How is Minnesota for mold allergies? (Minneapolis: houses, camping, home inspector)

[ApartmentNomad]

Yes, I realize that's probably too broad a question (even though it sounds rather narrow), since it will vary from location to location within the state, but feel free to break it down as specifically as you like.

I need to relocate because my mold allergies are such a problem in Philadelphia that for the last four years I haven't been able to be nearly as active as I had been previously.

I am looking at New Mexico, but I'm not thrilled about the pollen levels there. (Still, high pollen and low mold would be better than what I am dealing with now which is high pollen and high mold.)

[Delaneyland]

Thankfully I don't suffer allergies, folks I know here primarily complain of allergies in spring and fall. I do know if I don't run a dehumidifier in my basement, I can smell mold and mildew and would think it could be a problem without the dehumidifier. Thankfully our "wet" season is pretty short. Actually, all our seasons are pretty short!!

[Lindenin]

I have mold allergies... anytime I'm around mold, I can feel it flare up in about a minute.. flushed face, subtle shortness of breath. I'm sure you know the feeling.

Minnesota is generally pretty good... you do need to find a place with a dry basement. You know how it is, though. If you are like me, you can smell a wet basement the second you are in it.

I have a place with a bone dry basement, and have never had a problem with mold. Anywhere in the midwest will have some, but I think Minnesota is one of the better options unless you go to "brown country" out west, where nothing grows.

[JenLee]

Our house has that lovely "moldy basement" smell if I don't have the dehumidifier set on "auto" in the basement; but it only runs after heavy rains and during the spring thaw. Otherwise it never smells and I'm not bothered by it.

Our previous 2 houses here in MN never had mold problems so we think that this house may have a cracked foundation; or the "well room" in a corner of the basement may be the source of the problem. The basement is finished so we have never seen the foundation in the basement and the home inspector didn't see any problems when we bought the house.

We also have pollen problems here; but my allergies only act up in the fall for a very short time. I think that different pollens cause different people problems.

[MN55555]

Sorry, but I have allergies and there is no escaping in MN. I have both mold and pollen allergies. I have lived in both southern and northern MN. Mold allergies are worse in northern MN for me since we get "snow mold" because the weather is damp and our spring always seems longer to dry out with all the old snow. But it doesn't matter where you live, MN does get humid, this is not a dry climate. I use a dehumidifer in my basement and air conditioning when needed. As for the pollen allergies, northern MN obviously has more trees/pines and southern MN more pastures. Look into what you are allegric to first. I am allergic to red birch, which grows everywhere in northern MN, but not in southern MN. Either way, I would move out of MN because of my allergies but it is by far the best state to live in so I put up with my allergies.

[ApartmentNomad]

Thanks for the responses. After visiting New Mexico and doing a lot more digging into various possibilities, I've decided to try Albuquerque. (People should feel free to keep the responses coming though, since I'm sure others have similar questions in mind.)

Incidentally, I didn't make it clear, but I was concerned with outdoor, airborne mold, not the indoor kinds (which I assume can develop in pretty much any climate, as long as there is enough moisture inside).

[santos]

I have mold allergy too, and it was far worse when I lived in Philadelphia than when I lived in Minneapolis. Albuquerque is nice, but check out Santa Fe first.

[Hal Evans]

This late in the year, the mold is either all killed off or dormant. So this would be a good tmie to move here, if that were your only reason. Otherwise during the summer, I'd avoid camping. You can get a ton of mold into your skin that way.