Air Quality -Asthma - Air Conditioning in San Jose (Fresno: apartment, homes)

[JkLiveWhere]

So what opinion do folks have about air quality in San Jose and also about air conditioning in homes. Seems like a lot of homes don't have any air conditioning which surprises me with the temps here (but I am a midwesterner). Comments on asthma and air quality appreciated.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by JkLiveWhere

So what opinion do folks have about air quality in San Jose and also about air conditioning in homes. Seems like a lot of homes don't have any air conditioning which surprises me with the temps here (but I am a midwesterner). Comments on asthma and air quality appreciated.

The air quality here, like many areas of the country, has improved quite a bit over the last 30 years and will continue to improve as cars and other sources of emissions keep getting cleaner and greener.

The air is not absolutely pristine here, but we violate the state/federal air pollution standards only a few times a year at most (and some years not at all).

Here is a link to the historical air quality data in the Bay Area. Our air in the Bay Area is much cleaner than in Southern Cal and places further inland (Fresno, Sacramento). But even the places with the dirtiest air have improved:

BAAQMD - Annual Bay Area Air Quality Summaries

As for allergies, that is more of an individual thing, because it depends on what you're allergic to. In general, this area doesn't have a reputation as being a "bad allergy" place. But I know some people do feel it during the spring here. Personally, I just take a Claritin as needed a few times each spring, and that's all I need.

As for air conditioning, some people have it, but not everyone. It's not an absolute necessity here. The only bad thing about it is when it gets hot here, it usually gets REALLY hot (high 90s but with low humidity). When it's in the high 80s or low 90s the heat is still tolerable (It was a warmer than normal 87 today and I'm typing this from my 2nd floor apartment, and it was not hot in my place at all today) And even on the hottest days, it will still cool off into the 60s at night (high 50s during normal summer weather).

Here are the temperature averages for San Jose. The reading is taken downtown or at the airport, which are both somewhat close to the Bay, meaning slightly cooler summers than areas to the south.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/trave...omnav_business


Normally, we get 10 to 30 90 degree days per year, depending on what part of the valley you're in. (South San Jose and Los Gatos more like 30. Mountain View/Palo Alto, more like 10. With the rest of the Valley somewhere in between). But some of those days are in the low 90s, which aren't too hard to take. And the hot days are spread throughout the year, from April through October. Heat waves usually last about 3 days.

[Not a G.R.I.T.S.]

Originally Posted by JkLiveWhere

So what opinion do folks have about air quality in San Jose and also about air conditioning in homes. Seems like a lot of homes don't have any air conditioning which surprises me with the temps here (but I am a midwesterner). Comments on asthma and air quality appreciated.

My daughter had asthma and my husband allergies, when we lived in San Jose. Shortly after moving south, both were "cured", despite higher humidity and more foliage all around us.