I haved lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for almost 11 years now, and the number one reason I hear from people as to why they love this place is “the weather”. The Bay Area does have a pretty unique weather profile that mirrors the mediterranean and it is usually fairly comfortable all year. However, I wonder if the weather is really what keeps people here, and if it’s really the foremost reason why they are willing to pay such a premium to live here. I think for me, weather is not the most important thing in the place I live, and here is why.
When I lived in China as a child I lived in Yangzhou. This was a city with very clearly marked seasons. Summers were scorching hot, and snow fell in the winters. I have pictures of a younger me in a thick winter coat and a stinky coon hat crouching proudly next to a snowman. In the summers I went out and captured tadpoles and butterflies for fun. I loved that place, and it didn’t matter that it was possible to get heat strokes in the summer and icicles as big as myself hung from the roofs in the winter.
Then I moved to Hawaii, and I got my first sunburn from the penetrating tropical rays. My hair was bleached by the sun to almost a light brown and most of the time it was 85 to 90 degrees. Sometimes there were monsoon like rains that triggered flash flood warnings and painted the sky with multiple rainbows in their aftermaths. I really enjoyed living there despite the fierce sun.
Finally I ended up in the San Francisco Bay Area during the first year of high school. At first I actually hated the weather here because it felt cold compared to Hawaii. I can only describe the weather here as muted as compared to the places I have been and that is probably why it is so attractive to many people. However, I think I still prefer Hawaii’s weather more.
Since I lived in these three distinct biomes, I can safely say that weather is really not the most important factor in how much I love living in a place. I think the main reason people move to the San Francisco Bay Area is simply money. This is a high paying area with many jobs, and the reason why we relocated here from Hawaii was just that. My parents were able to find employment here and build a financially stable life in the past decade. For me, the one thread that made me love and enjoy every place I lived is family. A stable family and support system could make any place bearable regardless of the weather. Ultimately, when you plug yourself into a community, it is harder to uproot yourself and move to another place. So even though I gripe about the expenses and traffic involved with living in the Bay Area, I know I have people who love me here, and that’s probably worth more than anything and could prevent me from leaving.
If beautiful weather is really the only thing that’s keeping you in a place you can’t afford, then perhaps it is not worth it. I really think that humans are highly adaptable and social creatures that could grow to love a place as long as they are not alone. Though I guess in casual conversation it is much easier and neutral to say, “I love this place because the weather is great”. So what do you think? Is the weather the number one reason why you live where you live?
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4 comments ↓
Availability of good jobs, affordable to live, and proximity to family are way more important to me than the weather. In fact, I think weather alone is kind of a dumb reason to live somewhere. I’d rather be near my family and freeze my butt off than be in beautiful weather alone. Duh. Or I’d rather sweat my butt off but be able to afford a decent home and decent cars than live in beautiful San Francisco and only be able to afford to eat Ramen noodles.
I also live in the SF bay area and I think weather is part of the reason why I stay here. I think I’d kill myself if I had to live with the extremes of weather that exist in the other parts of the country. A long winter alone could drive me into a deep depression. But there are other important reasons why I stay. It’s beautiful here. People are educated and diverse. Everything you could possibly want from ocean to mountains to desert is within driving distance, and you can choose to live in a small town and still be able to enjoy the benefits of a big metropolis. My sister didn’t like it here and moved to a really small town in another state. She loves it but I honestly don’t know how she can stand it. Oh well, different strokes.
Weather plays a huge part in my living in The Bay Area. I suffer from seasonal depression when I don’t get enough sunlight, so I need a lot of sun to live a relatively normal life. Additionally, I just don’t like cold weather. I’ve lived in New Jersey and Chicago for many years, and I moved to the SF Bay Area because it’s the only place yet that I’ve actually been happy. Unfortunately the weather and the natural beauty comes with a price.
I do like the weather where I live most of the time. In the UK most people complain about the weather all of the time, too cold, too wet, too windy and even on occasions too hot. I do not like hot weather but am happy in any other type so love the crisp cold winters, frosty mornings, warm springs, rain in the summer and cool autumns. I think it would have an influence on where I lived as I certainly would not go somewhere that was too hot and humid.
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