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I am looking to relocate out of NYC within the next yr. Since I have been miserable the last week or so with allergies, thought I would add that to a list of criteria when looking for a city. Lived first 25 yrs or so of my life in the NW ‘burbs of Chicago and no problems with allergies. Lived in Phoenix for a few yrs and had some allergies in Spring but the allergies didn’t last too long. Lived in Miami for a few yrs and lost my sense of smell there. Moved up North to NYC for the past 4 yrs and every yr they get worse and worse. Basically, I feel awful from now until Memorial Day. Each yr it is getting worse and worse. Turns out I am allergic to everything – most weeds, trees and mold (almost all 60+ things I was tested for). Really bad with ragweed though.
So any suggestions on places that might be good for me on a purely allergy standpoint? One thing though – don’t care much for dry. Dessert like, brown environments.
that's a good question, too bad no one has replied. I also suffer from allergies and have wondered the same thing. I suppose anwhere where there is a dry climate will be a good choice. I used to live in the Ca desert and the climate overall was good except for spring, which brought moderate winds and made everything dusty. I currently live along the coast and on humid days my allergies are horrible. I guess it depends what you're most allergic to!
Good luck in your search
I'll give you my personal experiences. I'm highly allergic to grass and mold, slightly to weeds. The places I've lived in for any significant amount of time were Georgia, where I have bad symptoms all year. Florida, I was so allergic I could hardly function and nothing I did seemed to matter, even allergy shots. Ohio, felt a bit better having a nice break during the winter. The best environment I've been in so far though was living where it's cold and rainy most of the time, when I was living in Europe. I never felt so good in my life. I'd still get hit pretty hard when things would dry up and pollinate but it only lasted about a month. A place comparable in the US would be the coast of Alaska or the Pacific Northwest. Why this didn't bother my mold allergies I don't know...cold damp doesn't seem to be near as funky as the East Coast damp for some reason.
Unfortunately, I have the same types of allergies and my ENT has told me repeatedly that that AZ is the least "offensive" to people like us. However, I am definitely NOT a desert dweller and don't care for brown environments either. And I can't tolerate heat.
I can tell you that my allergies have been much, MUCH worse here in WI than they were in Maine.
It's a really tough call, but I wish you luck with finding a compatable environment and, if you do find the right place, could you let us know??
Definitely try the White Mountain region in New Hampshire that is north of Franconia Notch. Some towns in this area would be Littleton, Whitefield, and Lancaster. These towns do not have much in the way of pollen or ragweed because temperatures can be below freezing in May as well as August. The below freezing temperatures in most months of the year do not allow for much in the way of pollen to build up in the air for very long.
Fresh mountain air + hardly any air pollution= A+ grade
Any area in the higher eleavations would likely have a shorter allergy season because their are fewer in the way of frost free days. Areas in the southeast are probably the worst for allergy sufferers. Atlanta would not be a good place to move for example.
Try the Pacific northwest -- especially if you don't like deserts. All the rain keeps the pollen down!
Probably not great for mold, though.
You are right about the rain keeping the pollen down. But if we have a dry spell in late winter the tree pollen causes nasty allergies (and covers your car in yellow powder).
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