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I have been thinking about clmates lately. Specifically, subhumid climates. Here is a page that allows your to checkout climate stats for Medford, OR. and Flagstaff, AZ, and many other western cities. Which would you prefer? Why?
I've been to both and Flagstaff is over 7000' and 100" of snow in the winter. I don't know Medford well but I'd imagine it has less of a temp range. In Flag's defense, great 80 degree summers and one of the furtherest West places to see frequent summer lightning as lightning is rare in the Far West. Big Native presence too.
I'd much prefer Medford. I'd give Medford a... B, probably. And Flagstaff a D.
As for why: I'm not a fan of cold or snow. Medford's winters are much warmer, and faaaaar less snowy. (Not a real heat fan either, but at least both climates cool off nicely at night during the summer)
I also prefer the Mediterranean rain pattern of Medford over the monsoon pattern of Flagstaff.
Currently living in Medford, but we looked at Flagstaff - Flagstaff was way too windy plus, while I liked that it was a university town, the town itself seemed like it was just laid out along one long strip. On the other hand, the crime rate is lower in Flagstaff - Medford has pockets of fairly high crime. Both Medford and Flagstaff share the "rural west" blue-collar heritage - Flagstaff more with ranching, Medford more with farming and timber.
Also, Medford is hot in the summer, with 12-15 days over 100°, usually in July (it was 102° yesterday, although there is currently a heat wave from central California on up past Portland, OR with some record high temps).
Flagstaff has nearby Sedona, Medford has nearby Ashland - somewhat the same type of tourist/vacation town.
Flagstaff: lower crime; university town; cold snowy windy winter; sunnier year-round; 3 hours from Phoenix (which is a plus or minus depending on how you feel about Phoenix); largest city in a smaller rural county.
Other posters mentioned lightning and fire - Medford is surrounded by thousands of square miles of forests, so summer fires are always a possibility here, too. And lightning is something we DO NOT want in the summer, as, next to humans, it is the cause of a lot of the fires.
Another poster mentioned wildfires - Medford is surrounded by miles and miles of forests and summer wildfires are a possibility here, too.
Medford: cool cloudy rainy (but relatively short) winters with some fog; precip is in the winter, with very little in late spring/summer/early fall; hot summers; pockets of higher crime; largest city in a slightly more populous rural county; many wineries and microbreweries, all with live music; much more isolated (5 hours to Portland, 6 hours to San Francisco)
I think Prescott, AZ sweeps both Flagstaff, AZ and Medford, OR in terms of climate--very low humidity; lots of sunshine; on the warmer side, but has all four seasons and doesn't get extremely hot like the low desert areas (i.e., Phoenix, Tucson). Doesn't get too cold either, esp. compared to the Midwest, Northeast, and most of the Interior West. They get some snow in the winter, but not much, and it melts fairly quickly. They even get some nice foliage in the fall, too.
Having moved to Flag for work, I am loving the Flagstaff summers (mid 70s all the week with rain in early July!!). Even before the monsoon, the temps never cracked 90. Tons of lightning, which is a plus or minus, depending upon how you feel about that. I suppose the payback will be when we get pummeled with snow next winter. Of course, with the greater sunshine, I think it will not feel all that much colder. Highs tend to be above freezing Flag. all winter long. In Medford, the temps are in the 40s, but often with heavy cloud cover and rain, so it feels colder. The biggest difference is that Medford area is surrounded by world class lakes, rivers, and streams, whereas Flag. is pretty high and dry. And the wind. Being on a high plateau, Flagstaff is much windier. Skies are a gorgeous blue though. So everything comes with trade offs, it seems.
I disliked the Phoenix area so much that it tipped my decision - I didn't want to have to go to, through or even NEAR Phoenix for anything.
Interesting. I don't care much for Phoenix either, but with respect to climate, it is a whole world apart. As different as Brookings and Joseph, Oregon! The other day, I checked the late afternoon (suppertime) temps. It was 105 in Phoenix and 63 in Flagstaff, with rain.
I actually like the thought of cruising down to the desert in February and checking it out. I am not fan of Phoenix, but the Sonoran Desert is one of the most biologically diverse deserts in the world!
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