<p>I’m like Runnersmom. I lived in Chicago once. It was brutal. And wayyyy colder than living in NYC in IMHO. But no regrets. I still own a full length down jacket I bought there when I arrived, and I learned how to melt frozen door locks with a lighter :)</p>
<p>But hey, the fantastic restaurants and great people there easily offset the foot high snow in March.</p>
<p>It looks like my D will be heading for the rain… Seattle. I hope she can handle day after day of gray skies, coming from Southern California. We are by the beach now, so she is used to summers of fog and gloom (we call it May Gray and June Gloom), but her world will actually be WET next year! Is it worthwhile to look into those special lights that prevent SAD or just wait and see how she does?</p>
<p>Definitely try the lights and up the intake of vitamin D. Even in sunny climes, people don’t get alot of natural light and it can make a big difference.</p>
<p>On the other hand - you can actually ski regularly in NH and in good years you’ve got that lovely black ice to skate on. On the whole I’d rather have a real winter. We get one April snowstorm many years, though the snow never sticks around long. I’ve got plenty of pretty pictures of daffodils covered with snow though!</p>
<p>I have to agree with BunsenBurner: “I find cold more manageble than constant heat, and heat with humidity is unbearable by my standards.” You can always put enough on but will probably end up in trouble if you take too much off.</p>
<p>I spent 5 years in Michigan and there were days it was COLD, but you dressed for it. I live where the summers are long, hot and humid – stretches of days with temps in the 90’s to upper 90’s with humidity often 80% + … MI cold was easier to handle than summers here.</p>
<p>I’m from Pennsylvania and moved out to California for grad school. I can’t stand how bland the winter is. Sure, it’s nice to have a warm day once in a while, but I shouldn’t have to change out of pants and into shorts in the middle of February.</p>
<p>My girlfriend, a socal native, just visited Penn State for grad school this past weekend. How’s she feel about it? “Why would you ever want to leave somewhere as beautiful as PA to live in ugly, ****ty, polluted Los Angeles?” :D</p>
<p>We’ve noticed that alot of kids from the Sunshine State who we know try going up north for college, but come back after a year. In that we’re originally from up there we’re wondering if our kids would do the same thing. The kids say that it can be depressing being inside so much, when they’re used to being outside (not doing sports, necessarily, just BEING outside) and not so cooped up. Its all what you’re used to. My New England friends would call cooped up “cozy”></p>
<p>Just keep in mind that at college you have to go outside for EVERYTHING - to get to class, to get a meal, etc. Some kids adapt quite nicely. Depends on the kid. If he goes up north, be sure he has adequate warm clothing - sounds dumb, but my mom moved from S.Carolina to N.Jersey years ago, and her “winter” coat was a corduroy jacket. It didn’t help much during a blizzard. My aunt from SCarolina went on a “snow villages” tour of Vermont and brought cute little flat shoes… she’d have been better off with LL Bean boots.</p>
<p>Chicago is a warmer zone if you live in Wisconsin. In college you have to go outside for everything, but depending on the school, perhaps not far. My D, on a small campus, is living the cosseted life with most classes 5 minutes away. She had the proverbial walk, over a mile, in subzero weather and snow to middle and high school. </p>
<p>A friend who biked to work year round used to say 'there’s no bad weather, only bad clothing" Getting outfitted properly for the weather can and should be a planned expense if moving north. Boots, layers, long underwear. Though my kids are ‘cool’ and wouldn’t stoop to dressing appropriately to the weather. I wonder why they long to live someplace without snow? </p>
<p>Many years ago I moved from Phoenix to Wisconsin. The beauty of the severe cold and snow, as well as the changing vegetation through the growing season still thrillls me. Though I think there is something about early patterning that makes one function better in certain climates. I feel reptilian in the winter, just can’t move as fast as I’d like. But on hot summer days when Wisconsites are wilting, I keep moving and productive.</p>