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I feel like desert climates aren't always ideal because dust is TERRIBLE for asthma. It's probably why Phoenix has some of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the entire United States. Pregnant women surrounded by dust and pollution from freeways passing that on to their babies, it's sad. The dry air may be more friendly for allergies, but not for asthma, that's for sure.
I have been all over the world in various climates and the worst climate to give me allergies was Northern New Mexico. Santa Fe/ABQ area. Worst allergies I've ever had in my life. And I have never not lived in a desert. I don't agree that deserts are inherently better because they may have less plant life. The dry air is prone to keeping pollutants around longer whereas rain would otherwise clean it away, dust in the air causing haboobs, huge inversions in the winter holding pollutants at lower levels.
Ask anyone with severe asthma how they feel about a Salt Lake City inversion. I can guarantee if you have asthma and other respiratory problems SLC, Denver, etc. may be some of the last cities on your list to look at due to crap air quality.
What you care about is good air quality, and not necessarily lots of rain, but frequent enough rain. Here in the desert, we have gone through some droughts recently, hiding back the winter rain we normally receive. We can always bet on our monsoon rain, but our air quality goes to crap in the winter with snowbirds adding additional pollution on top of little than normal rain.
Phoenix has had a huge inversion recently with air quality warnings along with clouds of smog (LA gets these too). People are blaming lack of winter rain for it and they aren't wrong.
If your respiratory problems are purely allergies then maybe the Southwest would be better, but most of the time it isn't the case.
Also never mind the introduction of non-native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses in residential development to offset the supposedly better conditions for those with allergies.
Many Americans suffer from some kind of allergies, asthma, and sinusitis due to pollen in the environment regardless of where we live.
However, some regions are better for our health than others. The majority of us have lived in more than one state in our lifetime.
Which states would you highly recommend for people who have all of the things above?
*For me, I used to have asthma as a child. Now I just get sick from seasonal allergies and sinusitis. I’ve been told to consider living in an arid climate or semi-arid climate states, such as Arizona, coastal Southern California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Utah. Some said Texas because it’s more dry with low humidity compared to most of the South. If I have to stay in the South, I should consider coastal areas close to beaches where there are much less pine trees like most of southern Florida.
I have terrible allergies and sinusitis and deal with some allergy related asthma. It really is hit or miss for me. I've been in many Southeastern states and been fine, but then I'll hit an area where it's so bad that I have to carry my inhaler with me and use it almost daily. Same in the Northeast. I thought desert arid environments would be better so I headed West and I nearly died. 100 times worse for me. My eyes watered nonstop, I was on 4 daily breathing treatments, the headache never went away for months, I'd started allergy shots but it wasn't working. I tried checking out other arid areas and nothing made it better. If felt like the minute I crossed over from the desert I could breathe again.
You could always get allergy testing done, though in my experience it's not exactly helpful. Testing didn't reveal any allergies for me even though while getting pricked I could barely breathe and was sneezing non stop.
I see various responses. It is different for everyone. The desert is not always better for some people.
I wish I know what is the best for me. I know it is a gamble if I decide to live in Colorado or the Southwest.
I know I am tired of humidity. I really like dry hot in Phoenix, Colorado, and even in Texas.
Do you have the chance to check out these places on short trips? I guess it depends on if your allergies reveal themselves quickly or not. Mine are quick. If I arrive in certain seasons, I can tell within a day if it's going to be a miserable experience. Even a layover at an airport in a desert area will get my eyes itching. If you have visited those places and didn't have issues, it might be fine for you.
Do you have the chance to check out these places on short trips? I guess it depends on if your allergies reveal themselves quickly or not. Mine are quick. If I arrive in certain seasons, I can tell within a day if it's going to be a miserable experience. Even a layover at an airport in a desert area will get my eyes itching. If you have visited those places and didn't have issues, it might be fine for you.
I recalled getting off the plane in Denver, CO in January. It was my first time in Colorado. I got a headache immediately then it went away a few hours later. It must be my adjustment to high altitude.
I was comfortable during my one week stay in Phoenix in middle of July. It was hot but very tolerable due to little humidity.
My worse experience was in Knoxville, Tennessee. I lived there for two years. As soon as I moved to Arkansas, my sinus cleared and I didn't need to take Allegra anymore. The city is in a valley so pollution just stays there.
I moved to Albuquerque from Philadelphia to avoid a mold allergy that had gotten out of hand. I knew I had pollen allergies as well, so I didn't expect everything to be perfect once I moved here--and it hasn't been.
Still, allergies have remained a much bigger issue here than I had hoped. It seemed as if allergy injections had greatly reduced my pollen allergies, back in Philadelphia, so I was hoping my pollen allergies could be brought under control once I moved here. They have improved to some extent, but they still frequently cause a lot of fatigue and some sinus discomfort. Juniper is probably the toughest allergen for me here (and I hear it's worse as you go farther north in New Mexico). I also think the warmer winters here give me less of a break from pollen allergies. Looking back, winter 2015 was a better than average time for me. That was a winter when we had a colder winter than I think we've had since then.
Since moving, it also seems as if I have become more sensitive to barometric pressure changes, although that wasn't a completely new issue for me. I still wonder if it's mostly to do with changes in my own body or if moving to a higher elevation or drier climate has increased that sensitivity. (Or perhaps something else, but those seem to be the obvious variables.)
The dryness is also a challenge. I don't spend much time outside, so I don't find that too difficult to manage. I drink a lot of water, irrigate my sinuses regularly, and keep my apartment humidified.
Arkansas (currently) - I do suffer from allergies and sinusitis a few times every year (seasonal). I do not have to take medicines year around.
Tennessee - I was in Knoxville in East TN Valley for two years. It was the worst for me. I had to take medicines the whole time (year round).
Florida - I only lived there for one year mainly in Daytona Beach, Orlando/Kissimmee, and Melbourne/Palm Bay areas. I didn’t have any problems at all. Maybe it was due to the lack of pine, oak, and hardwood trees.
Mississippi & Missouri - I don’t really remember since I was little. I used to have asthma really bad but not anymore. They were rural farming areas. When my family moved to the city, asthma oddly went away.
I have never lived in a dry climate before. After several visits to Austin and Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex in Texas, dry climate with low humidity seems to be very tolerable compared to wet and humid. I even like visiting Phoenix, AZ in July. In dry climate, I do not sweat like a pig while walking or working out.
Hummm, I lived in Massachusetts, about 30 miles West of Boston until I was 19 where my hay fever started. From there I moved to Colorado Springs (no hay fever). Next, I did my military duty in Norfolk, VA and Northern Coastal FL (no hay fever). Then I moved to Mpls-St Paul, MN (no hay fever). Next step was the very dry part of Eastern WA, where I almost died, twice, of alergic reactions and otherwise suffered a lot. I had no hay fever in Boulder, but in Copenhagen, i am suffering mild sysmptoms during the polen season.
In the process, I have been tested several times and received numerous vacinations, but always reacted badly
As one (or more MD told me), "We know very little about the human immune system.
I see various responses. It is different for everyone. The desert is not always better for some people.
I wish I know what is the best for me. I know it is a gamble if I decide to live in Colorado or the Southwest.
I know I am tired of humidity. I really like dry hot in Phoenix, Colorado, and even in Texas.
It's hard to say. When I went to visit New Mexico it was a potential scope for a move too. But I could barely breathe when I visited. I was so taken aback because I had been to northern parts of Arizona (similar latitude, elevation, climate, etc.) all the time and never had the issue.
My brother has horrid asthma that comes from allergies and would probably be better off not living in Arizona, but he takes the extra medication and he stays. He does better in Florida where my parents live.
Austin/ Central Texas is well known for its cedar allergies this time of year. I'd do a Google search, a large percentage of the population is miserable from allergies from December to March. Then there's ragweed, tree polls and mold the other months of the year.
I’ve heard great things about Colorado despite the rising cost of housing. I know CO is semi-arid, which is supposed to be better for you.
Are there drastic differences between Denver and CO Springs?
I’ve also been looking into Arizona, New Mexico (Albuquerque and Santa Fe), and Utah (SLC) as affordable alternatives to Colorado. Any comments about them?
Allergens exist in all the states.
Dry ones, you minimize mold problems, but dust is prevalent. In CO and similar environments, I have had completely stuffed sinuses or sneezing fits in reaction to cottonwood pollen, some types of hay but not all, fine dust, and pine pollen. Probably a few other common items as well. One C-D poster said he/she wanted to live in CO but found out he was severely allergic to juniper trees. My husband has allergies to some of these along with other things. We can live with it, but if your health issues are more severe, the SW US is not a good place.
The dry air dries out your mucus membranes, causing irritation even without allergens. Mucus is a protective barrier, so not having much at work exposes your respiratory passages to all kinds of intrusion.
As another poster mentioned, some allergies might not manifest quickly. If you visit and have no allergic response, move, and then later develop them, don’t be surprised.
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