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OP, the summer temps in NM will be out of your comfort zone: 80's, edging into 90's mid-summer. And there was over a decade of extreme temps--triple-digits registered on people's outdoor thermometers several days in a row one year, in the the first decade of the new millennium and going into the 2nd decade. Climatologists say, that that was a harbinger of the future. They say, there will be long periods of hot temps that last 4-5 months (as they did in 2001, and a few other years), with breaks of a few years of more "normal" summer temps: 70's & 80's. So the long-term view doesn't look good.
It depends on your heat tolerance. The New Yorkers in Santa Fe gush enthusiastically, "Oh, but it's a DRY heat!" They can handle it. To me, being from foggy Berkeley, heat is heat. I understand that humid heat is insufferable, but I struggle either way. Also, in Santa Fe, there's altitude: around 7500 feet of it, a half-mile higher than Denver. Some visitors have trouble with it (there's an oxygen bar downtown for them), but even if you don't have a problem with it, it can exacerbate issues like sleep apnea, making it worse.
New York and Berkeley are getting hotter too. I had the misfortune of being in San Francisco once when it hit 102. San Francisco has blackouts in the summer from excess demand for electricity during heat waves. No place can escape the rise in temperatures. And having grown up on the East Coast, I can tell you the summers there are miserable compared to New Mexico. You probably never had to lie awake in a pool of sweat at night, or remember how it is to "dry off" after a shower and immediately start feeling the sweat rolling down your back again. The rich aromas of steamy commuters packed in the bus or subway... heat rashes... I could go on. You have no idea how much better it is in NM. Winters in Santa Fe and Taos are cold and still longer than summers.
And altitude is seldom a factor. Santa Fe and Taos are among the most geriatric cities in the country. According to latest figures, Santa Fe's population over 65 is 24% of its total population, and in Taos it is 34%, while the state average is 18%. Old folks seem to gravitate to those high altitudes as if they were a jumping off place to their Final Destination. And as well-traveled as you are, you should know that oxygen bars exist in every city from San Francisco to New York. They are not exclusive to high altitude locations.
I was thinking of the Pacific Northwest islands. Or Port Washington or Sequim like Ruth said.
It seems to me your biggest determinant is weather, as you have very specific things that you know you want. So I would look at the national weather sites and look for what you want--I did this with respect to days of sunlight per year, amount of snowfall.
Then, once you have narrowed it down for climate, you can start looking in more detail. Seems like you may feel some pressure because of desire to sell current co-op while prices are so high.
I would not be able to drive an rv around by myself, but I could rent in a few areas a few months at a time. you'd have to store your stuff, of course, but it could work, once you narrowed the climate acceptables places down to 5-6 areas to explore.
Most of those have been the playgrounds of the rich since not long after they were acquired from Canada. Very expensive RE, and higher COL due to groceries having to be ferried in. The more affordable islands are the ones closest to the mainland. But you have to figure into the COL the ferry fares. Cheap for passenger tickets, expensive if you take your vehicle.
There's one at about the same price in Anacortes, the ferry terminal for the islands.
Here's an A-frame house on close to 1/2 acre on Whidbey Island. Whidbey, which is close to the mainland, is more affordable, but it has an airforce base on one end, which creates a lot of noise in the area with its Growler jets. However, the presence of an AFB does not mean the entire island is conservative. There are many towns on the island with all sorts of residents, including retired hippies.
New York and Berkeley are getting hotter too. I had the misfortune of being in San Francisco once when it hit 102. San Francisco has blackouts in the summer from excess demand for electricity during heat waves. No place can escape the rise in temperatures. And having grown up on the East Coast, I can tell you the summers there are miserable compared to New Mexico. You probably never had to lie awake in a pool of sweat at night, or remember how it is to "dry off" after a shower and immediately start feeling the sweat rolling down your back again. The rich aromas of steamy commuters packed in the bus or subway... heat rashes... I could go on. You have no idea how much better it is in NM. Winters in Santa Fe and Taos are cold and still longer than summers.
And altitude is seldom a factor. Santa Fe and Taos are among the most geriatric cities in the country. According to latest figures, Santa Fe's population over 65 is 24% of its total population, and in Taos it is 34%, while the state average is 18%. Old folks seem to gravitate to those high altitudes as if they were a jumping off place to their Final Destination. And as well-traveled as you are, you should know that oxygen bars exist in every city from San Francisco to New York. They are not exclusive to high altitude locations.
No, I've never had to look up oxygen bars, so I wouldn't know where they are or aren't. I only heard about Santa Fe's, because there was an article on it in the local paper, and it said, that some tourists do need to use it. The hotels refer them to it. I mentioned it only because a relatively small percentage of tourists do need it, and actually, the altitude does exacerbate sleep apnea, even one doesn't need oxygen during the day.
I've carefully avoided the summer months on my visits to NYC. In my experience, mid-to-late April, and October are the perfect times to visit. Or were; I don't know if that's changing as well.
The west coast, where the OP had hoped to retire (the far north coast of CA, originally, where the temps are always cool), is still a lot cooler than the East Coast, even with occasional heat waves in the Bay Area and points south. Why do you mention that; were you thinking the OP would do best to stay in the northeast? I'm not against that idea, but the OP is.
It sounds like you were in SF in September. The Bay Area has always been hot in September; that's the seasonal pattern, not a climate change phenom.
i planned to move to the arcata/eureka area of CA. when i retired, largely because of my love of the redwoods. now that i'm ready to go, i'm hearing that anyone who can move away from there is doing so because of the fires.
then i thought, ok, give up on redwoods, look like NM has a lower cost of living and i'll still escape the horrible, muggy summers of nyc and the rest of the east coast.
now i see the fire situation is pretty terrible there too.
please help!
i don't know where to go. not only am i unable to tolerate sticky muggy summers, but i can't afford to buy food in nyc anymore.
i was looking to live near a college, in a small house with a large garden space, near lots of forest trails to hike. i was hoping for old growth trees and mountains, but also sidewalks and a left-liberal political atmosphere.
i'm a poet and musician, so i wished for a home with an active creative community.
i like to smoke weed, and have the occasional psychedelic adventure, so was hoping to be around other old folks who still like to get high and dance around a fire.
i really have to move, but the reports of choking smoke and decimated forests are heartbreaking.
i don't mind cold winters, but i have a large parrot and was hoping for a warm enough climate that he could be outside more than 3 months out of the year, and enough open space that it would be safe to let him free fly sometimes without worrying that he'll get confused and lost
i know i can't have everything, and i'm willing to compromise, but still...do i really have to leave the country to get even some of what i need? as a single elder woman, it seems impossibly daunting to do that.
i don't know what to do. help!
Check out Cortez, CO. Complies with all your requirements, except no college (but yes a very interesting national park, Mesa Verde, with archeologic and cultural programs - maybe you could volunteer for something in the park). Easy access to hundreds of amazing things in the Four Corners area.
Moab, UT might interest you too, but it is very hot in summer (though it is dry heat), and more expensive than Cortez.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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While I don't consider Eureka to be as much of a fire danger area as much of the state, with 46" or rain annually, more than Seattle. If moving to CA is just to worrisome for you, try Brookings, Oregon. There you will get 84" of rain, summer high of only 70F, and only a few miles from the northernmost redwood trees.
The west coast, where the OP had hoped to retire (the far north coast of CA, originally, where the temps are always cool), is still a lot cooler than the East Coast, even with occasional heat waves in the Bay Area and points south. Why do you mention that; were you thinking the OP would do best to stay in the northeast? I'm not against that idea, but the OP is.
It sounds like you were in SF in September. The Bay Area has always been hot in September; that's the seasonal pattern, not a climate change phenom.
The OP only mentioned avoiding "sticky muggy" summers which don't exist in NM. And said dry heat is OK. She didn't state a preference for cool weather year-round. So NM should fit the bill. I think she'd tolerate the summers well (esp. in Taos or Santa Fe) and may be surprised how cold the winters can get.
As for her concern about "desert" vs. "forest", in New Mexico the forests are in the mountainous areas, and the rest is "desert", so you can live in Taos or Santa Fe and have quick access to forests without living in them (when they are not closed like now due to fire danger). But the desert is interesting and varied, with lots of vegetation, not the sand patch that most Easterners think of.
It was June 2000 when I experienced that San Francisco heat wave, and I had been hoping to "cool off" coming from NM! I was staying at a place with no A/C. Last year smoke from wildfires was really severe and prolonged in northern CA, far worse than in NM.
It was June 2000 when I experienced that San Francisco heat wave, and I had been hoping to "cool off" coming from NM! I was staying at a place with no A/C. Last year smoke from wildfires was really severe and prolonged in northern CA, far worse than in NM.
You never know what you're going to get in San Francisco. About 10 years ago I visited over July 4th, it was about 50 degrees and drizzling most of the days. Mark Twain said the coldest winter he ever spent was summer in San Francisco.
You might want to look at the area to the northwest of Olympia, around Evergreen State College and further out towards Shelton.
We used to spend a lot of time hiking in the nearby Capitol State Forest and the Olympic National Forest. And we used to go bike riding a lot around Tolmie State Park to the northeast of Olympia. I see new subdivisions about, but there is still a lot of heavily forested land left.
Check out Cortez, CO. Complies with all your requirements, except no college (but yes a very interesting national park, Mesa Verde, with archeologic and cultural programs - maybe you could volunteer for something in the park). Easy access to hundreds of amazing things in the Four Corners area.
Moab, UT might interest you too, but it is very hot in summer (though it is dry heat), and more expensive than Cortez.
Reality check! Cortez is in the same Four Corners climate that much of NM is. It gets BOTH very hot and very cold—similar to Moab in that respect. OP described a moderate climate with no extremes whatsoever.
Also, you have no idea how badly the OP’s attitude would be regarded in this region. Actually, in much of the southwestern US. If she reacts so horribly to genuine statements about what things are like as shown in the closed and possibly deleted thread(s), the in-person part will be worse.
I guarantee you she would not like the down-to-earth good folks, never mind the not-so-good xenophobic haters of big-city transplants—especially more flaky stoners who are lefty.
You also forgot THE main reason she gave up on northern CA: wildfire risk. It is HIGHER fire risk in the Four Corners area. It doesn’t rain much, and there is no moderating atmospheric effect from being close to the ocean.
Last edited by pikabike; 06-02-2022 at 10:19 PM..
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It doesn’t rain much, and there is no moderating atmospheric effect from being close to the ocean.
