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I'll have to get back to you on this in a few months! I moved to Louisiana this past September (after spending my entire life in various northern and midwestern states), and I have loved the fall and winter beyond words! But the locals keep telling me "Oh, you just wait until summer!" I think that no amount of heat and humidity can be as bad as blizzards and snow-shoveling in sub-zero temperatures. And I'm no stranger to 100+ temps and high humidity in the midwest. So I really am curious to see how I feel about the south come July!
"Oh, just wait until summer"
Just moved to Chicago from there 2 years ago, after living there for 23 years. The summer will be EXTREMELY irritating if you have to be outdoors, especially right after a rain storm and sun comes out! Make sure that you have working AC, and please, please do not think that nighttime is better. 90 at night, with mosquitoes, and no wind.
We went down to Key West in June and it was in the upper 80's at night with high humidity. Every day was 90 degrees. We were heading to the Bahama's after that and I spent the last day doing laundry in the pool hopping out long enough to put the laundry in the dryer. The ocean was too warm and the pool was like bath water. We get to the Bahama's and find the same conditions. After ten days of that I was ready for some snow. Give me Maine any day over that extreme heat. I could never live down South.
Moved to south Florida and just couldn't stand the heat and humidity. Every time I went outside, it felt like I was standing in a closed bathroom after a hot, steamy shower. Damp towels that weren't laundered immediately got mold on them within hours. Headed back north for years, then decided to give the south another try, but not Florida. I still hate the heat, but love the mild winters.
Interesting that almost all responders live EAST of the Rockies...
Big difference here out west. Primarily, we don't have the humidity to deal with. This also means we have far fewer bugs, especially mosquitoes and other "biting" bugs. The original poster would find a good part of California to be a very agreeable climate. The coastal region south of San Francisco gets little rain, abundant sunshine, rarely gets above 85 degrees, and rarely below 45.
It is expensive, but that's the price you pay. If you're a cheapo, you can still live in nice areas like Bakersfield pretty cheaply. Unfortunately, over the years several million other outsiders have also discovered the sublime comfort of living here. Thus, the traffic can be bad in certain (but certainly not all) areas.
The other area with almost as perfect weather is the gold country foothills. I consider that a somewhat deteriorating region due to the rapid influx of inhabitants. Many formerly pristine villages are being yuppified with wine bars, boutiques, etc.
What about Colorado? Don't they get a ton of sunshine but without the oppressive heat of the states mentioned in the original post?
I am a native Texan. I wouldn't wish our extreme, extended summers on my worst enemy. It'll be climbing up there come April/May and will reach "horrid" by June for sure, and will stay in the "please kill me now" range well into October.
If you like sunshine there are other ways to get it.
I'll have to get back to you on this in a few months! I moved to Louisiana this past September (after spending my entire life in various northern and midwestern states), and I have loved the fall and winter beyond words! But the locals keep telling me "Oh, you just wait until summer!" I think that no amount of heat and humidity can be as bad as blizzards and snow-shoveling in sub-zero temperatures. And I'm no stranger to 100+ temps and high humidity in the midwest. So I really am curious to see how I feel about the south come July!
I bet you won't have to wait as long as July to find out.
I live in Texas and have spent a little time in Louisiana (New Orleans), but haven't lived there... but the thing I noticed was that at least Louisiana gets more rain and it makes things more humid but also give a bit of a break from the intense heat, in my opinion. Here in my part of Texas we have super hot, very long summers but also very little rain so it just never lets up. When I've been in NOLA in summer I enjoyed the afternoon showers immensely and I was somehow more comfortable walking around and being outside on an August afternoon than I ever would be here in south central Texas.
Then again, maybe it's just because I love NOLA in general.
I struggle with this too. My issue with west and southwest is lack of water. Groundwater, rivers, ponds, lakes for recreation.
On the one hand I feel it is somewhat irresponsible to move to an area that is having water issues like Arizona, Colorado - and no you cannot have Great Lakes Water - move where the freaking water is!
Plus I miss water for recreation. So out west you get sun, no humidity, bugs - but its, you know, a little boring outside
And areas of California do seem truly wonderous but, only for the rich. Not having the money to live there does not mean "cheapo".
We're in a similar situation. Although originally from about an hour south of San Francisco, I've lived in New England on and off for the past 20+ years. The Bay Area in California had great weather. 300+ days of sun and not a drop of rain for 9 months a year. Sunny and 85 every day from March-November was the norm. The downside is a $1.3M average home price in the town in which I grew up. I'm in the process of moving to Las Vegas as we speak. I have spent a large amount of time in the desert and enjoy it. Avg. temperature in July is around 105. The lack of humidity in the desert at 3000 feet is refreshing to me compared to a 95 degree New England day with 100% humidity. But Vegas still has triple digit heat for months on end. Perfect for me, but maybe a bit extreme for you. Perhaps NE California, north of Tahoe would suit you?
Opposite of 3DogNight. I LOVE summer. I moved from NJ/PA to South Carolina.
We do get four seasons here. All the leaves on our street turned orange, red and yellow. Then yes, we do rake leaves.
Then comes winter. We do run our fireplace in the living room and in the Carolina room also. Sometimes we sit and warm up with tea and hot chocolate. But, I enjoy that the pansies are still in bloom and there are other various blooms around. Yellow Jasmine in the winter is awesome. Some days are not so cold and are good days to walk outside and
wander around before the big summer crowds arrive.
Spring is just like back home, only earlier. A time to work the gardens before the summer arrives.
Summer is hot. Because of this we tend to do our chores early, or later, in the day. This works in most hot climates.
Having AC everywhere makes everything manageable. Time for swimming and boating, all those outdoor joys.
It is wonderful not having our living area so grey and gloomy. The palms and evergreens always nice and green.
The sun tends to shine brightly most days and there is no "sad" happening here.
I couldn't go back to shoveling snow, and grey days...I am too spoiled now with wonderful weather.
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