I love the snow, the silence of snow fall glitter at 4am in the moonlight. Since we had to always get out, 4x4s, (not just front wheel) was waiting in the garage. Snow was shoved every 3” so no worries there. I really love the cold, with wearing a light jacket until -0 temps arrive. Michigan snow has really not been in abundance for skiing, but as long as it’s cold snowmaking begins.

Last summer was our first and Only summer in TV. Do not do well in temps above 78. According to many it was a very hot summer here in long time. Why stay here confined to very early outdoors or jump AC to AC.

We have multiple residents and plan was to sell one northern home. Not going to happen after last summer we plan to escape TV shortly after May, head to family home then up to the Lake house until September.

Nothing like a New England lake house summer...

Lol! That's when I head to the beach. :MOJE_whot:

Sounds like he was asking for our opinions...

TV is where costal FL comes when the hurricanes hit!

The heat may be murder to your friends, but for millions of others, it not an issue...

Yes, it's hot and humid in the summer. Just like it's hot and humid in the DC suburbs where I lived for the majority of my life...

The trick is to get out early, chill inside (or at the pool) mid-day, and then venture out again when it starts to cool off in the evenings...

Exactly! I wish I had said that (before reading your post...) :D

That doesn’t sound like living....sounds like surviving. If you choose that kind of summer, to each his own. The difference is the Mid Atlantic states and New England just as an example, those regions the temps and humidity are variable. You can go out any time of the day...less a couple heatwaves on average. You honestly cannot say that about FL

But in central Florida you have the humidity and angle of sun. IMO angle of sun feels hotter on my back, neck, side of my face. Although rarely get over 95 to 98 the humidity easily added 10 degrees to that on some of though days. Every 85 can seem hot down here for me.

Again, you think wrong. My comprehension is perfect.

I never said millions in Michigan. I said rural.
Having 100 acres or 1 acre has nothing to do with being stuck on a county road which does not get cleared for days.

Please try to comprehend. The OP was asking for a comparison. Different people are giving different comparisons.

I see many other posters agreeing with my on your comprehension.

Someone said read and add value. I would say: Read, Comprehend, Add Value.

Hope you have a nice day.

Not sure what all the card guy issue is, but he doesn't seem to understand.

:thumbup:

:BigApplause:

I totally agree with your assessment that many of Floridians can tolerate the heat and don’t mind living indoors during the prime part of the day. But many don’t and the gentleman from the beautiful state of Michigan won’t know until he has spent a couple of summers here renting, as I suggested.

Summers in Florida and Michigan are not comparable. That dishonest representation doesn’t add “value” to the OP’s decision. Maybe he will love the scorching heat like many do. Then he should sell his northern home and make the move.

There is something for everyone but living full time in Florida isn’t mandatory for happiness.

Not sure what this statement means…

I’ll take a HHH summer day in Florida over a winter day up north seven days a week and twice on Sunday. I like the heat way more than cold and ice. Plus, we have a pool and A/C in Florida and often suffer from the heat during the summer up north without either. The only thing I hate about summers in Florida is the friggin lightning. Since I enjoy swimming (water is a great conductor of electricity) and golfing (being in an open area with a bag of lightning rods), the lightning can frequently put a damper on things. Plus, the Villages is a ghost town in the summer compared to the winter. Cheap golf and no crowds are very easy to get used to.

Are our friends lying when they tell us they are leaving TV when a hurricane warning is up? They stayed for one and they won’t do that again.

There may not be a direct hit but there can be flooding, loss of electricity and wind damage closing the rec centers, golf courses, restaurants and businesses.

Is there a shortage of AC and pools up north?!

You’re kind of proving the point with ‘TV is a ghost town in the summer’ ....where do you think all your neighbors retreated to? You’re clearly in the minority. It’s been stated by many posters across many threads that they no longer own homes up north so trying to convince yourself that a FL summer isn’t that bad kind of rings hollow

Like when a nor’easter hits up north?

Yup, neither at our house up north, but both at our house in the Villages. That constitutes a shortage in my book.

Well I’m glad you’re now whole sir!

I’m wondering why people are putting pools in their back yard? As long as I have a pool and AC why do I need to go back north, LOL

Not to derail this thread too much but I agree 100%.

Was in Phoenix (never been until then) in July '23 for son's baseball tournie. Concrete stadium heated up by 10am like a tandoori oven. Just radiated heat from below your feet. Many parents had to get back into their cars to turn the AC on. We were pouring water all over ourselves... looks less ridiculous than passing out. :loco:

Close second for killer heat would be Atlanta. Also July bball tournie. We had kids passing out in the dugout... kids from the south.

And I lived in south FL for 4 years so I understand heat index.

We have now experienced several Florida summer and I will still take the heat and humidity over the cold, gray mess of a northern winter. I am by nature an early riser so I can still get my round of golf (no trouble getting a tee time then) in, bike ride, dog walk, etc before the heat. Once the heat is on I head to the pool!

That long gray winter is history for me!

A lot of the snowbirds leave TV to go to places in the summer that have large outbreaks of tornadoes and very humid summers. The central part of the country as well as the upper states like Ohio and Michigan are very humid states. My summer visits to Cincinnati for work were every bit as humid as Florida summers. Same goes for Omaha, and flint Michigan. Terrible summer humidity.
I moved from the north over 24 years ago and have never regretted it for a minute. If I want to snow ski, I’ll rent a place for a week where I don’t have to drive and it has a nice fireplace.

I would take Florida all summer over a north cold winter hands down!! Everyone is different though. Anything below 50 and I’m miserable! I have no problem being active all through the summer down here. It’s my 8th year. Head to the beach, a pool, or go boating with a fabulous breeze! Chicago would go a month some years with zero sunshine. I cannot take that.

yes, it's hot and humid here during the summer. that's why air conditioning and pools were invented.

Summer is very tolerable and is the best time of the year. Northern winters are far worse!

This will be my 50th summer in Florida after 26 years of summers and winters in northern Ohio. Love the summers in Florida!

We have survived 11 hurricanes that either came over the top of us or was a cloe sideswipe. Only once did we evacuate and that was when we lived in Virigina Beach. We are in a hurricane prone state, but our area is probably one of the safer areas since we are 40-60 miles inland depending on which way the hurricane travels.

You are welcome to evacuate but we are smart people who are prepared for a hurricane contingency.

Winters in the North aren't like when we were kids. Towns have the equipment to deal with snow, and the following day or even the same day the streets are cleared. Only 2 snowstorms in the Northeast this year. You'll get sick of the very hot constant daily sun, the incredible humidity that last for 7-8 months, and the bugs that come with that.
That'll keep you in the house because that drains you physically.

The summers here are hot and humid, but I prefer that weather to no sun and the endless gray days of Michigan. I was here through Irma and was not trapped in my house. I chose not to go out, but I wasn’t forced to stay in.

Among the places I’ve lived is Virginia, near Washington, couple hours west of Philadelphia, Lincoln, Nebraska, Southern California, Northern California, and Denver.

Washington, Philadelphia, and Lincoln are all very hot and humid in the summer—not much different from The Villages. Southern California is too hot in the summer but not humid. Northern California is bearable all year where I lived (the mountains near Napa Valley). Denver is very dry, which makes it hard to breathe through my nose. To get to delightful summer areas, to my taste, in much of the country that means where you live—Michigan—maybe, or New England, upstate New York, etc.

Lincoln is often bitterly cold in the winter, though many areas are worse. The Philadelphia and Eastern Virginia areas aren’t really “grueling” as winters go, though it can be chilly, and sometimes there’s a lot of snow to shovel. I lived in the country half my life in Eastern Pennsylvania, and I usually enjoyed the winters. I seldom needed a heavy coat.

In The Villages I do the same thing I did in Pennsylvania in the summer: when it was hot and humid, I stayed inside. I live in The Villages year round now, in a courtyard villa with an excellent HVAC system. It’s on all the time. I rarely open windows and doors. 24/7, either the AC or the heat is on. Yesterday’s electric bill was $80, but that includes charging my car in the garage. In mid-summer, electricity might be $100 or maybe even $120 at the worst. That’s about half what it cost me for electricity and propane in Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, I found it too hot and humid to go out much in the summer. Same in The Villages. In both places, I stayed in air-conditioned comfort all day. So what’s the difference? In the evenings, in the summer, it’s quite delightful here. Because of the humidity, the air smells really good here. (In Denver, it’s so dry that nice smells don’t carry very well.) I live just north of 466A and not near a lake, so I’ve never seen a mosquito near my house. (If you buy a new house down south, bear in mind that mosquitoes breed in the swamps down there and will come to visit you.) Also, in the summer here, it rains or at least there are thunderclouds at least every other day. That cools things down and is fun to watch—great sunrises and sunsets.

Where The Villages shines, of course, is in the winter months. Yes, we usually get a couple frosts in the winter, but the most I bundle up is a fleece vest or a sport coat. It really is nice.

Back in my Army days, I was out in the field (Alps) one time when it was 32 below zero not counting wind chill. Still better than some of the hottest summer days around here. I've also been in the field (desert) when it was way above 100 in full MOPP gear and that was worse than Florida. My experience is you can always put more clothes on but there is a limit to how few you can wear (at least in Florida).

It’s honestly what you’re used to or can become accustomed to. We purposefully rented a house in The Villages during the hottest part of the summer to see how it felt. We live in Houston. It felt cooler in the The Villages. Everything is relative.

Summers are hot most every day sea breezes come in clouds form usually a brief shower , not like the a sweltering desert breezes usually come midday.

Midwest Summer vs Florida summer
 

I'm not sure which "north" you are talking about, but summer in the midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois), is oppressive humidity and heat. That's one of the many reasons corn and soy bean grow so well there in the summer and they, oddly enough, contribute to the humidity.

In July and August there are many times that it is hotter and more humid there than here which amazes my friends that still live there. So, my spouse and I are out and about all summer long here totally enjoying the lack of crowds, yes, and still sweating, but there are swimming pools and showers that help with that. We love it.

You don’t have to shovel heat.

Nope
 

We have lived here full time for over 10 years. Every day we say that we can’t WAIT until summer. Less traffic, less people, more time to “play”. We golf almost every afternoon (less crowded and less expensive), spend time in our pool..and enjoy..
The Florida heat is not “murder”!

We moved here 23 years ago full time and still love it here. Summers are less humid than many areas up north and quite nice in the shade with a bit of a breeze. It took us living thru 3 summers to be acclimated and now we honestly love our summers with the snowbirds gone the pools, the nights on the squares, the restaurants and shops are pleasantly uncrowded. We hardly ever use our car in the summers, preferring the golf cart with the windshield down.
Trust me, after a few summers here you will love it. I'll take the beautiful summers here over freezing cold winters with snow shoveling, snow driving and high heat bills anyday.
By the way, we now keep our ac at 78 in the summers and are cool with low electric bills, just let your body acclimate to the weather here and you'll love summers here too. Or don't and just complain about it. I prefer to love it here. We would never move back up north, visit yes, live there again, no.

I have never been trapped in our house because of heat. Just wear a hat when you’re in the sun, stay hydrated and hug the shade. And don’t do any too strenuous. Outside work or walks should be done in the early mornings.

To escape the heat just go up into the Georgia/Tennessee mountains. It’s a beautiful part of the world you don’t want to miss.

This is going to be our fourth full summer here. Yes, it’s hot and humid; It’s freakin’ Florida! However, after last year, we were almost ready to become snowbirds again.

El Niño made last year the absolute most uncomfortable summer we’ve ever experienced. It seemed like it went into the mid-upper 90s in March and stayed that way until Halloween. Even the nights and early mornings were miserably hot. Summers in Chicago have periods of heat and humidity, but you get a break every few days.

All that said, I’ve never once had to shovel heat or have ice dams break off the building gutter and crash through a wooden porch! I no longer have to wade through many unshoveled sidewalks, yellow snow, or endure multiple days of gray, sunless skies, and cabin fever is a thing of the past. Just like everything else, to each their own.