luvflorida
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 6,976
I agree that sunshine and warm temps can brighten people's moods and make them feel happy, but there is more to it than just the weather. The study also took into account things like crime rates, air quality and schools. There are four cold (really cold!) states that rank in the top 12- Montana, Maine, Wyoming and Alaska.
I have lived for most of my life in Maine, and that is where a lot of my family stilll lives, and that is where my husband and I raised our family. We moved to Arizona over a year ago, so we have gone from very cold temps to very hot temps, and from not enough sunshine to an overabundance of sunshine.
I have to say, we are loving the warm weather and days filled with sunshine!
Stepping outside and feeling the warmth of the sun definitely brings a smile to my face.
Not having to shovel snow, not worrying about driving on icy roads, not having to bundle up in winter clothing, not being pelted with freezing winds makes me extremely happy!
On the flip side, like I said, we've spent most of our lives in Maine and raised our family there and we were very happy. That is where we wanted to live, for many reasons, including being close to family and friends, good schools, proximity to the ocean, very low crime rates, and an overall more relaxed way of living. Growing up, the kids loved snow in the winter and loved spending summers on the beach. We also always managed to take vacations to get away from the winter weather.
As the kids got older, though, (and more importantly, as my husband and I got older!) we knew we didn't want to spend the rest of our lives in such a cold climate. And, the funny thing is, all three kids are now living in warmer climates (two in Arizona and one in Nevada). Maine will always be "home" to all of us, but only on a part-time basis now!
I also wholeheartedly believe that if you (meaning anyone) hate where you live because of the weather, AND YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO, then move! I realize many people, for many different reasons, can't just pull up stakes and move, but I know of quite a few people that complain constantly about the weather where they live, yet they do nothing about their situation.
I have lived for most of my life in Maine, and that is where a lot of my family stilll lives, and that is where my husband and I raised our family. We moved to Arizona over a year ago, so we have gone from very cold temps to very hot temps, and from not enough sunshine to an overabundance of sunshine.
I have to say, we are loving the warm weather and days filled with sunshine!
Stepping outside and feeling the warmth of the sun definitely brings a smile to my face. Not having to shovel snow, not worrying about driving on icy roads, not having to bundle up in winter clothing, not being pelted with freezing winds makes me extremely happy! On the flip side, like I said, we've spent most of our lives in Maine and raised our family there and we were very happy.
That is where we wanted to live, for many reasons, including being close to family and friends, good schools, proximity to the ocean, very low crime rates, and an overall more relaxed way of living. Growing up, the kids loved snow in the winter and loved spending summers on the beach. We also always managed to take vacations to get away from the winter weather.As the kids got older, though, (and more importantly, as my husband and I got older!) we knew we didn't want to spend the rest of our lives in such a cold climate. And, the funny thing is, all three kids are now living in warmer climates (two in Arizona and one in Nevada). Maine will always be "home" to all of us, but only on a part-time basis now!
I also wholeheartedly believe that if you (meaning anyone) hate where you live because of the weather, AND YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO, then move! I realize many people, for many different reasons, can't just pull up stakes and move, but I know of quite a few people that complain constantly about the weather where they live, yet they do nothing about their situation.
Not real sunshiney right now
We are into the darkest days of the year right now. Not alot of Vitamin D going on here. Although we do love our Happy lights
That's what I was thinking! Some of those top states may have sunshine, but it's so humid there, that I'd stay indoors all summer in the a/c and artificial light! 
We have tons of sunshine here in Colorado, too and it's usually nice enough for outdoor activities in the sun both in summer and in winter, yet we're pretty close to the middle of the list. 
