rains all the time, it is just a drizzle. It hardly really rains. Sure, it's not that sunny, but the clouds keep us warm. Clouds make good pictures too.

    PS: From what you said, it seems like Johannesburg has similar weather temperature wise. Maybe not 6 sweaters though, 3?

    ReplyDelete
  17. I was going to San Francisco too! My brother lives East of the city in Livermore and I adore it. Close to so many things, the weather does get a bit warmer than you requested, but you can deal with it. You can take weekend trips to LA, you can get to the ocean (which is freezing by the way) or skiing in the mountains of Tahoe. Also a short drive to so many wineries including Napa. Open and not interested in your religion (or lack there of) and your sexual orientation.

    However, the Cost of Living is ridiculous. Just silly.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You want West Coast and maybe California, but NOT SF. I live there now and it's FREEZING-- as Mark Twain said, the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. You might like Berkeley a lot, it's sunnier than SF and has a smaller-town feel. I'd also consider San Jose or San Diego, or maybe Portland?

    ReplyDelete
  19. I vote Portland or nearby. Portland is a large city, but is thoroughly walkable. It feels much smaller than it is. You have culture, relaxed state of being, gormet food (the gormet getto is what we call it), skiing and surfing, and can live outside the city but still commute by train. It is known for being a mild climate, though global changes are affecting everyone by making the weather less predictable and more extreme pretty much everywhere. Portland is known for many things, but mostly for microbreweries, advanced transport systems for the US, fiercly protecting their loacal culture, and keeping urban sprawl in check.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Ignore the Texas recommendations: awesome and fun state, but very hot and very very humid. The problem is, though, dry climates are nice when its hot daytime but always get cold-ish at night when the sun goes down. Its the humid climates that stay nice at night. I lived for some time in Ventura, CA, and it sounds like what you are looking for. Every day is like a pleasant late spring picnicking day:-) Great blog, BTW. Found it from the cakewrecks link.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.