Well, as the middle of winter is right around the corner, I bet many northerners are thinking about what warmer climate would actually be best. I've picked 4 tropical edge and 10 solidly subtropical climates to represent different regions.
1]
Virginia Beach:
--Ocean-moderated humid subtropical. Just outside the Sun Belt. No freezes on an average winter night.
--Major con: prone to hurricanes and occasionally blizzards.
2]
Knoxville:
--Humid subtropical, not coastal, edge of the Sun Belt. Four distinct seasons, but moderately warm overall. Light freezes on an average winter night.
--Major con: four seasons lead to somewhat chilly Decembers and Januaries.
3]
Oklahoma City:
--My idea of a "continental subtropical" climate that's still actually subtropical. Fully within the Sun Belt. Again, four distinct seasons but moderately warm overall. Light freezes on an average winter night.
--Major con: tornado alley.
4]
St. George:
--Subtropical arid with four seasons. Narrowly fails to qualify as a hot arid climate. Light freezes on an average winter night. Not Sun Belt.
--Major con: few bodies of water.
5]
Medford:
--Subtropical Mediterranean at a normally temperate latitude. Four distinct seasons with dry summers. Not Sun Belt. No freezes on an average winter night.
--Major con: not a major city.
6]
Wilmington:
--"Lower" humid subtropical climate that's ALSO ocean-moderated. Solidly Sun Belt. No freezes on an average winter night.
--Major con: prone to hurricanes.
7]
Memphis:
--Place where the Mississippi River starts flowing into the zone of alligators, commonplace Southern Magnolia trees and freeze-free average winter nights. Solidly Sun Belt.
--Major con: tornado alley.
8]
Dallas:
--"Lower" humid subtropical climate but still with continental influences. Solidly Sun Belt. Freeze-free average winter nights; palms, even tree-form ones, are quite commonly cultivated. HOT version of a four-season climate (literally. It'd be "hot" rather than "temperate" even if it were arid/semiarid).
--Major con: tornado alley.
9]
Las Vegas:
--"Lower" subtropical arid climate. Edge of the Sun Belt. Palms everywhere, even the occasional California Fan Palm in the wild...
--Major con: few bodies of water.
10]
Sacramento:
--"Lower" subtropical Mediterranean. Four less noticeable seasons with dry summers. Average winter nights don't freeze.
--Major con: state capital (assuming you're overly afraid of the government, which I'm not. I just couldn't think of anything better).
11]
Miami:
--Tropical wet summer and dry winter climate. Seasonal temperature changes barely noticeable. Virtually frost-free. Even the coconut palm thrives. Solidly Sun Belt; even the UV index reaches 12. Almost completely snowless.
--Major con: HURRICANES! Sea level rise to add to that.
12]
Brownsville:
--Almost tropical. Seasonal temperature changes noticeable but small. Solidly Sun Belt; even the UV index reaches 12. Freezes a few times a year at most.
--Major con: HURRICANES!
13]
Yuma:
--Almost tropical. Seasonal temperature changes are relatively wide, but the dry summers may make up for the high summer temps (depends on the person). Solidly Sun Belt. Almost completely snowless. Freezes in less than 25% of years.
--Major con: not a major city (but VERY close). Also, few bodies of water.
14]
Avalon:
--Seasonal temperature changes barely noticeable. What matters more here is wet (winter)/dry (summer) seasons; winters are virtually frost-free and summers quite mild. Completely snowless. Essentially a tropical island with somewhat cooler temperatures.
--Major con: far from being a major city. Also, it's on an island lacking any road/rail connections, so no excursions to nearby Los Angeles if you're an aerophobic landlubber like me.
So, which one(s) do you prefer/least prefer? Here's my ranking from top to bottom:
--1: Avalon
--2: Yuma
--3: Las Vegas
--4: Sacramento
--5: Memphis
--6: Knoxville
--7: Dallas
--8: Oklahoma City
--9: Medford
--10: St. George
--11: Virginia Beach
--12: Wilmington
--13: Brownsville
--14: Miami
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