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I could probably live without heat and AC if I lived in San Diego or San Jose. Problem is the COL is so high I couldn't afford it in the first place. I live in Las Vegas and it is pretty common for me to make it through the winter without heat. But no way could I survive the summer without AC!
Re: The need for heat. Most places in the U.S. do get cold in the mid-to-late fall through winter months, and sometimes as late as early spring. In other areas it's mainly an individual preference, i.e. what is your tolerance to cold? How is your health? Are you elderly? Do you have arthritis (as another poster mentioned)?
Because personal preferences and needs come into play, you will need to test the waters yourself, to an extent. Personally, coming from southeastern Pennsylvania, when I moved to San Diego I expected heavenly weather year-round. Yet, when November rolled around it FELT like November to me. I was also surprised that during November and December San Diego got cold enough in the early morning that I would need to turn on the heat for a short while.
As I've gotten older my preferences have changed a bit. Although I'd prefer to live in a place with warmer, sunny weather for most of the year, the climate is not as critical as the air quality. When choosing my future town or city the air quality will need to reflect a higher-than-average rating. Even so, I'll be using the air conditioner with a filtering device on warmer days.
I remember staying in a motel in the Foothills (?) area of California and the motel didn't have a heater or AC in the room. It would take a little thought for me to name the exact place as I was traveling for work every day five years ago, but it seems like I stopped in Yosemite, Davis, Colfax, Auburn, Yuba City and Grass Valley that week.
Last edited by thriftylefty; 09-21-2017 at 02:32 PM..
Lived in San Jose 21 years. Two apts, one townhome and a rented house. No A/C in any. No agony due to a lack of. Heat was used possibly ten times a year and this was when overnight guests commanded it. Unusual cold snaps did bring readings down to the mid 20s two or three times. Only people I knew who had A/C lived in Almaden Valley. Whether it was used is unknown.
Would agree with a previous poster that Oakland, for the nine county Bay Area, is most ideal for a great weather location.
Ideally, I would say the Central or Southern California coast, but if I'm being honest, it's not affordable to most people. The Oregon coast is a cheaper second option. You will need heat for a handful of days in the winter, but A/C is unnecessary in summer, as highs are typically only in the mid to upper 60s.
FWIW, a place with a climate so monotonously mild that houses don't require heat or AC would be mindblowingly dull. I grew up in southern CA. Sure, we switched on the furnace in early mornings part of the year but didn't use AC. Day after day after day of nothin' different. That was bad enough. I often found myself begging for something to change, even if the change might be unpleasant!
Last edited by Parnassia; 11-11-2021 at 12:14 PM..
FWIW, a place with a climate so monotonously mild that houses don't require heat or AC would be mindblowingly dull. I grew up in southern CA. Sure, we switched on the furnace in early mornings part of the year but didn't use AC. Day after day after day of nothin' different. That was bad enough. I often found myself begging for something to change, even if the change might be unpleasant!
It's not the climate that makes a place interesting or dull. I've lived in SoCal for more than 50 years and like the fact that the "mindblowingly dull climate" enables me to go out and pursue my favorite activities whenever I like without having to adapt to unpleasant, inclement weather.
As a matter of fact, throughout the year, daytime highs generally range from the 50s to 90s, which is not "no change." We will turn on the a/c if it gets hotter than 90, but never use heat.
I remember staying in a motel in the Foothills (?) area of California and the motel didn't have a heater or AC in the room. It would take a little thought for me to name the exact place as I was traveling for work every day five years ago, but it seems like I stopped in Yosemite, Davis, Colfax, Auburn, Yuba City and Grass Valley that week.
I stayed in a hotel (or maybe it was a motel) on a business trip to Santa Barbara once that had no AC. Not sure if they had heat or not, but it was during a heat wave with temps over 100 F. My rental car didn't have AC either if I recall correctly. I wasn't miserable, but I was quite a bit younger then but would have been more comfortable with AC.
I explored this subject in a lot of depth here on City Data a number of years ago.
The answer that came back again and again- San Diego, California.
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