Looking for AFFORDABLE northwestern town with cool summers and lower humidity (homes, living)

[zightlight]

Hi Folks!

Does anyone have suggestions on finding a place with lower summer temperatures (averaging under 80 degrees) and lower humidity (averaging under 50 percent) that is AFFORDABLE? Since I can take my work with me, I would like to find the most affordable place possible with the best climate possible. I want to be in the west, since I have family in Oregon and Utah.

Any suggestions on how I might find something close to this? It's been difficult to find a place with all three criteria in the western United States.

Thanks,
Ann

[Waterlily]

If I were you I'd look at towns along the Cascade mountains in Oregon or Washington. The higher elevation would give you a cooler summer and the humidity is lower than the western part of these states. Now for the downside;You'll get more snow and cold during winter.

Bend Oregon might fit the discription except it's not affordable any more. I'd try looking north or south of there.

[the dufferz]

waterlilly has this one nailed down pretty well. I will give you the Washington scoop.

Washington and most of the "coastal" areas and Washington qualify for cool weather, but you will strike out for most of this area for the low humidity. Seattle/western Washington's humidity is averages around 80-90%.

The puget sound area (seattle and surrounds) are not typically "affordable" with housing prices well above 200,000 for a starter home. Homes closer to the coast will be more affordable, but the humidity will typically increase with some months getting to about 95%. There is a covergence zone where the amount of rain is lower than other areas but I don't believe that the actual humidity is that much lower.

Dryer weather and more affordable homes are found in central and eastern washington with humidity in the 60-70% range. The downside would be the summer temps where the average would be around 80 degrees with highs in the 90's. The good news is that with the humidity being lower, the heat does not feel so hot.

I am unaware of any area that totally meets your criteria, but I would recommend hopping over to the washington and oregon forums and get some input from the kind folks there.

[dullnboring]

As others have said, Oregon and Washington would tend to be the most fitting areas just in terms of fitting into your climate criteria. While Seattle and Portland have high costs of living, if you're willing to live in a smaller city or town, you may be able to take advantage of the mild summers without having to bear the general perceived high cost of living. Check out Southern Oregon, perhaps around the Medford area.

[gizmo980]

What about eastern Oregon, like La Grande? I've only been through it once, but it seemed like a nice place... and according to city data, the weather sounds like what you're looking for:

http://pics.city-data.com/w1/lha18024.png (broken link)

http://pics.city-data.com/w2/hum18024.png (broken link)

Also, like someone else suggested, parts of southern Oregon might work. Ashland is a beautiful town, which is quite dry compared to most of western OR... but in terms of cost, it's fairly expensive for the state. Northern California has lots of low-humidity spots, basically anywhere along the valley or coast. The coastal towns like Eureka/Arcata have very mild weather, where it's never really hot or cold. But the trade-off is constant gloom, where you don't see the sun for weeks at a time. It's also pretty rainy, but is rarely humid when the sky clears... perfect for my taste! The Central Valley is very dry, though temperatures can really soar in the summer. I lived in Stockton for a few years, and frequently saw temps. above 100 degrees. Yuk!

[zightlight]

Thank you for all the great advice! I had thought Idaho might be a good choice but I haven't seen any mention of it. I'll look more closely at Northern California, Oregon and Washington. I don't mind being away from a big city as long as it's beautiful and affordable and has high speed internet access.