Allergy issues in Flagstaff? (Phoenix, Prescott: tornado, allergies, live in)

[talenthunter]

I don't have allergy problems of any kind...but my wife suffers from allergies...from cats to pollen. We are narrowing down our choices of places to retire to Flagstaff. Will that be a problem for my wife if we move to Flagstaff? I heard that dry climate is better for allergy sufferers than humid climate. Anyone care to enlighten us about this problem? Thanks.

[blindjesse]

The juniper pollen here is terrible in February and March...really bad right now. There's some bad stuff in the fall too.

[talenthunter]

Originally Posted by blindjesse

The juniper pollen here is terrible in February and March...really bad right now. There's some bad stuff in the fall too.

Thanks. Not sure if she would react to juniper pollen. When I go there next month to check the place out...maybe I should bring a small pouch-full of juniper pollen back to Washington for her to try. She is particularly sensitive to aspen pollen...which is plentiful here. I suppose no matter where you go in the U.S. as long as there are pollen producers around there is a potential for developing allergy. I think the only place where she didn't experience allergy reactions was when we lived in the tropics. We were stationed on the island of Guam and she did not suffer from allergies. I think perhaps because tropical plants do not have to broadcast their pollens in the air due to presence of natural pollinators flying about. Not sure if that's a valid theory...but she just doesn't seem to suffer allergies in the tropics (we've also lived in Hawaii and traveled to other tropical countries and she experienced no problems). Important to know these things before we commit big bucks to make the move there.

[thedirtman]

Flagstaff does have aspen trees. They are all over. Other parts of Northern Arizona have cottonwood trees which are related to aspens. On the other hand I find Flagstaff to be a relief from grass pollen.

Flagstaff is not dry overall. Average precipitation is 21 inches annually. That makes Flag the wettest city in the state.

[talenthunter]

Originally Posted by thedirtman

Flagstaff does have aspen trees. They are all over. Other parts of Northern Arizona have cottonwood trees which are related to aspens. On the other hand I find Flagstaff to be a relief from grass pollen.

Flagstaff is not dry overall. Average precipitation is 21 inches annually. That makes Flag the wettest city in the state.

That's encouraging...about Flagstaff being the wettest city in the state. We live in the far north corner of Washington state...about as wet as you can get to without going in the water...still my wife suffers from pollen allergies. But it is cool and damp most of the time...so I think that helps keep the pollens from floating about. We haven't had rain in over a week here in the northwest...with sunshine everyday since...but the ground is still soggy. I think she is also affected by grass...everytime I mow the lawn she starts sneezing. So far (keep fingers crossed) I haven't had any allergies at all to anything. I will tell her the news about aspen trees in Flagstaff. Maybe she will change her mind about relocating there.
I don't think there's any place totally safe from allergens...well maybe in Antartica...or places where it is perpetually ice cold. Considering the tropics...we've lived in Guam and Hawaii before...she didn't seem to have suffered at all from allergies. But as she always quips..."but then you have all kinds of bugs everywhere...and other crawly critters!" Thanks for the info...very helpful.

[buckeyenative01]

I moved to Arizona from Ohio in large part due to my allergies and asthma (mold, primarily). I've lived in Arizona off and on 15 years (Phoenix for 6 years, Southern California for 5, Flagstaff for the past four years) and have yet to experience the issues that plagued me when I lived in Ohio (asthma attacks so severe they usually required extended hospital stays). Other than seasonal allergies (especially in Spring when everything is blooming), Flagstaff couldn't be a better fit.

[talenthunter]

Originally Posted by buckeyenative01

I moved to Arizona from Ohio in large part due to my allergies and asthma (mold, primarily). I've lived in Arizona off and on 15 years (Phoenix for 6 years, Southern California for 5, Flagstaff for the past four years) and have yet to experience the issues that plagued me when I lived in Ohio (asthma attacks so severe they usually required extended hospital stays). Other than seasonal allergies (especially in Spring when everything is blooming), Flagstaff couldn't be a better fit.

Thanks...that's good news. Your comment about Flagstaff helps bring us closer to making that final decision about relocating to Flagstaff. Have been looking into the Prescott area also...I suppose I'd have to post my query in the Prescott thread.

[buckeyenative01]

Also, I think our precipitation numbers can be deceiving.

Yes, we get a ridiculous amount of snow, but the weather is usually sunny and relatively dry once a storm passes through town. This is a welcome change to the types of Winters I experienced in Ohio where everything was gray and dreary for months.

Flagstaff gets monsoons in the summer, but those are typically nothing that last longer than an hour at the most and again, the sun comes back out after a storm passes and everything dries up relatively quickly.

Probably the strangest weather I've experienced here was the tornado touch down about 10 miles west of town (Bellemont) in 2010. I didn't think such things were possible in this climate/altitude.

[pokuku]

Juniper and Ponderosa pollen can get very bad in Flagstaff, to the point where it will leave a nice yellow layer on your car each day. People with allergies might be immune for a couple years, but it will catch up with them in time, as it does wherever you move.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by pokuku

Juniper and Ponderosa pollen can get very bad in Flagstaff, to the point where it will leave a nice yellow layer on your car each day. People with allergies might be immune for a couple years, but it will catch up with them in time, as it does wherever you move.

Yep. We used to visit Flagstaff frequently when we lived in Phoenix. The pollen from the Pine trees drove DH nuts, with constant sneezing and watery eyes.

We get it in our new area (Raleigh, NC), too - but only for 2-3 weeks. Then it's gone. For reasons we could never explain, his allergies were worse in Flag than they have been anywhere else he has ever visited. Unless there was snow on the ground, he was sneezing.