3 ms·

Everything north of the alps is pretty gloomy, especially compared to North America

frozencell 4y ago
Does Southern France has a climate close to the Bay Area? If the climate is relatively close, why is the region (between Nice and Montpelier) not a top place for technology? In Zug, Switzerland - not that far - there is a hub for blockchain but it looks like a financial paradise more than a full-time living place. Sophia Antipolis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Antipolis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Antipolis) is definitely an attempt to build a Silicon Valley in Europe but why did it not work? It was pushed and funded extensively by the government, it doesn't feel natural after all. In the Bay Area, the government was there too, no delusion but private sector has shaped California for about 150 years. What always stroke me is the urban planning: the houses and roads are big and pretty even if they look old sometimes. It might be part of the Californian dream: a big job, a big car, a big home, etc. Also the administration and mentality is different, more Republican perhaps?
- inglor_cz 4y ago
  Southern France is south of the Alps, though. The Mediterranean climate is very different from what you get in Central Europe, or (worse, as far as rain goes) the UK and Ireland. "Caelum crebris imbribus ac nebulis foedum; asperitas frigorum abest" – "The sky is obscured by constant rain and cold, but it never gets bitterly cold." (Tacitus about Britain in 98 AD. Not much has changed.) I personally like the weather on the southern slopes of the Alps the most. Southern Austria, South Tyrol, Slovenia. Pleasant enough to be almost-Mediterranean, but not scorching hot in the summer and still retaining four distinct seasons. If you like such weather, places like Trieste or Ljubljana can be fairly welcoming and with low cost of living, though you need to forget about Silicon Valley levels of compensation.
Ekaros 4y ago
Northern North America doesn't look too great... Dark and cold... Not some very lovely place to live. The south is horribly hot on other hand. Also horrible.
- thehappypm 4y ago
  What do you mean by “Northern” exactly? Vancouver? New York?
  - Ekaros 4y ago
    North of Polar Circle to start with and maybe somewhat south from there.
zwaps 4y ago
For what it's worth, the place where I am at right now has been extremely warm and sunny basically all spring and summer. And that's north of the Alps. By contrast, many large cities in North America have extreme seasonality. With meters of snow in the winter, and unbearable heat in the summer. Looking at you NYC.

Does Southern France has a climate close to the Bay Area? If the climate is relatively close, why is the region (between Nice and Montpelier) not a top place for technology? In Zug, Switzerland - not that far - there is a hub for blockchain but it looks like a financial paradise more than a full-time living place. Sophia Antipolis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Antipolis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Antipolis) is definitely an attempt to build a Silicon Valley in Europe but why did it not work? It was pushed and funded extensively by the government, it doesn't feel natural after all. In the Bay Area, the government was there too, no delusion but private sector has shaped California for about 150 years. What always stroke me is the urban planning: the houses and roads are big and pretty even if they look old sometimes. It might be part of the Californian dream: a big job, a big car, a big home, etc. Also the administration and mentality is different, more Republican perhaps?

inglor_cz 4y ago
Southern France is south of the Alps, though. The Mediterranean climate is very different from what you get in Central Europe, or (worse, as far as rain goes) the UK and Ireland. "Caelum crebris imbribus ac nebulis foedum; asperitas frigorum abest" – "The sky is obscured by constant rain and cold, but it never gets bitterly cold." (Tacitus about Britain in 98 AD. Not much has changed.) I personally like the weather on the southern slopes of the Alps the most. Southern Austria, South Tyrol, Slovenia. Pleasant enough to be almost-Mediterranean, but not scorching hot in the summer and still retaining four distinct seasons. If you like such weather, places like Trieste or Ljubljana can be fairly welcoming and with low cost of living, though you need to forget about Silicon Valley levels of compensation.

Ekaros 4y ago

Northern North America doesn't look too great... Dark and cold... Not some very lovely place to live. The south is horribly hot on other hand. Also horrible.

thehappypm 4y ago
What do you mean by “Northern” exactly? Vancouver? New York?
- Ekaros 4y ago
  North of Polar Circle to start with and maybe somewhat south from there.

zwaps 4y ago

For what it's worth, the place where I am at right now has been extremely warm and sunny basically all spring and summer. And that's north of the Alps. By contrast, many large cities in North America have extreme seasonality. With meters of snow in the winter, and unbearable heat in the summer. Looking at you NYC.