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Summer in Louisiana still feels more comfortable to me than summer in Las Vegas or Phoenix, but then I'm a native Southerner and used to it. I know people who say the reverse is true. In Louisiana it does still cool down somewhat at night in the summer while even the nights in Las Vegas are still hot.
My skin and nose always feel very dry when I travel out West, not just the desert areas. Even in Colorado, Lake Tahoe and Yosemite it feels drier, but the same temperature feels less hot, for example 90 degrees in Yosemite Valley felt like 83 degrees or so in Louisiana.
I prefer the Western climate and lived in the NE Corridor my entire life until a few years ago. I prefer the diversity of palm trees, cacti, flowers, and mountains to repetitive lawns. Something about lots of grass everywhere depresses me. It's bland. Suburban Atlanta is like this and I can't stand it, but even everyday NY suburbs are like this and have few redeeming physical qualities.
I can relate to this so much. Was recently in a very dry area, temps in the high 90s and humidity levels of less than 10%. It was brutal, my lips were constantly chapped, my nostrils were burning, my throat became rasp, my eyes were very dry and irritated, my hands felt dirty and dried out, it was awful. I am now back in Texas where it's in the 80s with high humidity, and I feel soooo much better. Still hot, but I dont feel burnt.
I prefer higher humidity until the temperature reaches into the mid 80s or higher. At the point where I am just sweating regardless of my activity, it sucks. when my barefeet can feel the moisture on the floor or my hands on the bannister, it isn't pleasant. But A/C makes it a non-issue when indoors.
I have lived in the high desert for decades, and while I love the fact that low humidity makes the months of 90+ temeratures bearable, I am just a dehydrated husk, even when I consciously try to drink water, as much as a gallon a day, not including any other beverages I may have. And the dryness aggravates my skin condition, which is almost non-existent in humid areas, as well.
In much of the Northeast and higher elevations in the Appalachians, the period when the high humidity and high temps converge is relatively short, though. I don't think that I could handle year round living in places like Florida or Texas where they get months of high humidity and high temps. A few weeks at a time no problem, but months on end? No thanks.
At least in the Northeast you get respites, even during the hottesst couple of months which would otherwise be miserable.
So for me, I would choose to either live in a drier climate or a humid climate with a relatively short hot season. The coastal PNW (minus their recent trend towards heat waves and wildfires) and New England/upstate New York would probably be my ideal climate in North America with High Desert/Montane Rocky Mountain climate coming in second for the excessive dryness.
I prefer the Western climate and lived in the NE Corridor my entire life until a few years ago. I prefer the diversity of palm trees, cacti, flowers, and mountains to repetitive lawns. Something about lots of grass everywhere depresses me. It's bland. Suburban Atlanta is like this and I can't stand it, but even everyday NY suburbs are like this and have few redeeming physical qualities.
Interesting. Dry, brown, dead, foliage depresses me. There's a lid for every pot.
Interesting. Dry, brown, dead, foliage depresses me. There's a lid for every pot.
One thing I like about California is how its brown in the summer, green in the winter. Winter scenery is green and lively. The brown dead grass of winter in the NE is incredibly depressing, especially when surrounded by brown snow piles. I grew up in New England and always wanted to make winter postcards of the massive brown snow piles against the light posts in strip mall parking lots. That's much more a reality of living there than the quaint farm house with a snow covered lawn. Average New Englander is far more likely to go to the brown snow pile covered Natick Mall parking lot than a cute farmhouse in the middle of nowhere.
Interesting. Dry, brown, dead, foliage depresses me. There's a lid for every pot.
Agreed, that's why I wanted to move out west, particularly the PNW. Winters in the Northeast / Midwest were very depressing with the bare trees and dead foliage for 5-6 months of the year. The PNW is perfect because of the lush vegetation year round.
Interesting. Dry, brown, dead, foliage depresses me. There's a lid for every pot.
Not dead, dormant.
But I get it. You probably live in an area with lots of pine trees because much of the East experiences dormant trees and leaves falling off through Autumn and Winter. If you lived around all of the “dead” trees and gray skies you’d really get depressed. Where I live we have the sun to perk us up every day.
And the dryness aggravates my skin condition, which is almost non-existent in humid areas, as well.
It's just the opposite for me. I have a rare and annoying skin condition (dyshidrotic eczema) which only shows up when it's hot and humid. Any other weather conditions don't trigger it at all, but after a few hot, humid days, my fingers start to itch and the whole cycle lasts a couple of weeks.
Fortunately, I live in California where it's usually either hot and dry, or cool and humid. I'd be miserable in a hot, humid place.
I'm another westerner who likes the humidity for the nose, throat, skin effects. There's times it can get real sweaty, but that's only for a couple hours outside, dry air follows you inside.
I could handle CO climate again if I had a humidifier as part of the house. I can take the windy dry cold air during the day as long as I don't dry out over night.
I like cloudy days, clouds are more interesting to look at than solid blue sky and it feels like you at least don't need to reapply sunscreen. Though I will say I do miss clear nights, Colorado skies away from the cities had the absolute best star viewing.
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