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Denver, as mentioned, is a good option but you did mention city life might be too much. If you do visit Denver and find the city a bit too big for your liking, there are also several great close by smaller cities such as Boulder and Colorado Springs. There are also a number of former mining towns (some turned ski resorts) in Colorado which have populations of various sizes and are often very charming.
I would recommend a town within a couple miles of a Great Lake. Usually the lake makes summer temps bearable and provides snow while increasing some frigid winter temps. Maybe something along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Anybody from that area have any insight, or another lake spot that is similar. I would recommend where I'm at but the north shore of Lake Superior gets a bit chilly in winter.
Along and west of us 131 averages between 80" -110" inches of snow ( Alot of Lake effect snow ) and generally summers are not too hot either. Still can get a good dose of heat and humidity as we saw last summer. Average highs peak at around 83 in July. And yes the lake keeps temps from getting too hot in summer and keeps it from getting brutally cold in winter. Flip side is with winter is along with all of that snow ( thanks to the lake ) you also tend to get a ton of cloudy days as well thanks to the lake. Thing is with this area you are only a couple of hours TOPS from a major metro such as Chicago or Detroit and even Grand Rapids is a decent mid sized city. A ton of open country in W.MI as well as small towns and a couple of mid sized ones. Basically plenty for everyone. The other thing is the lake water temps usually peak in the mid/upper 70s ( around 80 southern end of lake ) which is decent for swimming. Personally i love it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aguilar
Colorado Springs
Yeah it has a similar climate to what i mentioned above ( peak summer average high is 85 ) but not nearly as snowy though as the average there which is 37.8" per the NWS nowdata page. Denver is a bit better with a average of 53.5" BUT snow does not tend to stick around long either thanks to down sloping winds which can send the temps through the roof in a hurry anytime of year. Denver is as well a bit hotter in summer with temps peaking out at 90 during July. Boulder, CO is alot more fitting as they average 87.6" inches of snow and peak summer high temp is 88..
some of the colorado towns could fit nicely as well as some of the spots in new mexico
however, reading your post everything about it pretty much screamed Flagstaff
you'll have on average 275 days a year without precipitation, plenty of sun, dry climate, plenty of snow (100" on average), average summer highs are in the high 70s/low 80s, small city/college town with a nice feel to it, a little over 2 hours away from a very large city in phoenix and a spot where you can go to warm up if feeling a little too cold in the winter - not to mention the world of difference between those 2 cities ... from up in the tall pine trees to the desert among the saguaros
storms can be intense - both snow and thunderstorms ........ July/August is when you'll have the most monsoon activity there ....... the storms are intense and fairly brief - will bring a some humidity, some gray ... but generally blows through pretty fast
I would recommend a town within a couple miles of a Great Lake. Usually the lake makes summer temps bearable and provides snow while increasing some frigid winter temps. Maybe something along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Anybody from that area have any insight, or another lake spot that is similar. I would recommend where I'm at but the north shore of Lake Superior gets a bit chilly in winter.
I live just a couple miles from the Eastern side of Lake Michigan and you are 100% correct. If you are right on the lake, it is cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter with plenty of snowfall. Just driving inland 15 or 20 miles can change the temp between 10 and 20 degrees depending on the season (biggest differences in Spring and Fall). The annual snowfall increases the further you get away from the Lake for about 30-35 miles then very slowly tapers off.
The summers here manage to be sunny, AND mild. The monsoon is a site to behold. Massive thunderstorms billowing up in a clear blue sky and cooling things from 85F to 65F in 20 minutes, only to have the sun emerge a couple hour later. Big snowstorms too, followed by blue sunshine. A bluebird day after a foot of powdery snow is heavenly. And for variety, you get to see pine and spruce fir forests around Flagstaff, high desert red rock country in Sedona, and in midwinter you can head down to see the low deserts around Phoenix and Tucson.
Coming here from the Pacific Northwest, it was a bit shocking to feel the dry, windy days of spring, but when the monsoons hit, it feels lush and kind of like the Southwest in the mornings, and the Oregon Coast at times in the late afternoons and evenings (after the thunderstorms have cooled it off and raised the humidity). It seems like the best fit to the climate preferences of the OP, and it would be an exotic change. I should also add that Flag has a relatively large Native American population, which adds to its interest, and friendly people overall.
You could live up in the mountains of Southern or Central California. I think the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas in California may work, too. Then there's Redding, CA and Shasta.
You could live up in the mountains of Southern or Central California. I think the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas in California may work, too. Then there's Redding, CA and Shasta.
I think Redding summers would turn the OP into a bit of dried whitefish. Mt. Shasta, CA and Bend, OR might combine mild summers and snow as well, without being arctic.
Bend, Oregon... Its a high desert climate with dry summers and the winters get snow. Your right next to the Cascade mountains and no matter the season there are many outdoor things that you can do.
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