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I get pretty significant SAD and 5000 IUs of Vitamin D helps a lot, but it's not enough for me. I'm planning to move to somewhere else in a year or two, maybe S

I get pretty significant SAD and 5000 IUs of Vitamin D helps a lot, but it's not enough for me. I'm planning to move to somewhere else in a year or two, maybe Seattle.

ChrisClark 8y ago
Vancouver Island isn't far from Seattle, and I had no sun at all all winter, be sure to check it out in the winter before you move there.
- PascLeRasc 8y ago
  Thanks, I hear Vancouver is beautiful. I'm planning on taking a west coast trip next summer so hopefully I'll be able to check Seattle out, along with Portland and SF, though I don't want to have to choose SF.
- tlavoie 8y ago
  It might not be that sunny in the winter, but it'll be warm enough that you're not completely bundled up away from the sunlight you do get if it's not actually raining. Winnipeg might be much sunnier in the winter, but I'm not sure you'd get much more sun exposure given things like wind chill. BTW, where on VI are you? Quadra here.
vondur 8y ago
I'd think Seattle would not be my first choice for a city with a lot of Sunshine. Something in California would be better, especially SoCal. (I think the Silicon Valley area gets plenty of sun too, the Bay Area can be quite cloudy)
- binarysolo 8y ago
  The west half of SF starting Fillmore Street-ish down to Daly City and Pacifica (all the lands alongside the Ocean) basically are known for fog issues, but most of the Peninsula, South Bay, and East Bay are super sunny.
Silfen 8y ago
I'm a Seattle native and love it here. Unfortunately it is not a good place to get sunlight. We are very far north (for an American city) and overcast for most of the year. Seattle averages about 5.5 hours of sun per day. San Francisco averages nearly 8.5.
- devmunchies 8y ago
  Why would you use avg sunlight per day? Thats takes the avg sunlight per year and maps it onto a daily avg, which is useless as a metric. You want sunny days per year. Which Seattle gets less than 90. Most cities in California get over 200.
  - Silfen 8y ago
    That's a good point and a better metric, but it's not meaningless. Very long summer days are worth something! They're just not helpful with SAD.
  - artursapek 8y ago
    Denver/Boulder area gets 300!
    - sixstringtheory 8y ago
      Came here to say, CO is sunny as all get out. Spent the last year in the San Luis Valley, which gets 350! Although it’s really rural, so you make some tradeoffs. I could probably live there forever :)
    - crunchlibrarian 8y ago
      Denver/Boulder is the sunniest spot in the USA that actually has a decent job market for everything. Even more sunny days than Los Angeles.
  - Johnny555 8y ago
    Climate change is here -- summers in Seattle are much sunnier than they used to be, I think this year we had nearly 90 sunny days just in June-August, September has started off with nice sunny days as well. Last year was unusually warm and sunny in the summer as too, though I guess a couple years isn't really a climate change, it's just unusual weather. On the flip side, people that got along without air conditioners 5 or 10 years ago are revisiting that decision, I called around a few places to get a quote for a split unit to be installed, and they were booked up through August.
artursapek 8y ago
Seattle is cloudy a lot of the year. I'd reconsider that.
cjarrett 8y ago
Seattle will get you SAD during winter. The summers are great, but winters for the past few years have been unrelentingly overcast. I was also heavily warned to buy those bulbs to put in the office by a coworker who suffered from it.
zerealshadowban 8y ago
Seattle is North enough that the sun sinks too low for your skin to be able to produce vitamin D between mid-September and mid-March! The May-August period has very few clouds and a not-too-hot sun, so that is a fine season from the point of view of spending time outdoors and letting your skin work for your body.
CryoLogic 8y ago
Seattle might have a decent yearly average of sunlight hours/day, but during the winter there are often weeks to months of almost no direct sunlight due to the overcast.
rconti 8y ago
Moved from Seattle to California, in large part because I realized how much happier I am when it's sunny. Was a great choice for me.

I get pretty significant SAD and 5000 IUs of Vitamin D helps a lot, but it's not enough for me. I'm planning to move to somewhere else in a year or two, maybe Seattle.

ChrisClark 8y ago

Vancouver Island isn't far from Seattle, and I had no sun at all all winter, be sure to check it out in the winter before you move there.

PascLeRasc 8y ago
Thanks, I hear Vancouver is beautiful. I'm planning on taking a west coast trip next summer so hopefully I'll be able to check Seattle out, along with Portland and SF, though I don't want to have to choose SF.
tlavoie 8y ago
It might not be that sunny in the winter, but it'll be warm enough that you're not completely bundled up away from the sunlight you do get if it's not actually raining. Winnipeg might be much sunnier in the winter, but I'm not sure you'd get much more sun exposure given things like wind chill. BTW, where on VI are you? Quadra here.

vondur 8y ago

I'd think Seattle would not be my first choice for a city with a lot of Sunshine. Something in California would be better, especially SoCal. (I think the Silicon Valley area gets plenty of sun too, the Bay Area can be quite cloudy)

binarysolo 8y ago
The west half of SF starting Fillmore Street-ish down to Daly City and Pacifica (all the lands alongside the Ocean) basically are known for fog issues, but most of the Peninsula, South Bay, and East Bay are super sunny.

Silfen 8y ago

I'm a Seattle native and love it here. Unfortunately it is not a good place to get sunlight. We are very far north (for an American city) and overcast for most of the year. Seattle averages about 5.5 hours of sun per day. San Francisco averages nearly 8.5.

devmunchies 8y ago
Why would you use avg sunlight per day? Thats takes the avg sunlight per year and maps it onto a daily avg, which is useless as a metric. You want sunny days per year. Which Seattle gets less than 90. Most cities in California get over 200.
- Silfen 8y ago
  That's a good point and a better metric, but it's not meaningless. Very long summer days are worth something! They're just not helpful with SAD.
- artursapek 8y ago
  Denver/Boulder area gets 300!
  - sixstringtheory 8y ago
    Came here to say, CO is sunny as all get out. Spent the last year in the San Luis Valley, which gets 350! Although it’s really rural, so you make some tradeoffs. I could probably live there forever :)
  - crunchlibrarian 8y ago
    Denver/Boulder is the sunniest spot in the USA that actually has a decent job market for everything. Even more sunny days than Los Angeles.
- Johnny555 8y ago
  Climate change is here -- summers in Seattle are much sunnier than they used to be, I think this year we had nearly 90 sunny days just in June-August, September has started off with nice sunny days as well. Last year was unusually warm and sunny in the summer as too, though I guess a couple years isn't really a climate change, it's just unusual weather. On the flip side, people that got along without air conditioners 5 or 10 years ago are revisiting that decision, I called around a few places to get a quote for a split unit to be installed, and they were booked up through August.

artursapek 8y ago

Seattle is cloudy a lot of the year. I'd reconsider that.

cjarrett 8y ago

Seattle will get you SAD during winter. The summers are great, but winters for the past few years have been unrelentingly overcast. I was also heavily warned to buy those bulbs to put in the office by a coworker who suffered from it.

zerealshadowban 8y ago

Seattle is North enough that the sun sinks too low for your skin to be able to produce vitamin D between mid-September and mid-March! The May-August period has very few clouds and a not-too-hot sun, so that is a fine season from the point of view of spending time outdoors and letting your skin work for your body.

CryoLogic 8y ago

Seattle might have a decent yearly average of sunlight hours/day, but during the winter there are often weeks to months of almost no direct sunlight due to the overcast.

rconti 8y ago

Moved from Seattle to California, in large part because I realized how much happier I am when it's sunny. Was a great choice for me.