Migratory People (Snow Birds)

Each year there are a group of people who leave their homes in the colder, northern areas of the country, and head south for the winter, where the climate is warmer. These people are called the “Snow Birders.” They head for areas like Florida, California, Arizona, and the Carolinas, anywhere to get away from the cold and snow of home. Sometimes people who do this traveling on a yearly basis often have permanent homes in both areas of the country.

Snow birds are typically older people, usually the kind who can afford to be away from one home or the other for six months at a time. Also, a large portion of these Snow Birders have recreational vehicles that they use to travel south for the winter, instead of buying a house in the south for winter. These people like to use the same RV Park each year, and so the other snow birder’s become like a second family for them. “Quartzite, Arizona has been labeled “white city” because when you look from a bird’s eye view, all you see are the tops of white RV’s” (electronic source, Wikipedia.org, retrieved September 20, 2009). The origin of the term Snow Bird comes from the Anne Murray song about snowbirds flying away.

Most snow birders visit last between three and six months, and they can provide a big boost to the state’s economy. So next time you see an elderly person who looks to be visiting your warm sunny state, or maybe even in the warm winter months, of Michigan and Victoria, Canada, say hello and welcome them.