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If you're used to Southern Cal, think very carefully before moving east of the Rockies. The type of day that is common in SoCal - temps in 70s, sunny, little humidity - is very rare in many of the locations mentioned in this thread i.e. Atlanta, NC, Nashville, Tampa.
The climate tends to go from 'three showers a day' sticky hot weather between April and October to possibly quite chilly and often gloomy between November and March. There are transitional seasons but they tend to be marked more by up and down weather (i.e. periods of quite warm weather ended by thunderstorms and followed by a chill) rather than any consistently nice, mild weather (and it's always humid anyway, so 75 in the Carolinas or Georgia will feel very different to 75 in L.A. or San Diego). Of course the further south you go the longer that sticky hot-humid season lasts to the point where in South Florida it's practically all year long.
The locals and other East Coast/Midwest folks generally will be used to it and make the best of it, but if SoCal is what you're familiar with..it will be a shock to the system and it's something that feels much worse in reality than it looks on paper. Sweating, even without engaging in much physical activity, is simply a fact of life. People call it the Sun Belt, but they may as well call it the A/C belt.
Being able to sleep with open windows is one of my favorite things about California..it's just not going to be a very good option many nights in any of those places (consider that nighttime temperatures in the mid to high 70s are common in the Southeast in summer and humidity tends to go up into the 90% range as the evening advances).
I don't think it has to be a deal breaker as it depends on your personal lifestyle and priorities, but I feel like everyone from California should at least consider the reality of it before moving to avoid a potentially costly mistake.
If you're used to Southern Cal, think very carefully before moving east of the Rockies. The type of day that is common in SoCal - temps in 70s, sunny, little humidity - is very rare in many of the locations mentioned in this thread i.e. Atlanta, NC, Nashville, Tampa.
The climate tends to go from 'three showers a day' sticky hot weather between April and October to possibly quite chilly and often gloomy between November and March. There are transitional seasons but they tend to be marked more by up and down weather (i.e. periods of quite warm weather ended by thunderstorms and followed by a chill) rather than any consistently nice, mild weather (and it's always humid anyway, so 75 in the Carolinas or Georgia will feel very different to 75 in L.A. or San Diego). Of course the further south you go the longer that sticky hot-humid season lasts to the point where in South Florida it's practically all year long.
The locals and other East Coast/Midwest folks generally will be used to it and make the best of it, but if SoCal is what you're familiar with..it will be a shock to the system and it's something that feels much worse in reality than it looks on paper. Sweating, even without engaging in much physical activity, is simply a fact of life. People call it the Sun Belt, but they may as well call it the A/C belt.
Being able to sleep with open windows is one of my favorite things about California..it's just not going to be a very good option many nights in any of those places (consider that nighttime temperatures in the mid to high 70s are common in the Southeast in summer and humidity tends to go up into the 90% range as the evening advances).
I don't think it has to be a deal breaker as it depends on your personal lifestyle and priorities, but I feel like everyone from California should at least consider the reality of it before moving to avoid a potentially costly mistake.
Actually, I as a SoCal native, I was well able to bear the humidity of a Gulf Coast summer, no problem. The muggy weather actually felt better than the dry, skin-cracking heat of inland California. Also, the greenery of the Gulf and the summer thunderstorms are unforgettable vs. SoCal's bone dry, rainless, brown summers.
I could never get over how wonderfully warm it was every night--80 degrees even at sunrise! Ah...imagine watching 4th of July fireworks or concerts in the park, on an 85 degree evening, sitting in nothing but shorts, t-shirt, and sandals. That's the Deep South. Can't do that in SoCal, with the marine layer. Every 4th of July night, I'm watching fireworks with a hoodie and jeans, and maybe even a blanket over that.
If it's too warm for you at night in the Southeast, just sleep without a blanket.
I've lived in So Cal all of my life and don't want to anymore. Why? Housing costs, traffic, materialism, and the general sense of closing upward mobility.
I MUST live somewhere that has mild winters... as in nights over freezing temps, extremely rare to see snow, and basically a life that is unaffected by winter.
I also WANT to live somewhere that is in between urban and suburban, like a dense sprawl. A diverse economy, academic institutions, medical resources, some things to do. I don't need the greatest museums or sports options... If it's there, great, if not, great. Some scenery would be good. Too hot over too cold.
MUST be the sort of place that never requires leaving to find what you need... relatively speaking. I will further complicate this by eliminating Texas.
Thank you for your help.
Why not Texas? They have In-N-Out and plenty of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian food. Also, surprise surprise, parts of Texas have a balmy, Florida-like climate (yes, it's humid, but as a lifelong Californian, I prefer the humidity of the Gulf over the dry heat of inland California).
Actually, I as a SoCal native, I was well able to bear the humidity of a Gulf Coast summer, no problem. The muggy weather actually felt better than the dry, skin-cracking heat of inland California. Also, the greenery of the Gulf and the summer thunderstorms are unforgettable vs. SoCal's bone dry, rainless, brown summers.
I could never get over how wonderfully warm it was every night--80 degrees even at sunrise! Ah...imagine watching 4th of July fireworks or concerts in the park, on an 85 degree evening, sitting in nothing but shorts, t-shirt, and sandals. That's the Deep South. Can't do that in SoCal, with the marine layer. Every 4th of July night, I'm watching fireworks with a hoodie and jeans, and maybe even a blanket over that.
If it's too warm for you at night in the Southeast, just sleep without a blanket.
That's your personal preference, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that preference. It's just important to acknowledge that it feels *very* differently from California. It's very warm at night, yes, but also very, very humid. The air is heavy.
I will also say that in the summer I sleep without a blanket and without a shirt on - here in Virginia - and yet I still have to have the A/C running for it to be acceptable. And of course that applies even more so in the Deep South.
I'm not saying any of that to say that it's terrible out East, I'm just saying that you need to be aware of the difference. It's quite common among Western transplants out here to lament the climate.
It depends upon some other needs that you have in a city, but I'd say that Tampa is probably the best. Orlando could work. Fort Lauderdale might be on the list. I'd only try Miami if you were fluent in Spanish.
Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona are close matches, but not as good as the Florida matches. The nights can get into the 30s/low 40s regularly there, and Arizona's ecology is concerning. Where is the water going to come from? I think sustainability should be a major concern there and both Phoenix and Tucson have been overdeveloped relative to what the ecosystem should be able to handle sustainably.
Tri-Cities, WA. It feels more like California than anywhere else in the Pacific Northwest. Dry desert climate, relatively low real estate prices, sunshine most of the year, little snow (most years!), and except for a short winter, a mild to hot climate from March to October, with no humidity. Growing economy, construction everywhere. No state income tax. Good family area, emphasis on new schools. Relatively close (3 hrs) to Seattle and Portland. Regional medical center. Some nearby low mountains, some nearby high mountains. Has just about everything a major city has except for major league sports and great cultural attractions. Columbia River is a beautiful recreational attribute.
This is not urban nor really suburban and certainly not a dense sprawl. Not really that diverse economically.
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