How to Live in Cold, Northern Climates

You’ve been living in a sunny, warm city for years, but now, a job, a family change, or a desire for adventure is taking you up into the northern climates of the country, where temperatures routinely dip well below what you’d like to consider.

How will you make it work?

Luckily, living in cold climates isn’t nearly as tough as it’s cracked up to be, and you can easily make it through the cool weather seasons with the help of these pointers.

5 Tips for Living in Cold, Northern Climates

Whether you’re headed to Alaska or Montana, these five tips will help you learn to love your chilly new environment.

1. Overhaul your wardrobe

There’s nothing worse than living in a cold, northern climate and not having the gear and equipment you need to make it bearable. Cold northern winters call for well-insulated boots, quality wool or synthetic under layers, down coats, and heavy, lined hats. If you can’t find these items at a store in your new area, consider ordering them online through an outlet like REI.

If you currently have a wardrobe made entirely of cotton, you’ll immediately notice how much of a difference good cold-weather gear makes for life in a northern environment.

2. Give your car a cold-weather makeover

Cold climates can be tough on the family car, so it’s smart to ensure that yours is running as efficiently as possible before you land in the depths of winter. Take your car to the shop to have its fluids checked and changed, and consider servicing the brakes and changing out the tires if needed. While large, heavy SUVs will do just fine with all-season tires, you may choose to take it one step further and add studded snow tires if you’re in an area where heavy snow, ice, and freezing rain are common.

3. Outfit your home for increased efficiency

If you’ve moved to a colder northern climate and have rented or purchased an older home in need of some renovations, you’ll quickly find that leaky doors and thin, single-pane windows are costing you a fortune in utilities. To address these things, purchase window insulator kits to help your home hold its heat, and consider filling up gaps around doorframes with spray foam insulation. This will help your home run more efficiently in the colder climate and will prevent you from literally throwing money out the window.

4. Have a backup plan

When you live in a cold northern climate, a power outage or severe snowstorm can be devastating, unless you’re prepared. While it may be extreme, it’s smart to keep a “disaster kit” on hand at home. This should include candles, blankets, bottled water, flashlights, matches, and some dry or dehydrated food that could hold you and your family over during a few days of limited mobility or severe weather.

5. Consider your heat source

If you’re now living in a frigid climate and your house has a wood stove, consider using it. Have your chimney and the stove box evaluated by a professional before you burn your first fire to ensure that everything is safe. Wood heat stays in the home longer, and dries wet clothing and boots quicker and more efficiently than electric heat.

Living in Cold Northern Climates, the Smart Way

While a move to a cold climate can feel shocking, these five tips can help you adjust quickly and easily to your new location.