Can anyone find a 'medium' between these 2? (climate, hottest, warm)
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We are getting ready to retire. We have been in the process of trying to locate the place that works for us. We have come down to two cities. Both have fine homes at good prices. We HAVE to remain price driven, because 'it is what it is!' I wish we had more, but we don't so thats that! But, I have found that Redmond OR, and Surprise AZ are both very nice towns, with great bang for the buck in housing. The deal is, that if you research it, the part of AZ is one of the hottest summer places in the US, and the Redmond OR is about the limit we could take for cold winters. I recently was told that over 50% of winter nights are below freezing, and it looks like that data backs that up.
So, my question, is do you know of any cities/towns that are similar, but a combination of the two, or more like a compromise of the two.....like 95 in the summer instead of 108, and/or 35-45 for usual winter lows and maybe some sun in the winter days?
I might need to go to realtor . com and search for "Nirvana" but I hope that someone might have an actual place that fits.
Thanks
We really are getting into the search-we hope to get out, sell, button it up and be somewhere new by (????) mid-summer, fall? It might take a bit longer, but not if all goes well. We would buy now, and rent out the new place until all the retirement stuff is settled, if thats the way to get the right place for the right price. So, thats it, and thank you for the help!
We are getting ready to retire. We have been in the process of trying to locate the place that works for us. We have come down to two cities. Both have fine homes at good prices. We HAVE to remain price driven, because 'it is what it is!' I wish we had more, but we don't so thats that! But, I have found that Redmond OR, and Surprise AZ are both very nice towns, with great bang for the buck in housing. The deal is, that if you research it, the part of AZ is one of the hottest summer places in the US, and the Redmond OR is about the limit we could take for cold winters. I recently was told that over 50% of winter nights are below freezing, and it looks like that data backs that up.
So, my question, is do you know of any cities/towns that are similar, but a combination of the two, or more like a compromise of the two.....like 95 in the summer instead of 108, and/or 35-45 for usual winter lows and maybe some sun in the winter days?
I might need to go to realtor . com and search for "Nirvana" but I hope that someone might have an actual place that fits.
Thanks
We really are getting into the search-we hope to get out, sell, button it up and be somewhere new by (????) mid-summer, fall? It might take a bit longer, but not if all goes well. We would buy now, and rent out the new place until all the retirement stuff is settled, if thats the way to get the right place for the right price. So, thats it, and thank you for the help!
Both locations seem like nice places for retirement. Moving based on weather can be a tricky deal: It’s hard to get a feel for a climate without living there for awhile. I was in Eugene, Oregon many years ago, and it was quite beautiful. It looks like you’re in the Humboldt, CA area. Keep in mind that you just about straddle the line where the West Coast/Pacific becomes very cloudy once you head north. Much north of your area, is the cloudiest area of the USA. I would only caution while Arizona might be the other extreme in terms of sunshine…the PNW is the oppsite extreme for cloudiness.
As to your temp preferences (“ 95 F in the summer at the hottest…and 35-45 F for usual winter lows… and maybe some sun in the winter days”)... is not easy. Finding a place with average lows of 35 to 45 F in the three coldest months (Dec/Jan/Feb) limits you to the far Western seaboard, the deep desert southwest, the coastal plain of the Gulf/south Atlantic, and of course Florida. So your choices are not huge.
In any event - here is a map for a few different months showing hours of sunshine in the USA…and the amount of cloudiness in region just to your north (PNW). For example in Feb - Redmond and the areas to the north gets less than 100 hours of sunshine ...the least in the USA...December is not much better. October gets better...and May through Aug is the best. You can see in all months how the amount of sunshine decrease rapidly north of you in Humbolt:
Both locations seem like nice places for retirement. Moving based on weather can be a tricky deal: It’s hard to get a feel for a climate without living there for awhile. I was in Eugene, Oregon many years ago, and it was quite beautiful. It looks like you’re in the Humboldt, CA area. Keep in mind that you just about straddle the line where the West Coast/Pacific becomes very cloudy once you head north. Much north of your area, is the cloudiest area of the USA. I would only caution while Arizona might be the other extreme in terms of sunshine…the PNW is the oppsite extreme for cloudiness.
As to your temp preferences (“ 95 F in the summer at the hottest…and 35-45 F for usual winter lows… and maybe some sun in the winter days”)... is not easy. Finding a place with average lows of 35 to 45 F in the three coldest months (Dec/Jan/Feb) limits you to the far Western seaboard, the deep desert southwest, the coastal plain of the Gulf/south Atlantic, and of course Florida. So your choices are not huge.
In any event - here is a map for a few different months showing hours of sunshine in the USA…and the amount of cloudiness in region just to your north (PNW). For example in Feb - Redmond and the areas to the north gets less than 100 hours of sunshine ...the least in the USA...December is not much better. October gets better...and May through Aug is the best. You can see in all months how the amount of sunshine decrease rapidly north of you in Humbolt:
FEB
DEC:
OCT:
MAY:
Good luck.
.
We are actually in the grey area shown on the map. We are in turf that looks like the same as Redmond, the difference being, of course, the humidity. We get an avg of around 80-85% all year, while Redmond gets an avg of what appears to be 10-18%. The dry air makes cold easier to take, and sun easier to take, but it doesn't help too much when you get below 10-12 degrees, as in Redmond several nights of the year, Thanks again for the maps.
We are actually in the grey area shown on the map. We are in turf that looks like the same as Redmond, the difference being, of course, the humidity. We get an avg of around 80-85% all year, while Redmond gets an avg of what appears to be 10-18%. The dry air makes cold easier to take, and sun easier to take, but it doesn't help too much when you get below 10-12 degrees, as in Redmond several nights of the year, Thanks again for the maps.
Wow, 80 to 85% humidity ave through the year! If nothing else, a move to Redmond would be a much drier climate. Is this something you are trying to get away from? I think precip rises as you head north of Humbolt, though maybe the microclimates around the mts change that.
Wow, 80 to 85% humidity ave through the year! If nothing else, a move to Redmond would be a much drier climate. Is this something you are trying to get away from? I think precip rises as you head north of Humbolt, though maybe the microclimates around the mts change that.
East of the Cascades is high desert. Central Or has a very arid climate through that area. Like I said, a lot of days in Redmond are lower, although today its:
We are getting ready to retire. We have been in the process of trying to locate the place that works for us. We have come down to two cities. Both have fine homes at good prices. We HAVE to remain price driven, because 'it is what it is!' I wish we had more, but we don't so thats that! But, I have found that Redmond OR, and Surprise AZ are both very nice towns, with great bang for the buck in housing. The deal is, that if you research it, the part of AZ is one of the hottest summer places in the US, and the Redmond OR is about the limit we could take for cold winters. I recently was told that over 50% of winter nights are below freezing, and it looks like that data backs that up.
So, my question, is do you know of any cities/towns that are similar, but a combination of the two, or more like a compromise of the two.....like 95 in the summer instead of 108, and/or 35-45 for usual winter lows and maybe some sun in the winter days?
I might need to go to realtor . com and search for "Nirvana" but I hope that someone might have an actual place that fits.
Thanks
We really are getting into the search-we hope to get out, sell, button it up and be somewhere new by (????) mid-summer, fall? It might take a bit longer, but not if all goes well. We would buy now, and rent out the new place until all the retirement stuff is settled, if thats the way to get the right place for the right price. So, thats it, and thank you for the help!
I agree with Nei - you are looking in the wrong part of Arizona. In southern Arizona the temps are cooler (as a general rule) the further east you go because there is a general elevation gain as you leave the California border and move towards the New Mexico border. For example, Yuma (on the Colorado River) is at a mere 200' & is a blast furnace in the summer, Phoenix is at 1,000' and still mighty hot, Tucson is a bit cooler at 2,400', Benson cooler still at 3,500', Sierra Vista is pretty perfect in regards to climate at around 4,200'-4,600' (depending on where in town), Bisbee (as mentioned) cooler still at 5,500'. Based on your criteria, SV is the place with the most perfect climate - with summer highs for June/July/Aug of 93/93/90 & winter lows for Dec/Jan/Feb of 34/34/36 (and winter highs of 62/62/65).
We actually own some property in J-Six Ranchettes about 40 minutes east of downtown Tucson (pop of around 1 million with everything one would need) & 10 minutes west of Benson (a small town of 6,000 with Safeway, Walmart, small hospital, a few restaurants etc) just off (4 minutes) I-10. Since we sit at 4,200 feet (compared to Tucson's 2,400) we are more temperate & have roughly the same climate as Sierra Vista.
Since there was a wunderground.com personal weather station (now no longer collecting but still with historical readings online) not far from our lot I was able to collect 5 years worth of weather station readings. We average 3 days/year where it gets (just) above 100. Hottest day over the 5 years the temps were gathered over was just under 102 (a single instance of that). Surprisingly, that 102 degree day is actually 1 degree cooler than Seattle (where we are now) saw in the summer of 2009
Here are our average highs/lows from that station:
Ave High/Ave Low
Jan 60/38
Feb 64/40
Mar 68/44
Apr 77/50
May 84/59
June 93/68
July 91/71
Aug 86/68
Sep 85/63
Oct 78/57
Nov 69/51
Dec 60/37
We average around 14-18 inches of rain a year.With that amount of rain we are not really in the desert, but rather in a grassland/scrubland (known as the Apache Highlands Grasslands) with a few misquite trees mixed in from place to place (kind of looks like the African Savanna) & mountain views in 3 of 4 directions.
SE Arizona is a hidden gem in regards to climate - with the best average temps (& plenty of sunshine) outside of those super-expensive areas of SoCal so famous for it's weather.
Ken
Last edited by LordBalfor; 02-02-2011 at 12:42 PM..
I agree with Nei - you are looking in the wrong part of Arizona. In southern Arizona the temps are cooler (as a general rule) the further east you go because there is a general elevation gain as you leave the California border and move towards the New Mexico border. For example, Yuma (on the Colorado River) is at a mere 200' & is a blast furnace in the summer, Phoenix is at 1,000' and still mighty hot, Tucson is a bit cooler at 2,400', Benson cooler still at 3,500', Sierra Vista is pretty perfect in regards to climate at around 4,200'-4,600' (depending on where in town), Bisbee (as mentioned) cooler still at 5,500'. Based on your criteria, SV is the place with the most perfect climate - with summer highs for June/July/Aug of 93/93/90 & winter lows for Dec/Jan/Feb of 34/34/36 (and winter highs of 62/62/65).
We actually own some property in J-Six Ranchettes about 40 minutes east of downtown Tucson (pop of around 1 million with everything one would need) & 10 minutes west of Benson (a small town of 6,000 with Safeway, Walmart, small hospital, a few restaurants etc) just off (4 minutes) I-10. Since we sit at 4,200 feet (compared to Tucson's 2,400) we are more temperate & have roughly the same climate as Sierra Vista.
Since there was a wunderground.com personal weather station (now no longer collecting but still with historical readings online) not far from our lot I was able to collect 5 years worth of weather station readings. We average 3 days/year where it gets (just) above 100. Hottest day over the 5 years the temps were gathered over was just under 102 (a single instance of that). Surprisingly, that 102 degree day is actually 1 degree cooler than Seattle (where we are now) saw in the summer of 2009
Here are our average highs/lows from that station:
Ave High/Ave Low
Jan 60/38
Feb 64/40
Mar 68/44
Apr 77/50
May 84/59
June 93/68
July 91/71
Aug 86/68
Sep 85/63
Oct 78/57
Nov 69/51
Dec 60/37
We average around 14-18 inches of rain a year.With that amount of rain we are not really in the desert, but rather in a grassland/scrubland (known as the Apache Highlands Grasslands) with a few misquite trees mixed in from place to place (kind of looks like the African Savanna) & mountain views in 3 of 4 directions.
SE Arizona is a hidden gem in regards to climate - with the best average temps (& plenty of sunshine) outside of those super-expensive areas of SoCal so famous for it's weather.
Ken
I recall that maybe between 6 months and as much as 10-12 months ago, someone had mentioned the "J 6 ranchettes", and I had asked how to find that area, and if it was you, you described and sent a map that gave a fair idea as to the area. About being (if I remember correctly) just NORTH of I-10 rather than on the south might be a tad better? Again, it is a vague memory that makes me think of a possible earlier discussion.
Also, I see your profile says something like WA, and moving to AZ?? When are you gonna get to relax in the warmth of the desert? It's funny how things go sometimes......We were close to pulling the trigger on the purchase in OR, and still have not entirely written that off. The town there is really a dream. It's in the details-someone send me a message pointing out that over 50% of the annual nights in Redmond were freezing or below. I am OK with cold, to a point. But I certainly do not want to spend a lot of time working to stay warm. And, while I think its correct to know that you can add clothing in the cold, and only get so naked in the heat, other factors like not having to drive 15MPH because of Black Heat in the road (instead of Black Ice), and you don't have to shovel your car out if its 40-50 degrees.
Anyway, I'm going to try to find some Real Estate out near them parts. (A major reason for both Surprise, and Redmond....I firmly believe that the prices will not get this low again in MY lifetime, and maybe a lot longer. So, on holdup is we are price-driven as to where we can afford to go and be totally debt-free. If you know of info as to Real Estate in the area, please let me know.
thanks again for the reply,
the fish!
As to hospitals, shopping being nearby-
Hospital proximity is fairly important to us. There is a lot of humor in that call, because if something serious happens to you, you can be IN a hospital, and your number will come up anyway. Conversely, you can be a 60 minute life-flight away, and if it isn't your turn.....you know the drill!
It just FEELS like a bit of comfort in knowing that as I get older, I can get into the bed in a relatively short amount of time. Same for the shopping needs, etc. I think, for me, its the list that folks have been requesting for 50 years, and I/we just buy into it, at least to some degree. It's not entirely foolish to have fair proximity to medical care. But it might be more important in the scheme, as opposed to the reality??!!
I agree with Nei - you are looking in the wrong part of Arizona. In southern Arizona the temps are cooler (as a general rule) the further east you go because there is a general elevation gain as you leave the California border and move towards the New Mexico border. For example, Yuma (on the Colorado River) is at a mere 200' & is a blast furnace in the summer, Phoenix is at 1,000' and still mighty hot, Tucson is a bit cooler at 2,400', Benson cooler still at 3,500', Sierra Vista is pretty perfect in regards to climate at around 4,200'-4,600' (depending on where in town), Bisbee (as mentioned) cooler still at 5,500'. Based on your criteria, SV is the place with the most perfect climate - with summer highs for June/July/Aug of 93/93/90 & winter lows for Dec/Jan/Feb of 34/34/36 (and winter highs of 62/62/65).
We actually own some property in J-Six Ranchettes about 40 minutes east of downtown Tucson (pop of around 1 million with everything one would need) & 10 minutes west of Benson (a small town of 6,000 with Safeway, Walmart, small hospital, a few restaurants etc) just off (4 minutes) I-10. Since we sit at 4,200 feet (compared to Tucson's 2,400) we are more temperate & have roughly the same climate as Sierra Vista.
Since there was a wunderground.com personal weather station (now no longer collecting but still with historical readings online) not far from our lot I was able to collect 5 years worth of weather station readings. We average 3 days/year where it gets (just) above 100. Hottest day over the 5 years the temps were gathered over was just under 102 (a single instance of that). Surprisingly, that 102 degree day is actually 1 degree cooler than Seattle (where we are now) saw in the summer of 2009
Here are our average highs/lows from that station:
Ave High/Ave Low
Jan 60/38
Feb 64/40
Mar 68/44
Apr 77/50
May 84/59
June 93/68
July 91/71
Aug 86/68
Sep 85/63
Oct 78/57
Nov 69/51
Dec 60/37
We average around 14-18 inches of rain a year.With that amount of rain we are not really in the desert, but rather in a grassland/scrubland (known as the Apache Highlands Grasslands) with a few misquite trees mixed in from place to place (kind of looks like the African Savanna) & mountain views in 3 of 4 directions.
SE Arizona is a hidden gem in regards to climate - with the best average temps (& plenty of sunshine) outside of those super-expensive areas of SoCal so famous for it's weather.
I recall that maybe between 6 months and as much as 10-12 months ago, someone had mentioned the "J 6 ranchettes", and I had asked how to find that area, and if it was you, you described and sent a map that gave a fair idea as to the area. About being (if I remember correctly) just NORTH of I-10 rather than on the south might be a tad better? Again, it is a vague memory that makes me think of a possible earlier discussion.
Also, I see your profile says something like WA, and moving to AZ?? When are you gonna get to relax in the warmth of the desert? It's funny how things go sometimes......We were close to pulling the trigger on the purchase in OR, and still have not entirely written that off. The town there is really a dream. It's in the details-someone send me a message pointing out that over 50% of the annual nights in Redmond were freezing or below. I am OK with cold, to a point. But I certainly do not want to spend a lot of time working to stay warm. And, while I think its correct to know that you can add clothing in the cold, and only get so naked in the heat, other factors like not having to drive 15MPH because of Black Heat in the road (instead of Black Ice), and you don't have to shovel your car out if its 40-50 degrees.
Anyway, I'm going to try to find some Real Estate out near them parts. (A major reason for both Surprise, and Redmond....I firmly believe that the prices will not get this low again in MY lifetime, and maybe a lot longer. So, on holdup is we are price-driven as to where we can afford to go and be totally debt-free. If you know of info as to Real Estate in the area, please let me know.
thanks again for the reply,
the fish!
As to hospitals, shopping being nearby-
Hospital proximity is fairly important to us. There is a lot of humor in that call, because if something serious happens to you, you can be IN a hospital, and your number will come up anyway. Conversely, you can be a 60 minute life-flight away, and if it isn't your turn.....you know the drill!
It just FEELS like a bit of comfort in knowing that as I get older, I can get into the bed in a relatively short amount of time. Same for the shopping needs, etc. I think, for me, its the list that folks have been requesting for 50 years, and I/we just buy into it, at least to some degree. It's not entirely foolish to have fair proximity to medical care. But it might be more important in the scheme, as opposed to the reality??!!
Yeah that was probably me that mentioned J-6 Ranchettes before. The SOUTH side of I-10 is much better than the north side in the j-6 area. The area north of the freeway is called Mescal, south is J-Six Ranchettes, There's also a J-Six (also known as Redhawk) which is more upscale & expensive. We're ready to move & tried to do so last summer but the housing market here in Seattle just TANKED over the summer (especially in my area where we had several local foreclosures) so we could attract much interest in anyone buying our home (too much cheap competition). Thinking about trying again this spring.
We were just down in the area last week and had WONDERFUL weather. We stayed with friends in Chandler (outside Phoenix) & it hit 80 on my B-day & I simply couldn't believe it. Even down on the land it was in the mid-70's IN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY. Now I know it's not like that ALL the time - right now it's BITTER COLD down there as the massive cold front over the bulk of the country is even affecting them - and I've been down there when it's gotten really cold (17 overnight the day we had the lot surveyed) but the good news is it doesn't last more than a couple of days then the temps shoot back up into the 60's.
There is a small hospital in Benson but for major medical issues you'd likely be treated in Tucson (which has some really good hospitals). There is eventually supposed to be a major medical center going in at Vail (15 minutes from our land & 25 minutes from Benson itself) but there's no date for this yet.
In regards to real estate Tucson (including Vail - which has a climate more like Tucson (which it's closer to)) there's lots of relatively cheap foreclosures out there. We are in fact considering renting out our Seattle home & we (as a result of being unable to afford to put up the home we want on our land under those circumstances) are even considering buying such a home in Tucson. It's no what we want but it would get us down to the general area & later when the market recovers (we are more able to sell our house at a reasonable price) either selling THAT house or renting it out & THEN putting up what we want on J-6.
Ken
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cool maps....thanks
