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Are there any places in the eastern half of the US (North East and Midwest) that have cool summers? Most places in America seem to have hot and humid summers, so I'm looking for a place with chilly summers.
I don't know if there are "chilly" summers anywhere, but your best bet in the Eastern US is coastal Maine, especially areas farther Downeast. The humidity is mitigated by the ocean breeze. Higher elevation areas of northern New Hampshire and Maine have the lowest mean summer temperatures in the eastern US.
It is obviously cooler in the northern tier of states but even there it can get quite hot in the summer. Last summer in Michigan and Wisconsin there was numerous days over 100 degrees. (rare, but it happens) There are some isolated locations however that are cooler due to thier local geography. Areas downwind from the great lakes can be 10 degrees cooler than areas inland even a few miles. Of these places Michigans Kewennaw peninsula seems it would be the coolest, as its sticks out into Lake Superior and that is the coldest of the great lakes. Check out Houghton Michigan, its the primary town in that area. You will never see excessive heat on the shore of that lake, even if just a few miles inland its 90 degrees. The average high in that area likely never cracks 80 even in July, so sounds like what your looking for. It is also one of Americas most beautiful places, truly an undiscovered paradise for those who are NOT looking for warm weather.
It is obviously cooler in the northern tier of states but even there it can get quite hot in the summer. Last summer in Michigan and Wisconsin there was numerous days over 100 degrees. (rare, but it happens) There are some isolated locations however that are cooler due to thier local geography. Areas downwind from the great lakes can be 10 degrees cooler than areas inland even a few miles. Of these places Michigans Kewennaw peninsula seems it would be the coolest, as its sticks out into Lake Superior and that is the coldest of the great lakes. Check out Houghton Michigan, its the primary town in that area. You will never see excessive heat on the shore of that lake, even if just a few miles inland its 90 degrees. The average high in that area likely never cracks 80 even in July, so sounds like what your looking for. It is also one of Americas most beautiful places, truly an undiscovered paradise for those who are NOT looking for warm weather.
Just looked up and read all about Houghton. It seems like a very cool place. Festivals, winter carnival, Michigan Tech in town. I generally never even think about the UP, but honestly I could see myself being very happy there! I'm over living in bigger cities, I can always visit them if I need an urban fix.
Chilly summers? Pretty hard to come by in the eastern US...at least not to the degree you can find in the PNW, Alaska, or the Rockies. The Great Lakes region has what I consider damn near perfect summer weather with high temperatures that usually stay in the low/mid 80's and lows in the 60s with nice breezes from the lakes...but I don't consider 80s "chilly"....and we do get at least a few 90 degree temps every year (and in the past few years there have been more and more 90 degree days). Northern/Interior New England, the UP of Michigan, and Northern Minnesota are probably the only areas in the eastern half of the US where summer high temps average below 80 I'd say. But then that also comes pared with the most brutal winter you'll find in the eastern US as well.
Instead of going north go for elevation. Mountain towns in the Rockies for instance. Flagstaff Arizona's summers are never too hot and the nights cool off quite a bit.
"Hot" in the Adirondack Mountains usually means high 80s.
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