Outdoorsy People in Temperate Climates

[Anonymous]

California and Colorado have a reputation for outdoorsy people, but the climates are so pleasant most of the year with low humidity.

Would those people be as outdoor driven if they were in the hot humidity of a summer in North Carolina? Or the bitter wet cold of New England?

[Anonymous]

I live in California and the thing is, we pay attention to Walkability Scores. So Boston? No problem! You can walk all around Boston. But the suburbs and places where most people drive, there are no sidewalks, and drivers are NOT expecting there to be pedestrians? It's not safe so there'd be less walking there.

Yesterday I did four errands, all on foot, over the course of an hour and a half. But I live in San Francisco where tons of people walk and the majority driving are from outside of the city (East or North Bay, or farther away). Sidewalks aplenty here.

Also, there's tons of outdoor stuff to do. You can rent bikes, kayaks, sailboats, trails to hike in Glen Canyon, GG Park, Lands End, Mt Sutro, etc., so does North Carolina have all those outdoor options? Is the water frozen in New England or is it able to be boated upon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:California and Colorado have a reputation for outdoorsy people, but the climates are so pleasant most of the year with low humidity.

Would those people be as outdoor driven if they were in the hot humidity of a summer in North Carolina? Or the bitter wet cold of New England?

Va - mosquitoes, heat, humidity. Shaking
My head no

[Anonymous]

Of course not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:California and Colorado have a reputation for outdoorsy people, but the climates are so pleasant most of the year with low humidity.

Would those people be as outdoor driven if they were in the hot humidity of a summer in North Carolina? Or the bitter wet cold of New England?

Va - mosquitoes, heat, humidity. Shaking
My head no

Same PP but I know somebody who goes hiking, rafting, climbing, cabin trips, almost every weekend to do outdoorsy things within a 3 hrs from DC. When in town she’s running, skating, or riding. For longer vacations, she travels to Europe to ski. Family of 4 with elementary school aged kids, so I think some folk just have the ‘outdoorsy’ gene.

[Anonymous]

No.

I moved from southern california where I spent nearly every free moment outside. It was always between 60 and 80, rarely rained, no mosquitos, low humidity. Everyone was outside a lot.

Here? I hibernate all summer because it's gross and I get attacked by mosquitos. I might go out for an hour a day early before it's over 90. I hibernate all winter because it's slushy and freezing rain and disgusting.

I have a lovely month in the fall and spring where i'm outside all the time though!

[Anonymous]

I lived in the Bay Area for 15 years and the lovely Mediterranean climate is wonderful. You’re right though, it’s easy to become a delicate flower in a place like that. Colder than 62 or hotter than 82 was just not ok. I moved to New England and our first winter here saw people surfing in a snowstorm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in California and the thing is, we pay attention to Walkability Scores. So Boston? No problem! You can walk all around Boston. But the suburbs and places where most people drive, there are no sidewalks, and drivers are NOT expecting there to be pedestrians? It's not safe so there'd be less walking there.

Yesterday I did four errands, all on foot, over the course of an hour and a half. But I live in San Francisco where tons of people walk and the majority driving are from outside of the city (East or North Bay, or farther away). Sidewalks aplenty here.

Also, there's tons of outdoor stuff to do. You can rent bikes, kayaks, sailboats, trails to hike in Glen Canyon, GG Park, Lands End, Mt Sutro, etc., so does North Carolina have all those outdoor options? Is the water frozen in New England or is it able to be boated upon?

Funny generalization about a very big a diverse state! Incidentally one major reason I'm reluctant to move from DC back to the Bay Area is needing to get a car. Not to mention SoCal driving culture!

Anyway, I have a ton of outdoorsy friends in DC and NoVa and even more up in Vermont.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in California and the thing is, we pay attention to Walkability Scores. So Boston? No problem! You can walk all around Boston. But the suburbs and places where most people drive, there are no sidewalks, and drivers are NOT expecting there to be pedestrians? It's not safe so there'd be less walking there.

Yesterday I did four errands, all on foot, over the course of an hour and a half. But I live in San Francisco where tons of people walk and the majority driving are from outside of the city (East or North Bay, or farther away). Sidewalks aplenty here.

Also, there's tons of outdoor stuff to do. You can rent bikes, kayaks, sailboats, trails to hike in Glen Canyon, GG Park, Lands End, Mt Sutro, etc., so does North Carolina have all those outdoor options? Is the water frozen in New England or is it able to be boated upon?

Your last paragraph confuses me? NC had a ton of rivers and the intercoastal for kayaking and sailing. Is New England frozen? I mean in the winter it is, but boating is New Englands natural identity.

[Anonymous]

I think the opposite holds true for me. I've always thought of myself as a non-outdoorsy kind of person - but I've also lived on the humid east coast all my life. I hate summer and stay in the A/C as much as possible, living for fall and spring.

If I had grown up in a non-humid climate, like somewhere out west, then perhaps I would actually be an outdoorsy person! Certainly, on a beautiful day like today, I found myself outside the entire day. I absolutely hate humidity.

[Anonymous]

I hate the mousquitos and the humidity. I am way more outdoorsy in more temperate climates. I think I just need to leave dc every summer. I don’t mind cold or snow.

[Anonymous]

Some of the more outdoorsy people I knew in college intentionally moved to places like Colorado and the Pacific Northwest, so there's some selection bias there.

I would say I'm fairly outdoorsy here in the DC area. I run outside year round, hike, kayak, etc. I just accept that the weather is what it is and dress accordingly.

[Anonymous]

I became a runner for the first time in my life and ran several marathons when I lived in the Bay Area. I also swam and hiked weekly. I still ran when I moved to hot and humid (and sometimes icy and cold) DC, but not nearly as many miles. I basically stopped swimming, and hiking became a once a month, if that, sort of event. So… sort of?

[Anonymous]

Colorado has some pretty extreme weather. Low humidity, yes ... so low I get nosebleeds and headaches when I go there, extreme heat and wildfires in the summer, extreme cold in the winter. And the altitude is no joke for athletic activity.

I think people who want to be outdoorsy will be outdoorsy wherever they land. The difference is more cultural than climate driven - in CA or CO (or OR, WA, AK, ID), more people do outdoorsy things all the time, so there's more of a social incentive to join them. When I lived in WA or CA, my friends regularly planned a hike/picnic for a weekend afternoon, or a river kayaking excursion, or rock climbing. It's just what people did with free time. You can do those same things in VA - kayaking the upper Potomac is really pleasant on a hot August day - but many people don't. So those who are on the fence - will go along, but not plan their own outdoorsy stuff - will get swept along on the west coast, but not here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:California and Colorado have a reputation for outdoorsy people, but the climates are so pleasant most of the year with low humidity.

Would those people be as outdoor driven if they were in the hot humidity of a summer in North Carolina? Or the bitter wet cold of New England?

Va - mosquitoes, heat, humidity. Shaking
My head no

Dr. Faucci got infected with West Nile virus through mosquitos in his suburban MD backyard.