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The city of Vancouver usually has 1 or 2 snowfalls every winter but the snow never sticks for very long.. maybe a few days or a week at most on average. So, I don't think it's what you are looking for. The west coast of Vancouver Island however sees snow much less frequently. I think Tofino usually only sees accumulating snow about once every 10 years although most years will have a few snow flurries that melt with the ground on contact. There are a few mountains that certainly have snowfall about 40-50km away as the crow flies, but they are somewhat inaccessible as there are few roads in that area apart from a few logging roads and the main highway.
Another good place that hasn't really been mentioned is somewhere in South-central Chile. Puerto Montt might fit the bill. I imagine it gets almost no snowfall in the city itself but the nearby mountain range is also about 40-50km away and probably gets significant snowfalls. It also looks like it has fairly easy access by road according to Google Earth. Not as close as in NZ but not too far either.
Seattle and Sochi seem to be the closest so far, but would be considered very snowy as towns/cities by NZ standards. It was over 35 years since our last snowfall here, which was gone by breakfast. (they still closed school for the day though!)Batumi looks interesting, although I can't find any snowfall stats for it. Some of the towns on the South Island west coast (Hokitika in particular) get snow about as seldom as here, but within 150 kms get annual snowfalls of 25 metres plus on the higher mountains.
Tofino is mild for Canada, particularly so last winter, the Jan/Feb averages were warmer than the long term averages here for June/July. Puerto Montt seems a similar climate although snowfall is more frequent there, certainly not somewhere to leave your umbrella at home during the winter months! Both are regions worth a visit I think. Sicily, the Adriatic, and northern Spain get snow more often than I would have thought, though some of the stats I looked at for those regions didn't make sense. Iran may have places on the Caspian coast with little or no snow but I couldn't find much info for there. maybe the climate here is unique in this regard.
Tofino is mild for Canada, particularly so last winter, the Jan/Feb averages were warmer than the long term averages here for June/July. Puerto Montt seems a similar climate although snowfall is more frequent there, certainly not somewhere to leave your umbrella at home during the winter months! Both are regions worth a visit I think. Sicily, the Adriatic, and northern Spain get snow more often than I would have thought, though some of the stats I looked at for those regions didn't make sense. Iran may have places on the Caspian coast with little or no snow but I couldn't find much info for there. maybe the climate here is unique in this regard.
It seems it's more unique than I thought. How high are your mountains, by the way? I had a look at Granada in southern Spain as I remember being amazed as a child once to see snow on the mountains in October while in the city it was 25-30C, but even they have occasional falling snow (though none for seven straight winters). Clima en Granada / Aeropuerto - datos climáticos históricos desde el año 1973 - Tu Tiempo
If there is somewhere around there at a lower elevation then that might be a contender. Unless there's somewhere near the Atlas Mountains in Morocco or on the Canary Islands (not exactly temperate though) I think your location might be unique at least in the level of contrast between sea level and nearby mountains. It's really weird that you see snow on the horizon for months on end but nobody under 40 will remember seeing it in the town!
It's somewhat unique since New Zealand's oceanic position is so isolated from other landmasses, and it's hard to find another mountainous area whose lowlands are as temperate and mild (other areas like Pacific Northwest in N. America are still too snowy because of continental influence perhaps).
While Australia does have ski resorts, none of the snowcapped mountains are visible from the coast and the surrounding areas do seem to get snow relatively often. I can't comment on Tasmania though, as I have not been there.
There are some temperate snow-free areas in North-East Victoria amongst the mountains, but not coastal though.
It seems it's more unique than I thought. How high are your mountains, by the way? I had a look at Granada in southern Spain as I remember being amazed as a child once to see snow on the mountains in October while in the city it was 25-30C, but even they have occasional falling snow (though none for seven straight winters). Clima en Granada / Aeropuerto - datos climáticos históricos desde el año 1973 - Tu Tiempo
If there is somewhere around there at a lower elevation then that might be a contender. Unless there's somewhere near the Atlas Mountains in Morocco or on the Canary Islands (not exactly temperate though) I think your location might be unique at least in the level of contrast between sea level and nearby mountains. It's really weird that you see snow on the horizon for months on end but nobody under 40 will remember seeing it in the town!
I´m from granada, the difference between the lowest and the highest temperature in a day could be more than 20º(Celsius), that only in the city, and I have only seen twice snow in the city in 25 years(I mean snow hard). The highest temperature in summer is around 43º(Celsius), the lowest in winter is around -2º(Celsius). The snow in Sierra Nevada use to be from October to June.
The Tasman mountains elevations are 1400m to 1900m, with the winter snow line at about 1200m, sometimes settling to 800m for a week or two. Snow below 500 would make the news.There is still cover above 1500m which will likely last until mid summer. Snow can fall in any month, ( I had a white Christmas a few years ago)but usually lies from about early June on. The yearly rain fall totals are between 2 - 5 metres, so the snowpack can be deep some winters and, in other winters frequent northerly rain can mean a patchy ski season. The area is well protected from cold fronts in 3 directions so on the coast we tend to get sun and cold winds while the mountains are getting dumped on. Snow that settles is very uncommom -1939,1945, and 1974 as far as I know, although I did see a few flakes once ( and I mean a few) but that was from a blue sky.
I think most of thought of no snow as at most a few light snowfalls a year that don't last long on the ground at all (similar to London). The only place in the US that might fit your description is the coast of the very northern part of California near the Oregon border. The coast is extremely mild and rarely gets frosts let alone snow. To the east, the Klamath Mountains rise to 9000 feet, and a few have glaciers, so they must be snow covered in the winter. There are smaller mountains in between though, but the Klamath are about 100 miles from the coast.
The definition of snowfall at a location is relative, but there is a big difference between 1 or 2 times a winter and 1 in 35 winters. I'm really looking for somewhere comparable to here- a coastal town/city with snow very close, yet exceedingly rare on the ground. maybe the only other other places like this are elsewhere in NZ.
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