Seeking a warmer climate

[JustinH]

We have been happy in Central and South Texas for nearly 10 years now. Took an IT job in Austin about 10 years ago, did that gig for a while then took a job in Downtown San Antonio. We live in the Hill Country west of San Antonio. Lots of hiking, walking opportunities, a lake nearby. We frequent the Texas Gulf beaches, and South Padre or Port Aransas. Great food, and a nice way to spend a weekend. We haven't run out of stuff to do. We started taking cruises out of Galveston to Cozumel Mexico and other places, its been fun and affordable. Summer is hot but I work an office job and have good AC at home. Heat doesn't bother me much we walk and play sports year round. Coming from Buffalo NY, it was so brutal to live there and I was very unhappy.

 

[Rhymingmechanic]

I once had a temporary job in Reno. I'd go back in a minute if I could make a living there. Any snow that falls is usually melted by noon, and I managed 3 summers without A/C by opening the windows at night and closing them in the morning. There's this incredible smell early in the morning, a mixture of sage, pine, and a little dust. I ran 3-4 times a week at the edge of a wilderness area. Thirty minutes to ski if that's your thing, 45 to Lake Tahoe. If you like the outdoors, you can explore somewhere new every weekend, right outside the city or on roads where driving is actually enjoyable.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Originally Posted by LazyDog

If money were no object I would live south of the Bay Area (Los Gatos, Carmel, etc) maybe north of LA or in San Diego. Everything else is a compromise because mild winters equate to hot/humid summers. It's why retirees commute from Fla from/to XYZ in the north every Fall and Spring I have actually been to Bay Area many times, the wife has some relatives their besides the crazy traffic the weather is nice. These are all great ideas, I love the picture that shows the different temperatures.

Los Gatos today, 70 degrees, my back yard

 

[earlyre]

Since the Op never specifically said they wanted to stay in the US.... I Suggest Perth, Western Australia. on average the hottest months get into the 90's(F), and around 50% humidity and the Coldest months get down to the 40's(F) with around 75% Humidity.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted by WhyMe

St George Utah. Close enough to Vegas and hot and dry in the summer. Great outdoor activities and good prices on housing

Housing prices were higher than I expected when I looked at real estate there a couple years ago. Oregon is really nice, too. But it's no secret and house prices are not great there, either.

 

[sloinker]

A couple coworkers chose Pahrump, Nevada, hot,dry,cheap and close to Vegas. Bay area is too expensive for most as is San Diego. I would look in the California coastal range from Santa Rosa to Brookings,Oregon away from the beach far enough to get the typical temperatures you desire as too close to the beach can get a little chilly and too far can get pretty toasty in the summer.

 

[gman2304]

W central N.C. 35 F here this morning, 70 F here this afternoon. One hour to the Blue Parkway, 3 hours to the beach, 4 distinct seasons. My neighbor moved here from Mi and said he will never leave N.C.

 

[JOD]

I have friends in the South Bay. It's nice, but it still gets hot in the summer and wet in the winter. https://www.bestplaces.net/climate/city/california/ventura For me, not needing heat or air conditioning is pretty much what I'm going for in terms of climate.

 

[sloinker]

Carolina's in July/August are not my idea of dry heat. Otherwise I would recommend Tennessee.

 

[gman2304]

Originally Posted by sloinker

Carolina's in July/August are not my idea of dry heat. Otherwise I would recommend Tennessee.

You got that right. One can feel themselves melting into their flip flops in July/August!

 

[RDY4WAR]

Originally Posted by Leo99

Originally Posted by WhyMe

St George Utah. Close enough to Vegas and hot and dry in the summer. Great outdoor activities and good prices on housing

Housing prices were higher than I expected when I looked at real estate there a couple years ago. Oregon is really nice, too. But it's no secret and house prices are not great there, either.

That's something I like about SC. We close on a house in a couple of weeks that's 1910 sqft, 3 bed, 2 bath, sunroom, deck, full acre, storage shed, and 25'x50' shop. It's $190k. No HOA. Next to a country club so it's nice and quiet. Homeowner's insurance is just $975/yr. I remember looking at houses in Sandy, UT that were similar and were $350k+.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted by Yah-Tah-Hey

Originally Posted by LazyDog

After been here in the mid west since the middle 80's, I have learned to hate the cold weather. I love the heat and if dry is even better. What place will you consider moving that has no nasty winters.

Las Cruces,New Mexico area

Thats a great place! I love Las Cruces. Mid sized city, but within driving distance of larger El Paso if needed.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted by gman2304

Originally Posted by sloinker

Carolina's in July/August are not my idea of dry heat. Otherwise I would recommend Tennessee.

You got that right. One can feel themselves melting into their flip flops in July/August!

I dont agree. Humid is relative to what someone thinks is humid, just like someone who thinks something is cold. Anyway, all the stats for every area in the country are online. Central South Carolina is way less humid then where I grew up and lived most my life until moving here. I moved from Long Island, NY SC is much more warm and less humid ... South Carolina as I described in another post in this thread is way more dry and the "numbers" and stats prove what I am saying. TN, nice state, take the motorcycle there to the Pigeon Forge area. The thing is, the OP wants HOT, TN winters can get quite cold. Where we are less then 3 hours to the Smoky mountains and exactly 2 hours to the beaches down in Charleston.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted by RDY4WAR

Originally Posted by Leo99

Originally Posted by WhyMe

St George Utah. Close enough to Vegas and hot and dry in the summer. Great outdoor activities and good prices on housing

Housing prices were higher than I expected when I looked at real estate there a couple years ago. Oregon is really nice, too. But it's no secret and house prices are not great there, either.

That's something I like about SC. We close on a house in a couple of weeks that's 1910 sqft, 3 bed, 2 bath, sunroom, deck, full acre, storage shed, and 25'x50' shop. It's $190k. No HOA. Next to a country club so it's nice and quiet. Homeowner's insurance is just $975/yr. I remember looking at houses in Sandy, UT that were similar and were $350k+.

Yes, you get a lot for your money here and cheap taxes on top of everything else. The taxes on the size home we have here in SC would be over $20,000 a year on Long Island, here they are $3,000.

 

[alarmguy]

Originally Posted by RDY4WAR

Originally Posted by alarmguy

Central South Carolina and Western South Carolina. Pretty much anything along I 20 from Camden to Aiken and west of there. You will still get some cold short winters but plenty of dry (compared to the coast) 90+ heat in the warm weather. Extreme west of I20 and you're getting closer to the mountains so it will be cooler and extreme east you're getting close to the shore and of course will be more humid.

We close on a house in Edgefield in less than 2 weeks. I can't wait to move out in that area.

Good luck on your home! I know Edgefield, nice country feel, pretty much I know every area of this state, traveled them all in my line of work. (read my other posts above)

 

[mightymousetech]

Originally Posted by LazyDog

After been here in the mid west since the middle 80's, I have learned to hate the cold weather. I love the heat and if dry is even better. What place will you consider moving that has no nasty winters.

There is a great big world out there. Currently looking at Toulouse, France.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Originally Posted by WhyMe

St George Utah. Close enough to Vegas and hot and dry in the summer. Great outdoor activities and good prices on housing

Or maybe Mesquite,Nevada down the interstate a few miles.

 

[dja4260]

I spent the first 31 years of my life in Illinois. We moved to Greenville, SC and have never looked back. The weather is fantastic and your money goes far. 3200sq ft home on 3.6 acres in a neighhood with a creek, no HOA, property taxes $1750, homeowners $910. House was 280k in a desirable area Dec of 2018.

 

[alarmguy]

Wow, yes, Greenville SC is a great place, we live towards the Columbia/Chapin area of Lake Murray. Moved from NY 13 years ago, never looked back. Approx same size home and taxes/hoa combined but much much smaller property in a community. Son lives in Spartanburg, works for BMW. ALl I ever hear about Greenville from people there is how much they love it.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted by LazyDog

After been here in the mid west since the middle 80's, I have learned to hate the cold weather. I love the heat and if dry is even better. What place will you consider moving that has no nasty winters.

Note: In my job related travels (corporate aviation) I've been able to pin down the topography, climate and conditions I prefer. I hope you can benefit from my observations. I live in South FL, the down side is that it's too hot, for too long with too much humidity. Yes, our winters can be heavenly, but there is something you may not have considered about "seasons" and latitude. For example, in NY the good season is summer. It gets light at 6AM and dark at 8+PM = 14+ hours of light. In FL winter is the good season, and it gets light at 7:30AM and dark at 4:30PM = 9 hours of light. Note that FL winters have MUCH more light than NY winters when you do a direct season to season comparison. Another huge factor (to me) is the tax burden/overall expense. As a young man, I lived in CT, worked in NY and was taxed into abject poverty, with no perceivable benefit to me of that tax burden. I left for Florida at age 19 and discovered that even with lower income I could afford a far better standard of living, with race cars, motorcycles, SeaDoo's and airplanes in the mix of toys. Something I could never have achieved in NY or CT. Quite simply, I'm happiest here. Cloud cover and solar insolation are other factors. I despise gloomy conditions, so when the sun is low in the sky (northern winters) and it's overcast, I'm ready to leave! Many people don't ever look at the number of cloudless days "per year" when they choose a location. Newburgh, NY for example might have only 60 days of full sunshine per year. The rest of the year is some combination of overcast, drizzle, rain, gloom and early darkness. I could write for hours on this subject, there is no ideal place, HOWEVER, if you know what you want, you can achieve your goals quite nicely. NM has a remarkable climate, generally good conditions, wonderful topography and I could live there. Except for the tax structure. There are wonderful areas in CA. But dedicating my life to work, just to eek out a meager existence is not my idea of life. Conversely, living in abject poverty in beautiful conditions is not my ideal either. FL and TN meet my requirements very well.