Hot cities or cold cities; 4 seasons or no seasons; desert cities or green cities?

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Doesn't Florida also have areas that get colder than coastal California?

Maybe, I don't really know. But I wouldn't be surprised if parts of further inland northern Florida have colder average temps than coastal southern Callifornia during the winter months.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Doesn't Florida also have areas that get colder than coastal California?

Idk which gets colder but there are parts of coastal California as far south as the Santa Monica Mountains that receive snowfall.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by strongbad635

My favorite climate type is I hate living where there are no palm trees or other tropical/subtropical vegetation, which are the plants I find the prettiest.

There's a look...a vibe...that the landscape in a Mediterranean climate has that doesn't exist as much in places with different weather.

Something about palms & succulents...which some ppl may think look alien or ugly...to me has a friendlier 'how ya doing?' look about them.

I see that look in parts of california, southern europe, australia, florida.

[pdxtex]

Fun fact, Portland and Tallahassee are the same USDA zone. Tallahassee has 30 nights of below freezing weather and Portland has 32 nights. Note, growing zones only reflect minimum temperatures. I did a Google view of Tallahassee and saw multiple Douglas firs tho, and Portland tons of hardy palms and other sub tropical plants.

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by 10023

LA isn’t really a Mediterranean climate though. It is classified as such, but it’s different. Nowhere in the actual Mediterranean is quite that warm and dry in the winter.

It’s really a cross between a Mediterranean and a hot arid climate.

Although you say you don't care for LA, to me it's a combo of the resort type areas of southern france, southern Spain & more of the bigger city complexity of a london or Paris. A Marseilles too....which has a med type climate. It's also France's 2nd largest city & has a reputation for too much grit & crime.

In a way LA...economically, culturally, socially....is both worse & better than or also similar to...Marseilles & a Cannes, Malaga, marbella, berlin, london, paris.

[10023]

Originally Posted by citywatch

Although you say you don't care for LA, to me it's a combo of the resort type areas of southern france, southern Spain & more of the bigger city complexity of a london or Paris. A Marseilles too....which has a med type climate. It's also France's 2nd largest city & has a reputation for too much grit & crime.

In a way LA...economically, culturally, socially....is both worse & better than or also similar to...Marseilles & a Cannes, Malaga, marbella, berlin, london, paris.

Firstly this has nothing to do with my point. Secondly, all of those cities are very different from each other culturally and economically, let alone LA.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by pj3000

No, Florida is hotter than California primarily because of its more southern latitude.

Which results in the sun being higher on the horizon than it is in states (like California) that are further north. Higher sun position on horizon = higher angle of incidence of sun rays hitting Earth's surface = more intense rays = more heat.

Secondarily, Florida is hot because it is a peninsula surrounded by water.

It’s really not that difficult. The East and Gulf Coast’s currents come from Africa and the West Coast come from Alaska.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Idk which gets colder but there are parts of coastal California as far south as the Santa Monica Mountains that receive snowfall.

In the mountains, right? Anyhow, according to the averages, Tallahassee's lows get a bit cooler than L.A. in the winter, although the daytime highs are about the same. Tallahassee's lows also gets colder than SF's lows. I'm sure the Inland Empire probably gets colder, but I guess my point is that Florida isn't just blanketly warmer than coastal California.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

In the mountains, right? Anyhow, according to the averages, Tallahassee's lows get a bit cooler than L.A. in the winter, although the daytime highs are about the same. Tallahassee's lows also gets colder than SF's lows. I'm sure the Inland Empire probably gets colder, but I guess my point is that Florida isn't just blanketly warmer than coastal California.

Is not possible to compare to just "LA". There are multiple climates within 30 miles of the ocean in LA. The valleys and foothills are routinely in the low 30s at night in winter while the beach cities rarely drop below 50 for example

[citywatch]

Originally Posted by 10023

Firstly this has nothing to do with my point. Secondly, all of those cities are very different from each other culturally and economically, let alone LA.

Not sure what check off boxes you use in rating a place you like or don't like...everyone has different criteria. Beyond that, this is a topic I've been thinking about for the past several months....I've never given much thought in the past to how a city can be ideal climatically, but not ideal in other ways...Or cities that are ideal in cultural, economic ways, but not ideal climatically.

You mentioned liking mexico city, which has a fairly easy climate too...but as with LA...& other cities...it has both good & bad points.

I've been trying to figure out what cities in the world have both good weather & also big city advantages....of culture & economy? Cities like marseilles or detroit are weak in one, better in the other. cities like Miami bch or NYC are weak in one, better in the other ones.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by 10023

Sorry, I meant a few times a week.

I think people in Miami go to the beach much more often than people in LA. And then they’re on the water for other things (boats, jetskis etc) pretty regularly. The water is calmer and warmer, and more of the city is coastal, so it’s a much bigger part of life in Miami than LA.

Last time I was in LA was over a year ago, in early May, I saw the ocean once and put on a sweatshirt to walk out onto a pier. It’s no wonder LA people aren’t at the beach that often, especially if they don’t surf.

They're not going a few times a week.

[LA21st]

Originally Posted by 10023

Sorry, I meant a few times a week.

I think people in Miami go to the beach much more often than people in LA. And then they’re on the water for other things (boats, jetskis etc) pretty regularly. The water is calmer and warmer, and more of the city is coastal, so it’s a much bigger part of life in Miami than LA.

Last time I was in LA was over a year ago, in early May, I saw the ocean once and put on a sweatshirt to walk out onto a pier. It’s no wonder LA people aren’t at the beach that often, especially if they don’t surf.

Lol..this is absurd take. And average people in Miami aren't using boats or jet skis.
You're talking like 1 percent of the population at best.

[citywatch]

speaking of that 1%, I've looked at vids posted to this youtube pg over the past several wks & notice its newest vid deals with a property on an island off spain....you'd swear it was in LA....or you'd swear some of the properties in LA are in the Mediterranean. Parts of australia & florida, south america, are the same way too...

https://www.youtube.com/c/EnesYilmazer

although LA doesn't have as big an insect problem as florida does, there's no way I'd leave open the doors or windows of my home...but I'm assuming the air in the hills of west LA isn't more deluxe & insect free.

beyond that, it wouldn't be as possible to do the same thing elsewhere if LA's climate (& terrain too) were different. Moreover, you look out over a more complicated city...with a so called Mediterranean type climate...than if you're looking out over the smaller resort type towns of southern france or southern spain.

However, a person who grew up in OC & relocated to southern spain several yrs ago was interviewed & said it reminded her of her original stomping grounds. But she said she wouldn't move back to the US because she's now closer to colder weather cities like Paris, berlin, london, copenhagen. Plus the traffic in LA/OC is very bad.

All places throughout the world have both their good & bad features. Nothing is perfect....but certain places may have a bit more positives than negatives, while other places have more negatives than positives.

cold weather toronto is now one of the fastest growing cities in north america & nyc today still has a larger population than at any time in its history. So, as with the weather, to each his own.

speaking of which, this guy is based in nyc & recently showed a residential listing in LA....notice what happened to the looky loos car....lol, yep, only in LA.


https://youtu.be/FXM0xGPaN2M

[sopas ej]

Originally Posted by LA21st

Lol..this is absurd take. And average people in Miami aren't using boats or jet skis.
You're talking like 1 percent of the population at best.

Well, I don't know about Miami---I've never been to Florida, but, at least in SoCal, the jet skiing demographic is more like the people who go to "the river" vs. "the beach." I associate jet skiing with the Colorado River/Laughlin/Lake Havasu.

No jet skis here.

Photo by me


Photo by me

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Well, I don't know about Miami---I've never been to Florida, but, at least in SoCal, the jet skiing demographic is more like the people who go to "the river" vs. "the beach." I associate jet skiing with the Colorado River/Laughlin/Lake Havasu.

No jet skis here.

Photo by me


Photo by me

The top beach, is it Seal Beach or Huntington Beach? I see the Long Beach skyline, so my guess would be Seal Beach which is just a few miles south of downtown Long Beach just across the OC line. But that makes all the difference for surfers...bigger waves since Seal Beach is beyond most of the calming influence of the harbor breakwater. What is the lower beach sopas ej?

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by LosAngelesSportsFan

Is not possible to compare to just "LA". There are multiple climates within 30 miles of the ocean in LA. The valleys and foothills are routinely in the low 30s at night in winter while the beach cities rarely drop below 50 for example

Northern Florida gets periodic winter cold snaps when Canadian air plunges down from Canada. No mountains in the way. Temps in these freezes sometines reach 20F or lower. The orange trees in central Florida can freeze and OJ futures soar. South of Lake Okeechobee, hard freezes are rarer. The average winter day in Northern Florida, especially the panhandle, is colder that coastal L.A., but comparable to the inland empire around Riverside and San Bernardino where hard freezes are common as in north Florida. That being said, north Florida has long stretches of nice winter days where it reaches the mid 70sF. Similarly, the "inland empire" in SoCal often has long stretches of nice weather, although the nights are usually see your breath chilly with hard freezes. Like you say, comparing coastal SoCal with these in inland micro climates is comparing apples and oranges. Where the influence of the ocean air dwindles, the cold air rules in winter. In summer the pattern is reversed: ocean air keeps the coastal zone mild, while the inland areas broil.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Cory

It’s really not that difficult. The East and Gulf Coast’s currents come from Africa and the West Coast come from Alaska.

What’s so difficult about the basic fact that further south (closer to the equator) = hotter?

It starts with that. All other factors follow.

Ironically, climate effects due to ocean currents are actually much more complex in comparison, i.e., “difficult”.

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by sopas ej

Well, I don't know about Miami---I've never been to Florida

Whoa. Florida is the craziest state and Miami is its craziest part.

I think the thing that always shocks me about Florida is just how gigantic it is, and how different the weather is as you progress southward. It's roughly 400 miles from the Georgia border to Miami, which is about the same as SF to LA.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

Whoa. Florida is the craziest state and Miami is its craziest part.

I think the thing that always shocks me about Florida is just how gigantic it is, and how different the weather is as you progress southward. It's roughly 400 miles from the Georgia border to Miami, which is about the same as SF to LA.

It might just be because I have been a part-time resident of Miami for over 20 years... so I've become inured to it, but I don't find Miami to be so "crazy" as popular prevailing opinion in the US seems to suggest. Living in Miami is really quite sedate, actually. It seems that there is some fantasy notion much of America has about Miami... people really want to exoticize it.

Sure, if you're spending all your time with the drug and alcohol-fueled, party-til-dawn, trashy tourist crowd, then yeah, it's certainly a place that can provide a rather crazy existence. But that is a pretty isolated scene. Day-to-day life is generally much, much slower and quiet than it is in a large, more urban city.

[citywatch]

a so called Mediterranean climate is cloned in certain parts of the world...

this is spain's Laguna/LA....

• Video Link


This is laguna Bch's/LA's Marbella/Spain...

• Video Link


Because of both old time history (Spanish conquistadors) but also similarities in climate, LA has long had names or themes based on Spain & the Spanish mediterranean. There are devlpmts, such as time share hotels in socal, that are named 'marbella'. The annual film festival in cannes might just as well be taking place in LA's santa monica, etc....Or 'hollywood' might just as well be in southern europe..