What state/city/region has consistent moderate temperatures?

[elegantlion]

I'm not complaining about the warmth, goodness knows I waited long enough for it this year. It snowed in May here. I'm in MO, it never snows in May. Now the temperatures are climbing into the 80 and 90s. I'm really not ready for another hot July.

 

So for distraction purposes, what state/city/region has the most consistent moderate temperatures? I despise snow with a passion, so no heavy snows. A light dusting once or twice is okay.

 

We lived in LA (state) for 5 years, I loved that it was warm, but I don't think I can go back to the extreme warmth and high humidity. I also don't want extreme high temps either. I'd really like to be able to go outside and enjoy the outdoors for all 4 seasons.

 

Now that I've eliminated 2/3rds of the US, what is left?

[Shelly in IL]

We visited Flagstaff, AZ once. They claimed not higher than 80 with not much humidity and not colder than 30. To me, that sounds perfect!

[Cricket]

Hawaii??

[NicAnn]

The PNW. Seattle area. Yes, it rains...but not the way people think. Some days we get five minutes of moisture and then it's 65 and sunny. I go out side 95% of the time, the exception being a few weeks in the winter when it really does drizzle or pour.

I've traveled all year long and the PNW has the best weather!

[Cricket]

I was thinking the PNW, Portland area. Not nearly as much rain as Seattle! :-)

[elegantlion]

So Flagstaff, Hawaii, or PNW so far.

 

Flagstaff? Haven't been there since I was a kid. Those temps sound about where I'd like to be.

 

Hawaii? Beautiful, went there once, only once *sniff*, couldn't afford to eat there though.

 

PNW? I could do a WTM PNW tour to see which area would be the best. That could be fun.

[NicAnn]

I was thinking the PNW, Portland area. Not nearly as much rain as Seattle! :-)

 

True! Though the temp isn't quite as steady. We are moving to Portland next year!

[Amira]

Seattle is the best place I've lived for feeling like I could get out almost all year. Even though it often rains, it rarely rains all day long and it doesn't often rain hard. And it's almost never hot, although for the few days that it is, it's pretty miserable. But I'll take a few days of discomfort in exchange for great weather the rest of the year.

 

However, if sun is important to you, Seattle may not be the best choice. :)

[elegantlion]

Seattle is the best place I've lived for feeling like I could get out almost all year. Even though it often rains, it rarely rains all day long and it doesn't often rain hard. And it's almost never hot, although for the few days that it is, it's pretty miserable. But I'll take a few days of discomfort in exchange for great weather the rest of the year.

 

However, if sun is important to you, Seattle may not be the best choice. :)

 

I don't know if sun overrides the desire for consistency. I really don't mind rain, but I've never been to Seattle. Lately when the sun comes out it's too hot to really enjoy it.

[kitten18]

San Diego

CA Central Coast

[indigomama]

Where I grew up, Central Coast California. It was a Jeopardy question once.

 

But do you have to be able to afford to live there?:)

[Amira]

If you want moderate, you could always try cities near the equator with very high elevations. Quito is where I want to live. But I suspect you're looking to stay in the US.

[elegantlion]

San Diego

CA Central Coast

Where I grew up, Central Coast California. It was a Jeopardy question once.

 

But do you have to be able to afford to live there? :)

 

Yeah, I think affording to live in CA might be a problem, and I've only been there a few times. I have a friend that moved that way recently. I see the need to travel a bit in my future.

[elegantlion]

If you want moderate, you could always try cities near the equator with very high elevations. Quito is where I want to live. But I suspect you're looking to stay in the US.

 

Unfortunately, yes, I think I'll need to stay in the US.

[Saraswati]

Bisbee, AZ has some pretty consistent weather. It's located in the Chiricahua Mountains, and the elevation helps keep the temps down in the summer - though it still gets warm. You'd have several mountain ranges within an hour drive (Dragoons, Lemon, and Huachuca) where the weather is generally 20 degrees cooler. There would be plenty to do outdoors in summer months. Not to mention, Tombstone is about 30 minutes away and Tucson is about an hour. There is a great deal of history in the area - so there is a lot of exploring opportunities.

 

Though, I also have to agree with Shelly in IL - Norther AZ is absolutely beautiful! The weather and landscapes in Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff are lovely. However, it can be expensive to live up there.

 

I'm originally from Upstate NY, and it took me a while to acclimate to desert living - but, it's home now.

[elegantlion]

Bisbee, AZ has some pretty consistent weather. It's located in the Chiricahua Mountains, and the elevation helps keep the temps down in the summer - though it still gets warm. You'd have several mountain ranges within an hour drive (Dragoons, Lemon, and Huachuca) where the weather is generally 20 degrees cooler. There would be plenty to do outdoors in summer months. Not to mention, Tombstone is about 30 minutes away and Tucson is about an hour. There is a great deal of history in the area - so there is a lot of exploring opportunities.

 

Though, I also have to agree with Shelly in IL - Norther AZ is absolutely beautiful! The weather and landscapes in Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff are lovely. However, it can be expensive to live up there.

 

I'm originally from Upstate NY, and it took me a while to acclimate to desert living - but, it's home now.

 

 

What an adorable city, although even smaller than where I am now. I'll add it to my tour.

[Seasider]

Key West

 

http://www.climate-zone.com/climate/united-states/florida/key-west/

[Crimson Wife]

Southern California along the coast, but you'd be paying a pretty penny for the privilege.

[Whereneverever]

Southern wyoming? Winters are cold and moderately long, but relatively dry, with a January average of 25.9 °F (−3.4 °C), highs that fail to reach freezing occur 37 days per year, and lows dip to the 0 °F (−18 °C) mark on 12 nights. However, the coldness is often interrupted, with chinook winds blowing downslope from the Rockies that can bring warm conditions, bringing the high above 50 °F (10 °C) on 20 days from December to February. Snowfall is greatest in March and April, averaging 60 inches (152 cm) for the season, yet thick snow cover rarely stays. Summers are warm, with a July average of 67.7 °F (19.8 °C), and highs reaching 90 °F (32 °C) 8 times. Spring and autumn are quick transitions, with the median freeze dates being May 12 and September 26. The annual precipitation tends to be concentrated from May to August and is low during fall and winter, contributing to the area's 2980 hours (~68% of the possible total) of sunshine per year.

 

Wiki actually organized that pretty well! In general here, the cold weather doesn't stay long, and it rarely gets super hot.

[Wendi]

We visited Flagstaff, AZ once. They claimed not higher than 80 with not much humidity and not colder than 30. To me, that sounds perfect!

 

 

It does get colder than 30 there, though. Daytime highs won't be below 30, but it will get below 30 at night in winter. We go up there every winter to go sledding and skiing.

[zoobie]

San Diego and Hawaii's weather sound perfect to me. (From the native Atlantan who hates hot weather!)

[Wendi]

The San Diego area has perfect weather. We go every summer to one of the little beach towns north of SD.

[Heather in Neverland]

North Carolina was amazing when we lived there. No real snow to speak of, beautiful fall and spring. The summer was hot, though. We lived in western NC near Asheville.

[StaceyinLA]

Hawaii's weather is awesome for sure, and the place is GORGEOUS, but I don't know if I could adapt to NEVER having cooler weather.

[Georgiana Daniels]

We visited Flagstaff, AZ once. They claimed not higher than 80 with not much humidity and not colder than 30. To me, that sounds perfect!

 

 

LOL, I don't know who "they" are--but we were above 80 a good chunk of last week and we often get down into the teens during winter. Some winters we're shoveling snow off the roof. In fact, a few winters back several businesses had their roofs collapse because of the weight of the snow.

 

Now Prescott, on the other hand.....

[Georgiana Daniels]

Bisbee, AZ has some pretty consistent weather. It's located in the Chiricahua Mountains, and the elevation helps keep the temps down in the summer - though it still gets warm. You'd have several mountain ranges within an hour drive (Dragoons, Lemon, and Huachuca) where the weather is generally 20 degrees cooler. There would be plenty to do outdoors in summer months. Not to mention, Tombstone is about 30 minutes away and Tucson is about an hour. There is a great deal of history in the area - so there is a lot of exploring opportunities.

 

Though, I also have to agree with Shelly in IL - Norther AZ is absolutely beautiful! The weather and landscapes in Prescott, Sedona and Flagstaff are lovely. However, it can be expensive to live up there.

 

I'm originally from Upstate NY, and it took me a while to acclimate to desert living - but, it's home now.

 

 

The bolded is, sadly, entirely too true :(

[Jean in Newcastle]

Portland is in a bowl that traps heat. (And yes, I've lived there.)

 

The rain further north in the Seattle area isn't as bad as people think and yet is worse than people think. It isn't as bad in the sense that it often doesn't downpour here but will mist or drizzle. So a day that is marked as rainy on the weather report often includes quite a bit of sunbreaks or at least dry grey spells as well. But. . . it mists or drizzles a lot during the fall, winter and spring. And it's grey. And people tend to need vitamin D supplements. On the other hand, one good sunbreak and you'll see people running outside in shorts and a t-shirt to soak up what rays they can get! But temperature wise, we usually have consistent moderate temperatures.

[Lanny]

San Diego, CA probably has the best climate in the USA. If you have $$$$$ and can afford it, go there.

Miami, FL has a much lower COL, but you lived in LA, so you know what hot and humid means... Both have beaches...

 

If you can move from the USA, come down here. We have a mean temperature of 79 F. and get approximately 12 hours of daylight, year round. Our house does not have heating or air conditioning equipment or insulation.

[Ellie]

San Diego

CA Central Coast

 

ITA. Mr. Ellie is a San Diego native. We lived there for the first 13 years of our marriage, mainly in the Lemon Grove/Spring Valley/La Mesa areas. We didn't have AC, and although I would have loved it, 'cuz I'm a wimp, lol, we didn't really need it (very often, lol). We moved from there to San Jose, which was also pretty consistently pleasant.

 

I'd *love* to live in San Luis Obispo/Morrow Bay, or in the Monterrey/Santa Cruz area. Alas, (1) when we sold our house and moved to Texas, we knew we'd never be able to go back, and (2) even when we lived there, we couldn't have afforded those areas. Boohoo.

[elegantlion]

Hawaii

 

Great to visit, but I couldn't afford to live there, or eat there. We ended up at Denny's a lot on our vacation.

 

Key West

 

http://www.climate-z...orida/key-west/

 

that does sound nice. I would love to add it to the tour.

 

Not here! Unless you count staying above zero in the winter is "moderate". We all go out in shirt sleeves in January if it gets above zero!

 

I would die. I hate being cold. I don't mind cooler, but cold not so much.

 

Southern California along the coast, but you'd be paying a pretty penny for the privilege.

 

Yeah, I almost put it as a no in my OP, but I wanted to see how many people mentioned it.

[gardenmom5]

WA or OR west of the cascades. drier the further south you go. Summer highs are typically in the 70's - though they can get well into the 90's, those hot streaks don't last. winter temps can reach single digits, but are typically in the 30's (or maybe 20's) for overnight lows. it isn't dry - but it's nothing like midwest humidity.

 

we get less overall rain than chicago, but it comes in "drizzle" form where we spot tourists because they are using an umbrella. refer to the line from sleepless in seattle "it rains nine months of the year in seattle" is pretty much true. middle of july to mid sep/oct are dry with little rain. in winter snow is scant. immediately northeast of the olympic mts are drier because of the rain shadow. (there is desert at the south end of San Juan Island.)

[elegantlion]

Southern wyoming? Winters are cold and moderately long, but relatively dry, with a January average of 25.9 °F (−3.4 °C), highs that fail to reach freezing occur 37 days per year, and lows dip to the 0 °F (−18 °C) mark on 12 nights. However, the coldness is often interrupted, with chinook winds blowing downslope from the Rockies that can bring warm conditions, bringing the high above 50 °F (10 °C) on 20 days from December to February. Snowfall is greatest in March and April, averaging 60 inches (152 cm) for the season, yet thick snow cover rarely stays. Summers are warm, with a July average of 67.7 °F (19.8 °C), and highs reaching 90 °F (32 °C) 8 times. Spring and autumn are quick transitions, with the median freeze dates being May 12 and September 26. The annual precipitation tends to be concentrated from May to August and is low during fall and winter, contributing to the area's 2980 hours (~68% of the possible total) of sunshine per year.

 

Wiki actually organized that pretty well! In general here, the cold weather doesn't stay long, and it rarely gets super hot.

 

I love Wyoming to visit, but 60 inches of snow would drive me insane. I despise snow, unless I purposely go to see it.

 

It does get colder than 30 there, though. Daytime highs won't be below 30, but it will get below 30 at night in winter. We go up there every winter to go sledding and skiing.

 

Sledding and skiing...maybe should rethink that area. See above remark about snow.

North Carolina was amazing when we lived there. No real snow to speak of, beautiful fall and spring. The summer was hot, though. We lived in western NC near Asheville.

 

We've been to Asheville a few times. Beautiful, beautiful.

 

LOL, I don't know who "they" are--but we were above 80 a good chunk of last week and we often get down into the teens during winter. Some winters we're shoveling snow off the roof. In fact, a few winters back several businesses had their roofs collapse because of the weight of the snow.

 

Now Prescott, on the other hand.....

Portland is in a bowl that traps heat. (And yes, I've lived there.)

 

The rain further north in the Seattle area isn't as bad as people think and yet is worse than people think. It isn't as bad in the sense that it often doesn't downpour here but will mist or drizzle. So a day that is marked as rainy on the weather report often includes quite a bit of sunbreaks or at least dry grey spells as well. But. . . it mists or drizzles a lot during the fall, winter and spring. And it's grey. And people tend to need vitamin D supplements. On the other hand, one good sunbreak and you'll see people running outside in shorts and a t-shirt to soak up what rays they can get! But temperature wise, we usually have consistent moderate temperatures.

 

I already take Vit D because I don't go outside because it's too hot. *sigh* I'm come to realize I let the weather dictate my actions too much, but I hate feeling too cold or too hot. I'm Goldilocks apparently.

San Diego, CA probably has the best climate in the USA. If you have $$$$$ and can afford it, go there.

Miami, FL has a much lower COL, but you lived in LA, so you know what hot and humid means... Both have beaches...

 

If you can move from the USA, come down here. We have a mean temperature of 79 F. and get approximately 12 hours of daylight, year round. Our house does not have heating or air conditioning equipment or insulation.

 

I would love to travel outside the US more, but I'll probably live here. We went to Miami and San Diego one year within months of each other. I lot of traveling when ds was little. I have a precious picture of him falling asleep in the ocean in Miami (he was in an floaty thing with a big floppy hat). We went to Coronado Island in San Diego. I audibly gasped when dh started on the bridge. I hate heights.

 

 

ITA. Mr. Ellie is a San Diego native. We lived there for the first 13 years of our marriage, mainly in the Lemon Grove/Spring Valley/La Mesa areas. We didn't have AC, and although I would have loved it, 'cuz I'm a wimp, lol, we didn't really need it (very often, lol). We moved from there to San Jose, which was also pretty consistently pleasant.

 

I'd *love* to live in San Luis Obispo/Morrow Bay, or in the Monterrey/Santa Cruz area. Alas, (1) when we sold our house and moved to Texas, we knew we'd never be able to go back, and (2) even when we lived there, we couldn't have afforded those areas. Boohoo.

 

We ended up driving a little around San Diego, it is so pretty.

[Veritaserum]

I adored every minute that I lived in San Diego, CA. The weather is one of the things I miss the most.

[gardenmom5]

Seattle is the best place I've lived for feeling like I could get out almost all year. Even though it often rains, it rarely rains all day long and it doesn't often rain hard. And it's almost never hot, although for the few days that it is, it's pretty miserable. But I'll take a few days of discomfort in exchange for great weather the rest of the year.

 

However, if sun is important to you, Seattle may not be the best choice. :)

though seattle does have mts, lakes, rivers, salt water sound and ocean beaches (yes sandy for walking on or building sand castles) within three hours (the coast) or less. lots of hiking and other outdoor sports access.

[gardenmom5]

We ended up driving a little around San Diego, it is so pretty.

I really liked san diego - but the nicest parts are pricy. further inland it starts to get hot and dry.

 

for gardening climate information the west uses the sunset climate zones - NOT the USDA zones. I'm even seeing nursrey lables include the sunset zone. you might want to consider checking that out as it is FAR more detailed. it includs lows/highs, light, rain, wind, number of days for such, etc.

[Ellie]

Coastal Southern California. If you go too far inland the summers get hot.

 

ITA. Anywhere along the I-5 corridor north of Los Angeles is just way too hot for me. Coastal California is fine, all along the coast. Inland... :ack2: ...I'd have to have an awfully good deal on a home anywhere in Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Sacramento--don't even bring up Redding--for me to EVER move to that part of California.

[tammyw]

We've lived in several of the places mentioned so far.

 

NC - the weather is partly mild there all year, but it does get pretty humid and the summers are just TOO hot. Winters are mild

 

Hawaii - Really humid. We first lived in a house that didn't have air conditioning (most don't and the electricity is very expensive as well). The temps were 90 degrees in the house ALL.THE.TIME. And humid. It was the first time in my life that I started taking cold showers. Thankfully we moved into a base house that had central air and that solved a lot of issues.

 

San Diego - It gets hot in the summer. The months from July to October are the hottest. I find it really doesn't cool down until November. It's fairly dry so it's not as bad as it could be. But it is annoying for me, because I miss fall (I'm from Western Canada originally). It's REALLY expensive here. A million dollars doesn't buy much and the quality of the homes is not great at all, lots are small, no character. And there are too many people!

 

I think I'd be happy in Denver, though I would hate the couple months it gets super hot, I think I would okay with it after a colder winter.

[Mrs Mungo]

This is our second time living in Hawaii.

 

I am from Oklahoma and my dad called once in the summer and said, "ugh, it's 108 here. What is the temperature there?" I said, "remember when it was below zero there and it was 82 here?" He said, "yes." I said, "well, it is still 82. It is pretty much 82 every day."

 

It is not particular humid where we live. We also have a/c. There are many micro climates on Oahu. It depends on where you live.

 

To eat less expensively, you have to get away from the touristy areas. There are less expensive restaurants.

 

But, it is expensive in general, I agree with that.

[WagsWife]

Central Coast, CA. Specifically, Lompoc/Santa Maria. Stays upper 60's/ low 70's most of the year. If it drops to the 50's it is cold...if it gets over 75 it is hot. The hottest month/s of the year are Sept and Oct where for about two weeks it gets into the the 80's, 90's...and rarely it will hit 100. If you want "hot" weather you can drive 45 mins North, South, or East and find it. Some people mentioned San Diego, but SD is still way too hot for me. There is not much to do in the Lompoc/Santa Maria area...but you are 45 mins from Santa Barbara, 2 hours from L.A, 5 hours from San Fran. The cost of living here is still high (compared to the rest of the country), but probably the most affordable for the coastal areas.

[Pawz4me]

North Carolina is too big a state, and there's too much elevation change, to make simple generalizations. The climate in Boone (mountains) is vastly different from the climate in the piedmont or along the coast. I would say the area of the state that comes closest to my definition of moderate would be the western parts of the state that aren't very high in elevation. So . . . agreeing with whoever said Asheville. Anywhere else in the state . . . "moderate" isn't a word that generally comes to mind.

[KungFuPanda]

Monterey, CA.

 

I swear it was in the 60s or 70s all year long.

[elegantlion]

60s to 70s would be heavenly. I'm not one who truly desires a change in the seasons. I loved Christmas shopping in flip flops.

[kroe1]

The barrier islands in the Gulf surrounding southwest Florida. The latitude keeps the place warm all winter and the Gulf breeze and afternoon showers keep it cooler all summer.