Geographic pride

[Chris]

The Dutch climate isn't too interesting, humid, not really hot and never really cold. Anything below 15 F or above 90 F is not an everyday occurrence in the respective seasons. That said, 90 F and humidity are not my favorites. Dutch homes are not airconditioned - it isn't even standard in passenger cars.

I can't imagine what it's like in places like Phoenix where the desert starts at your front door if you don't excessively water your lawn.

[J N Winkler]

I can't imagine what it's like in places like Phoenix where the desert starts at your front door if you don't excessively water your lawn.

It doesn't work that way.  For starters, it is very rare for private homes in Phoenix and Tucson to have grass lawns.  Most houses instead have xeriscaping, which generally consists of typical desert vegetation like paloverde, various types of cacti, etc. growing out of simulated desert pavement.  There are some places in Arizona where it is possible to have a lawn, and many people in those places do, but those are generally at higher altitudes, which in Arizona tend to have moist microclimates and supported grasslands or even pine forests long before the arrival of European settlers.

[Chris]

Right. I guess you have to have a McMansion in order to have a green lawn in Phoenix.

[NJRoadfan]

New Jersey might come close.  You have the Pocono mountains just inside PA and beaches to the east.

If the Xanadu indoor ski slope opens in the Meadowlands, you certainly will be able to ski... even in the summer. NJ has in-state skiing in the winter as well in Vernon and Mahwah.

[mightyace]

^^^

Thanks for the info.  I shouldn't be surprised that there are ski areas in New Jersey.  I just didn't know about any.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Born and raised in Minnesota, and I don't plan on leaving ever.

[triplemultiplex]

Regarding heat versus cold; you can always put on more clothing to get warm in the cold, but there's only so much you can take off in the heat without getting arrested.  And even then.

To live in a place that doesn't really have four seasons would be too boring.  If it's gonna get cold, I want heaps of snow to play in.  So even the middle latitudes of the lower 48 would be unappealing.  3 or 4 months of November?  No thanks.

[jgb191]

Regarding heat versus cold; you can always put on more clothing to get warm in the cold, but there's only so much you can take off in the heat without getting arrested.

Simple Solution:  Don't take anything off.  If any of you ever visit the tropical climate of South Texas, the rule of thumb is keep yourself fully covered at all times while outdoors, no matter how hot it is.

Exposing any part of your skin makes you a prime target for mosquitoes, killer bees, ants, and other biting insects that thrive here, and you seriously don't want that.

[BigMattFromTexas]

Exposing any part of your skin makes you a prime target for mosquitoes, killer bees, ants, and other biting insects that thrive here, and you seriously don't want that.

I'm used to the mosquitoes and the ants. But there's rattlesnakes all over Texas. And other biting species.. So yeah, I've worn jeans in 100+ degree weather...
BigMatt

[agentsteel53]

show me a rattlesnake that can't - or won't - strike through a pair of jeans, and I'll show you an evolutionary dead end...

[jgb191]

So in that case, wear double or triple layer of jeans in Texas! lol