bigreddawgie

yea haha it rained in dallas a few days ago. strange

polkadot_heart

Floridian here! Yeah, the humidity in the summer sucks, and so does the threat of hurricanes, but I can't imagine living anywhere else. I really do love it here. I'm not a native Floridian (raised in NY) and I live in north Florida, so it's a bit different here than SoFla (not nearly as crowded...well...depending where you are, but we still have old drivers and afternoon thunderstorms in the summers). Did you have any universities in particular you were interested in looking at? Anything else you were really dying to know?

specify

That's basically 100% accurate right there.

In the fall it can be really nice, the winters are never too cold (high 30s at the lowest), spring is like a colder fall but brighter. Summers are outright awful unless you have access to a beach.

Speaking of beaches, look out for red people.

ElectricTech

In Florida, I'm interested in UF and UCF for engineering.

Coming from Chicago, I'd also like to know which cities are fun to live in/near, with attractions and sights. Orlando comes to mind. I know that I love biking along Lake Michigan and walking through the nice parks with the landscaping.

Also, what kind of weather/season lasts for the longest amount of time in a year? Like, in Chicago, it feels like we only get 1 month of spring and the summers and cold weather dominate the year. 68 degree weather doesn't last long here. I'm just looking to get out of the winters.

Apotheosis

I live in Central East Florida.

I've been in the same house, in the same city all my life. It never really gets boring. There are so many things to do in Florida.

The summers can be bad, but not to the point of being intolerable. If you live near the coast, there is usually a nice breeze to keep things somewhat cool. Just make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and drink lots of water if you plan to do something outside.

The weather in the fall, winter, and spring is great.

mydegisunacred

In miami it is always above 75-80 degree. the exception is when a cold front comes through. Recent years have been hotter, and wed be lucky to have more than a week with 50 degree weather. I

khrushchevtm

Let's see... I've lived in Austin for 6 years, Houston for 12, and visited Dallas a handful. I'd advise crossing Dallas off that list (way too much traffic and it smells). If looking for the "urban experience" live in one of the many surrounding Houston area suburbs and commute into the city. Houston has the best big city feel.

Austin... is very grassroots, hippy, liberal. Exactly what one would typify it as. It's a great haven for college students and those "unique" individuals. It's a lot more laid back than Houston, which I should add cannot drive as a CITY, and Austin just seems to be more alluring, more green, more nature-driven. College atmosphere = party. UT Austin = Great academically, very very social, one of the biggest party schools. Fairly hilly.

Houston is a lot like NYC. Huge population, a bit more conservative. Better college town for med students. World's largest medical center which loves Rice students apparently, a LOT of internships available. Metal jungle, flat.

More leisure-driven individuals tend to settle in Austin (Lake Austin, Lake Travis, etc.)

Those that are all about their job tend to settle in metropolitan Houston. It's crazy.

Dallas, eh, we'll not touch on that.

Austin weather: surprisingly mild except for June-August (hits 100+), other months (this year) it's been tame (anywhere from 32 to 75, mostly 50-60)

Houston weather: hot/rainy/humid

engineering?

if ur gonna live in texas i suggest austin. i have lived in austin for more than 10 years now, Austin has pretty good weather except around mid afternoon in the summers when it gets really really hot , and even then its still kinda breezy. There are a lot of nice areas to live in in austin although might be kinda expensive. There are a lot of parks, state parks, and natural areas in and around austin. A bunch of lakes. The traffic is kinda bad but nothing like houston or dallas and it seems to be getting better once the metro line goes up. Other things i like about austin is UT, the campus is really relaxing to be in and around, barton springs and zilker park are austin's prime relaxing pools and parks with a lot of free events occurring most weekends. Austin has a lot of bars, clubs, parties, and the people in general are friendly, there is a good demographic mix and even if ur not liberal there are pretty conservative areas in and around austin for example West Lake Hills. Austin has a lot of yound people and its a fun city.

ElectricTech

I think I can get used to the traffic, being from Chicago.

Escapist

Austin is the only livable part of Texas.

Trust me.

Vivi

Born in Austin, raised in Austin... going to college in Boston.
But the truth is, Austin is freaking amazing. Very liberal, though.

whohuh

Well I'm an Arizonan and I can say if you're planning to live here my advice would really depend on what city you want to go to. In Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Tempe its hot but there is a lot of business and it has a huge population. In cities up north like Flagstaff the weather is extremely AWESOME- you get all the seasons up there and its more suburbany (if that's a word)

I also visited Florida for like a week and it seems like there is a lot to do there and the weather is humid.

However, if you're planning to move to any of these states I think the most important factor is money. You can spend a lot here in Arizona to get a house but you'd have to commute to work. When I was in high school, my marketing teacher moved to Texas because of cheap housing and developing business or something like that. I can't say anything for Florida though.

xNYer

You will also find that the East coast (Ft.Lauredale) of FL is mostly populated by N/E'ners.
The West coast (Tampa )with Mid Westeners. Has something to do with I-95 on the East coast running along the N/E US and I-75 running to the mid west.

Yes the humidity is high in FL but thats why they have A/C & inground pools.

Anyhow, if you are considering college here in FL you will NOT be here during the high humidity months so discount that.

ElectricTech

So the cost of living is high in Arizona? I'd probably be looking into the Phoenix area or Tuscon.

Dunno if this matters, but I'd be looking into science/engineering related jobs.

When you say liberal, do you mean from a political standpoint, because I tend to lean toward the liberal spectrum, but I don't think it'll matter that much though.

Vyse

I go to Texas A&M. I have a love-hate relationship with the weather. I like that there's only a couple months during the whole year where it's coat weather. You can pretty much play outdoor basketball or go to the park 9-10 months a year here. But July and August are brutal. You have to always keep your car windows cracked, drink plenty of water, and keep some sunscreen handy at all times.

Texas does have its fair share of the stereotypical rednecks you seen on t.v., but not very many of them make it to a college campus. My experiences with the A&M community have been really positive.

I grew up and lived in Dallas my entire life too. Its a mixed bag. I used to like it, but the city has become really segregated now with most black and Mexican people living in south dallas and dallas proper, and all the white people living in the northern suburbs. But commuting back and forth means lots of traffic and lots of gas money.