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Va resident here. I live in Northern VA and am looking to leave this area. I am so sick and tired of the DC area traffic, crime, high cost of living, illegal immigrant issues and everything else. A couple of years ago someone was telling me about a summer home of theirs in the mountains of WNC. They claimed that the summers were not as hot nor the humidity as high as the rest of the area. The heat and humidity is a major issue for me in the summers. Any ideas on the town this guy was suggesting?
Va resident here. I live in Northern VA and am looking to leave this area. I am so sick and tired of the DC area traffic, crime, high cost of living, illegal immigrant issues and everything else. A couple of years ago someone was telling me about a summer home of theirs in the mountains of WNC. They claimed that the summers were not as hot nor the humidity as high as the rest of the area. The heat and humidity is a major issue for me in the summers. Any ideas on the town this guy was suggesting?
Probably in the High Country, which is Watauga, Avery, Ashe, Counties. The biggest town is Boone, a college town in Watauga. There are other areas that would be cooler than the DC area. Asheville is the biggest city in Western N.C. Come down in the summer and take some vacations, see what fits your needs and pocket book.
Is Asheville noticeably warmer than Boone in summer?
Catbird
From your answer to Bigfoot's question, it makes me wonder how much warmer Asheville is compared to Boone (or Jefferson, etc) in the summer.
I know the elevation is higher up in Watauga (I have an aunt in Valle Crucis) and Ashe counties, but are the summer days (and humidity) really obvious in Buncombe county? Say 10 degrees warmer in Asheville --vs-- Boone?
I know it snows lots more up there so it follows it would be cooler there in summer. We don't want to get "stuck" with humidity for weeks in the summer. And where would Asheville residents go to get away from the heat? Boone? Tenn's mountains?
NC's mountains are higher than Tenn.'s.
Catbirds is right about the counties...let me add Mitchell and Yancey counties. Mitchell has, of course, Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Trouble is, most of the folks on this forum don't like the rural character of those areas. They're city folk!
Hi Marjorie, Asheville is warmer because it sits in a valley surrounded by higher mountains. As Southlander said, Mt. Mitchell is 6684 highest mountain and only about 20 miles from Asheville. Where your aunt lives in Valle Crucis, it is about 3700 feet so it is cooler here in the summer. I live in the Boone, Blowing Rock area, and it is cooler here as well. Beech Mountain is really cool in the summer. Boone is the largest town in this area. I have family in Asheville so I go there a lot, and it can be 10 degrees hotter in the summer. In the mountains, we have micro climates. I work in Avery, about 10 miles where I live, and it can be raining like crazy there and sun shining at my house. But before anyone decides to move here because of the cooler summers, remember, winter can be brutal. We haven't had a real bad winter for ten years until this winter. Lots of people without power right now. We were lucky so far. Still digging from last snow and huge ice storm. Another storm is coming Monday night and another on Thursday night. I love snow, but ice is really scary. Black ice is a killer. To check weather in this area, the best place to go is Ray's Weather Center - Home - booneweather.com. Ray is a college professor at Appalachian that started doing this as a hobby and now has sites all over the mountains including Asheville and some of the foothills. There is an area on his site that you can compare weather from different areas and different years.
Va resident here. I live in Northern VA and am looking to leave this area. I am so sick and tired of the DC area traffic, crime, high cost of living, illegal immigrant issues and everything else. A couple of years ago someone was telling me about a summer home of theirs in the mountains of WNC. They claimed that the summers were not as hot nor the humidity as high as the rest of the area. The heat and humidity is a major issue for me in the summers. Any ideas on the town this guy was suggesting?
He must have been talking about Beech Mountain. At 5500' in elevation the summers there are very pleasant
It appears the town the guy was telling me about is Boone. Haven't confirmed it but I believe that's it.
Boone is a nice little college town not far from Beech Mountain actually. It can get busy and have some traffic when the college is in session, but many people love living there. But at 3200' in elevation it won't be quite as cool as a place like Beech Mountain, though it is of course cooler than much lower elevations!
I find this website helpful to determine the average climate of different places in NC. The nice thing is they also include snowfall, many other sites don't. If you want cool summers in NC and don't mind about 3 feet of snow a winter, Boone is a great choice, climate-wise.
Thanks for all the info folks. I'm an old southern boy and living in the mountains is fine with me. I ride my motorcycle as a hobby and I'd much prefer riding in and around mountains than in the flat lands anytime. When the wife and I bail out of the DC area we would like an small town feeling but a few other things are important as well. Medical care is tops. My in laws live in remore Minnesota and good medical care is much too far away. I don't want that. We'd like to be near a college and also near a good size airport. Can anyone advise what major airpost is closest to Boone? I see what's on the map but I'm not familiar with the airports.
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Cool Mountains
I love snow, but ice is really scary. Black ice is a killer. To check weather in this area, the best place to go is 
