Wondering — Best Place to Live for 4 Season Weather

[John Goodin]

I often wonder… Where is the best place to live in the US to experience a four season climate. Specifically, a location where the winters are not long and brutal, but still has some snow, and the summers can get hot but are usually tolerable.

Having always lived in a place where the summers were long and the winters green, the thought of moving to a place that has a regular changing of the season is appealing. North Georgia or North Carolina come to mind.

So where?

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Minnesota might be nice this time of year.
OK, TOTALLY joking - I've never been there.

[Scott Winners]

I am looking at retiring to horticultural climate zone 6 or 7. I am currently in zone 1, I think you are in 8 or maybe 9. Pretty predictable east of the Mississippi, but kinda swirly out west.

to me zone 6 is far enough south to grow excellent tomato without needing a greenhouse, but far enough north to minimize summer misery. Zone seven looks a bit on the warm side.

[Prashun Patel]

Southern New Jersey or eastern Pennsylvania.

We may be the only 2 spots in the country that don’t often have extremes of any weather.

[Thomas Wilson]

I know the place but I’m not telling! :) We live variously in East Tennessee, Atlanta, GA, and Daytona Beach. They just put hurricane shutters on the place in Florida. That should say enough about that. As big cities go, Atlanta is great, but it is a city. East Tennessee is the sweet spot. Hurricanes peter out before they get here, earthquakes are rare and mild, tornadoes skip over the valleys. We have had two snowfalls this year both under 1.5” and gone in a day. Spring and fall are lovely. Come visit in dogwood blossom season. They have festivals all over to celebrate it.

[Ole Anderson]

Pure Michigan, of course! If you like more snow, move farther north in the state. Beautiful spring weather, warm summers without the summer long humidity, fantastic fall colors and pure Michigan winters. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but the only thing missing is mountain views. Lots of water, and who couldn't love a state shaped like a mitten?

[Rod Sheridan]

Minnesota might be nice this time of year.
OK, TOTALLY joking - I've never been there.

I agree, I’m in Toronto and there’s enough difference between the seasons that you notice them, autumn’s a tie with winter for beauty.

Regards, Rod

[roger wiegand]

I really like it here in MA. I've lived farther south, but found the summers just too darn hot. Here you can be outdoors almost every day of the year. When living, for example, in St. Louis, we had to hide inside in the air conditioning for 2-3 months of the year.

One of the things that makes our climate especially nice is the amount of sunshine we get, year round. I grew up near Cleveland and though on paper the climates are very similar, here we get 100 more days of sunshine a year than sitting in the cloud bank off Lake Erie. It makes a huge difference.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Just spent my first fall/winter in 20 years in Virginia, and I’m loving it. I never thought I would say that about cold weather, but I have realized that changing seasons are a good thing. Fall was so amazing. Winter here wasn’t bad at all. I rode my motorcycle at least one time every week during winter. (My criteria is 50 degrees or warmer to take the bike out.)

[Rich Engelhardt]

We often have 4 season weather here in NE Ohio...

We even get in all in the same week!
Sometimes even in the same day!
Just this year - we went from over 50*F on Jan 1st to zero*F on the 23rd - and 2 feet of snow on the ground.


& so - no - I am not joking....
Weather here is so terrible I often wonder why in the world people ever decided to live here in the first place.

Then I realize - historically, they didn't!
NE Ohio, down through history, has always been a place people were passing through on their way to somewhere else. Even centuries before Columbus..

[Jim Becker]

I'm with Prashun, but in another recent thread on essentially the same topic, Tennessee was mentioned as a very nice target.

[Roger Feeley]

My wife and I visited the San Juan islands off Seattle once. The weather there is basically Hawaii but 20 degrees cooler. We’re it not for family, we would have strongly considered that part of the country.

We are rapidly approaching a time when year-round water availability should be part of the decision making process. Mountain snow caps are shrinking. Aquifers are running dry. Honestly, I don’t know where the best places are.

[Curt Harms]

I think it depends on whether your preferences run toward hot or cold. The only place I've heard of being about the same year round not surrounded by water are the higher elevations of South America not far from the Equator. People complain about the weather in S. Jersey and southern PA. but it really isn't too bad. Summers in S.E. PA. can be pretty humid but nothing like summers in Houston or the Gulf Coast for example. Winter snowfall averages around 22 inches but one snowfall often melts before another falls.

[Myk Rian]

This was just discussed.
https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?295983-Relocating-South-Dakota

[Bill Dufour]

Lake Tahoe is nice but the snow is a lot in winter and unlike many places it does not melt away between storms.
Bill D

[John Goodin]

I wonder if Santa Fe or Albuquerque would be a place in the west that would fit the bill.

[Paul F Franklin]

We often have 4 season weather here in NE Ohio...

We even get in all in the same week!
Sometimes even in the same day!
Just this year - we went from over 50*F on Jan 1st to zero*F on the 23rd - and 2 feet of snow on the ground.


& so - no - I am not joking....
Weather here is so terrible I often wonder why in the world people ever decided to live here in the first place.

Then I realize - historically, they didn't!
NE Ohio, down through history, has always been a place people were passing through on their way to somewhere else. Even centuries before Columbus..

I've lived in NE Ohio my entire life, but have traveled extensively and have no interest in living anywhere but here. I love the change of seasons, (and don't even mind when it's all in one day!). We have the occasional tornado, but no hurricanes, and only very rare and mild earthquakes. Wild fires are pretty much unheard of. Winters any more are pretty mild; we get snow every winter, but usually only get a lot a couple of times a winter. Summers are moderate as well, and although mid-summer humidity is higher than many would like, it's usually only a couple of weeks that are uncomfortable. Fall and spring are wonderful and my favorite seasons. We have abundant clean water that won't run out until long after the rest of the country has dried up. Housing is very affordable compared to many areas.

[Scott Clausen]

I wonder if Santa Fe or Albuquerque would be a place in the west that would fit the bill.
Just came back from there, My son lives in Albuquerque and we went up to Taos to ski for the weekend. I would pick Santa Fe if you can swing it financially. Me I am upstate South Carolina and like it but Asheville NC is usually about ten degrees cooler in summer. Just keep in mind that out west is more desert and the east is more green but also humid.

[Michael Drew]

I wonder if Santa Fe or Albuquerque would be a place in the west that would fit the bill.

I bought a piece of land in Southern Colorado (Pagosa Springs), about an hours drive north of Santa Fe / Albuquerque (depending on your route). The primary driver was climate. Unfortunately, real estate and home building costs have gone nutz. I'm now looking for other options. Eastern Tenn / Kentucky / Missouri are on my list of places to check out next. I'm a bit concerned the humidity will be too much for me to handle in this area though.

[Malcolm McLeod]

I wonder if Santa Fe or Albuquerque would be a place in the west that would fit the bill.

You need to look really hard at crime and education systems in ABQ (BTDT); run. Grass lawn is extreme rarity.
Santa Fe :: great town to visit, but $$$ and VERY restrictive building codes AFAIK - I hope you love adobe/stucco w/ >7000' high desert :: very dry.

Edit: We discussed Santa Fe as retirement destination for about 3 sentences. Maybe 2.5? YMMV.

...But, we lingered on talk of Red River, NM!

[Lee Schierer]

Folks lets keep the political comments/references out of our posts.

[Bill Dufour]

I am looking at retiring to horticultural climate zone 6 or 7. I am currently in zone 1, I think you are in 8 or maybe 9. Pretty predictable east of the Mississippi, but kinda swirly out west.

to me zone 6 is far enough south to grow excellent tomato without needing a greenhouse, but far enough north to minimize summer misery. Zone seven looks a bit on the warm side.
Be careful about climate zones those are USDA numbers. In the West you often see Sunset Magazine climate charts. The numbers are not the same.
Bill D.

[Bill Dufour]

I understand people moving west are shocked by Spanish water laws. From the Rockies west most of the continetal USA is under Spanish water laws. That means you may have no rights to the water on your land. including what comes out of your downspouts. Pump water out of your pond and there may be huge fines if you get caught. Dam up a small trickle of a creek and likewise. If anyone downstream has ever used that water downstream for anything before you did it i not yours to take. People have been killed over water rights. Make sure any property you buy includes water rights. oil and mineral rights do make much difference in price.
Bill D

[ChrisA Edwards]

Lived in IL, CT, MD, NJ, FL, TN and TX in that order over 35 years. Retired back to TN.

[Kris Cook]

I often wonder… Where is the best place to live in the US to experience a four season climate. Specifically, a location where the winters are not long and brutal, but still has some snow, and the summers can get hot but are usually tolerable.

Having always lived in a place where the summers were long and the winters green, the thought of moving to a place that has a regular changing of the season is appealing. North Georgia or North Carolina come to mind.

So where?


No comment.:cool:

[Michael Schuch]

I often wonder… Where is the best place to live in the US to experience a four season climate. Specifically, a location where the winters are not long and brutal, but still has some snow, and the summers can get hot but are usually tolerable.

Having always lived in a place where the summers were long and the winters green, the thought of moving to a place that has a regular changing of the season is appealing. North Georgia or North Carolina come to mind.

So where?

I have to ask you why you think that a different climate will be better than the one you are currently in? Austin was the nicest part of Texas I have ever been in as far as climate. N Carolina or S. Carolina are two locations where I think a Texan could get a bit more of the seasons without being overwhelmed.

[Mike Henderson]

Minnesota might be nice this time of year.
OK, TOTALLY joking - I've never been there.

Minnesota has four seasons: (1) Almost winter, (2) winter, (3) still winter and (4) construction.

Mike

[Richard Hart]

We often have 4 season weather here in NE Ohio...

We even get in all in the same week!
Sometimes even in the same day!
Just this year - we went from over 50*F on Jan 1st to zero*F on the 23rd - and 2 feet of snow on the ground.


& so - no - I am not joking....
Weather here is so terrible I often wonder why in the world people ever decided to live here in the first place.

Then I realize - historically, they didn't!
NE Ohio, down through history, has always been a place people were passing through on their way to somewhere else. Even centuries before Columbus..

Same with central Pa. The weather here is... maybe... 2 months of sunny days out of the year. Doesn't help the suicidal winter depressions I get into, either. No money or ability to do the stress of moving,

[Kevin Jenness]

Minnesota has four seasons: (1) Almost winter, (2) winter, (3) still winter and (4) construction.

Mike

They used to say Vermont has six months of winter and another six of damn poor sledding.

What some people consider a moderate climate seems extreme to a northern boy like me. I am sure I would melt living below the Mason-Dixon line in summer.

[Kev Williams]

any place with tall mountains within sight :)

[Doug Colombo]

Pure Michigan, of course! If you like more snow, move farther north in the state. Beautiful spring weather, warm summers without the summer long humidity, fantastic fall colors and pure Michigan winters. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but the only thing missing is mountain views. Lots of water, and who couldn't love a state shaped like a mitten?

Completly agree !!!! Michigan has it all.

[Todd Trebuna]

From a completely climate standpoint, I moved from Los Angeles to Kentucky (Louisville) in 2005. The weather is 4 seasons. Winters are cold but not arctic. We get occassional snow. Probably 3 or 4 snow events a winter. A UPS hub is here, so they keep the roads clear. It’s a pretty nice place to live.

[Allan Dozier]

Having a childhood in Florida made me dislike hot and humid weather more than cold winters. Here in the Piedmont area of North Carolina at an elevation of 700 ft. we have a good mix of all 4 seasons. It is a hotter in the summer than I would like thus I think the ideal spot would be closer to the mountains but still on the eastern slope around 2500 ft. That should be high enough for some summer relief but not too bitter in the winter. Take a look at Asheville.

[John Goodin]

If I am in Texas, I want to be in Austin. The summers here can be brutal. A few years ago we had 90 triple digit days — basically one quarter of the year. I love being outside even if it is just sitting. As I get older I think more about living in a place that has four seasons with any one extreme.

[Scott Winners]

One of my sons lived in Austin for a few years. The wife and I visited him in April one year and they were already having temps in the 90s, with no relief expected before November.

FWIW in Fairbanks our average 24/7/365 year round temperature is +32 degrees F. The four seasons are this winter, last winter, next winter and construction. Growing season from last frost (June 1) to lighting the wood stove this fall (August 25) is 86 days. I am looking at the Indianapolis/ Louisville/ Cincinnati triangle pretty hard.

If you love Austin you may consider Chapel Hill/ Orange County North Carolina, but real estate prices are off the charts insane before the latest uptick. Possibly Lexington, KY and Knoxville, TN. You might look at Lawrence, Kansas. I will toss out the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois as a wild card. Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island and Moline. That area just doesn't fit neatly in any of my mental categories, sort of like Austin, TX and Athens, GA don't fit either. Eugene, OR. Possibly but not likely Laramie, WY. If you hate all the previous options, consider Laramie.

Best wishes.

[Scott Winners]

Be careful about climate zones those are USDA numbers. In the West you often see Sunset Magazine climate charts. The numbers are not the same.
Bill D.

Point taken. On whatever the two major systems are for climate zone, local I score "a one and a two" ala The Lawrence Welk show my grandparents used to watch as dependably as they went to church.

I want to retire to a place where I can grow and can vegetables. If I can grow tomato I can grow carrot and potato and fruit trees, and lots more, broccoli, lettuce, kale, chard, and so on. I want to retire to a place where I can harvest plentiful protein without working too hard at it. Shooting a moose is easy, field dressing a moose is not. Those Asian carp 'infesting' the Mississippi and Ohio river drainages are loaded with Omega 3 and they are fairly low in heavy metals as they primarily eat algae. I am not an expert on freshwater asian carp and they have a lot of bones, but they look manageable. I will claim to have reasonable facility with Alaskan salmon, but the only veg that grow up here well with the salmon are cabbage and potato. Salmon, cabbage and potato with a bit of moose and caribou does not score as a well balanced diet. You want some lichen or seal fat with that? Asian carp with all the veg that can grow near tomato, with a bit of white tail deer thrown in, does score as a well balanced diet. I will have to buy olive oil.

As my dad near Tampa FL says, 'there is an alligator in every river.' In southern IN the alligator is tornadoes, but I have enough vinegar left to put a wheelchair ramp in my house from the main floor down into the basement. I work with a fair number of folks up here on fixed incomes with nutrition status that is, mmm, not enviable. The three main problems I see on a fixed income are protein, nutrient rich veg, and the heating bill. Shelf stable carbs are cheap, but living on those opens the door to a host of expensive medical problems. I am going to die of something, I don't plan for it to be poor nutrition. Triple digit speeds in a hot car moments before 'the crash' is in my top three along with 'massive coronary', but casting off this mortal coil because of poor nutrition looks like a lousy exit strategy. I want to go be with Jesus when the time is right, but I am not looking to linger as a helpless old fogey with a medical condition.

What I see, going back to 1800 or so, is the dollar has less buying power year after year and decade after decade. If I can get the mortgage paid off and count on the retirement accounts to cover the property tax and utility bills, I have a fighting chance to die of something other than starvation if I can accumulate my own food with my retirement free time.

[Jason Roehl]

Come to Indiana! We often have all four seasons in a single day!

[Jim Becker]

If I am in Texas, I want to be in Austin.
I'm with you there...if I were forced to move to Texas, Austin it would be for sure for a lot of reasons.

[Brian Tymchak]

I want to retire to a place where I can grow and can vegetables. If I can grow tomato I can grow carrot and potato and fruit trees, and lots more, broccoli, lettuce, kale, chard, and so on. I want to retire to a place where I can harvest plentiful protein without working too hard at it. Shooting a moose is easy, field dressing a moose is not. Those Asian carp 'infesting' the Mississippi and Ohio river drainages are loaded with Omega 3 and they are fairly low in heavy metals as they primarily eat algae. I am not an expert on freshwater asian carp and they have a lot of bones, but they look manageable. I will claim to have reasonable facility with Alaskan salmon, but the only veg that grow up here well with the salmon are cabbage and potato. Salmon, cabbage and potato with a bit of moose and caribou does not score as a well balanced diet. You want some lichen or seal fat with that? Asian carp with all the veg that can grow near tomato, with a bit of white tail deer thrown in, does score as a well balanced diet. I will have to buy olive oil.


Sounds like you're talking about Ohio. Reynoldsburg, just east of Columbus, is known as the birthplace of the tomato. And plenty of Olive oil at the stores and deer in the woods.

With climate change, the winters have become more mild, but the summers haven't really changed much. I think it got down to low single digit lows only a couple of times this winter. We might get 1 or 2 6"+ snows a year. Mostly a half dozen 2-3" snows.

Lumber is plentiful.

[Tom M King]

Humidity doesn't matter when you're in, or on the water. We have some cold days, but not every day, or even usually for whole weeks at a time. There is no affording it for the average person these days though. I bought when the land wasn't worth anything, and have to keep working to be able to pay property tax now.

[Aiden Pettengill]

I'm zone 5 here in Maine.

[Ron Citerone]

I am happy with Southeastern PA for lots of reasons, climate being one of them. Now that I am retired, I could move anywhere I suppose, but being within one hour of my adult kids and grandkids, I won't be going anywhere distant except to travel.

I am a firm believer that every place has challanges and opportunities. No matter where you are it's best to face the challanges and take advantage of the opportunities.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I lived in Miami Florida for three years. Liked the fall and early spring. Winter got just cold enough to be uncomfortable and many apartments back then did not have heat. Summer was so hot and humid that mold would grow on the walls and furniture if your air conditioning went out while you were away. I lived in Falls Church VA for 20 years. Fall was great. Spring was nice for april.By mid May it was steamy and just got worse until mid September. Winter was just a serious of slush/slop storms interrupted by an occasional blizzard. I actually witnessed a very rare graupel storm, where we got 3 inches of graupel. It is rain that freezes into clear drops long before it hits the ground. Like walking on gravel. It also hurt when it hit you.

I grew up in central PA. lower humidity most of the year. It actually snows here more than slush storms. May normally stays on the cool and damp side until the 3rd week. September days might be hot, but humidity is not so bad and nights normally get cool enough to require a jacket.

Few places that have mild winters also have mild summers. Normally warm winter means oppressively hot summers. Except near a coast, where cool water currents off shore and breezes keep the coastal area cool in summer.

[Jim Becker]

I am happy with Southeastern PA for lots of reasons, climate being one of them. Now that I am retired, I could move anywhere I suppose, but being within one hour of my adult kids and grandkids, I won't be going anywhere distant except to travel.
Similar for me, Ron. We've pretty much made the decision to stay right here in central Bucks County and already did the "downsize" thing. Both daughters live in town now, too, so that's an added factor. The weather is more than acceptable and the access to a whole bunch of cultural and other things including easy access to travel makes it practical and pleasant to stay where we are. I've been retired since late 2017 and Professor Dr. SWMBO is about to put in for an early retirement about a year and a half from now.

[Lee DeRaud]

I wonder if Santa Fe or Albuquerque would be a place in the west that would fit the bill.Maybe. South enough to keep winter from killing you and high enough to keep summer from killing you.

There are big chunks of northern AZ that fit the same profile. I always thought if I had enough money, I'd have a summer house somewhere between Flagstaff and Williams, and a winter house in the Sedona/Cottonwood area. It's truly amazing what difference 50 miles in one direction or another (or 4000 feet of elevation) will make in a climate.

[Richard Hart]

Point taken. On whatever the two major systems are for climate zone, local I score "a one and a two" ala The Lawrence Welk show my grandparents used to watch as dependably as they went to church.

I want to retire to a place where I can grow and can vegetables. If I can grow tomato I can grow carrot and potato and fruit trees, and lots more, broccoli, lettuce, kale, chard, and so on. I want to retire to a place where I can harvest plentiful protein without working too hard at it. Shooting a moose is easy, field dressing a moose is not. Those Asian carp 'infesting' the Mississippi and Ohio river drainages are loaded with Omega 3 and they are fairly low in heavy metals as they primarily eat algae. I am not an expert on freshwater asian carp and they have a lot of bones, but they look manageable. I will claim to have reasonable facility with Alaskan salmon, but the only veg that grow up here well with the salmon are cabbage and potato. Salmon, cabbage and potato with a bit of moose and caribou does not score as a well balanced diet. You want some lichen or seal fat with that? Asian carp with all the veg that can grow near tomato, with a bit of white tail deer thrown in, does score as a well balanced diet. I will have to buy olive oil.

As my dad near Tampa FL says, 'there is an alligator in every river.' In southern IN the alligator is tornadoes, but I have enough vinegar left to put a wheelchair ramp in my house from the main floor down into the basement. I work with a fair number of folks up here on fixed incomes with nutrition status that is, mmm, not enviable. The three main problems I see on a fixed income are protein, nutrient rich veg, and the heating bill. Shelf stable carbs are cheap, but living on those opens the door to a host of expensive medical problems. I am going to die of something, I don't plan for it to be poor nutrition. Triple digit speeds in a hot car moments before 'the crash' is in my top three along with 'massive coronary', but casting off this mortal coil because of poor nutrition looks like a lousy exit strategy. I want to go be with Jesus when the time is right, but I am not looking to linger as a helpless old fogey with a medical condition.

What I see, going back to 1800 or so, is the dollar has less buying power year after year and decade after decade. If I can get the mortgage paid off and count on the retirement accounts to cover the property tax and utility bills, I have a fighting chance to die of something other than starvation if I can accumulate my own food with my retirement free time.

That's us.. what I get for no college education. Mortgage won't be 5%paid off when I croak. The heating bill thing was preventable. Not gonna end well. If I ever become a burden, it's off to Mexicoto catch Nembutal airlines.

[Bill Bukovec]

We moved from Minnesota to northeast (Johnson County) Tennessee. We get some snow, but most of it melts in a few days. Fall is beautiful as the leaves start changing colors at the higher elevations and work their way down. Our elevation is 2500 feet, so our summers are a little cooler than lower elevations.
Tennessee has no state income tax. Our property taxes went from $4,100 (in Minnesota) to $1,200.
We have 5 acres with plenty of white oak, poplar and pine for lumber.

[Aiden Pettengill]

Lol same here. We always say if you don't like the weather wait five minutes.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

Point taken. On whatever the two major systems are for climate zone, local I score "a one and a two" ala The Lawrence Welk show my grandparents used to watch as dependably as they went to church.

I want to retire to a place where I can grow and can vegetables. If I can grow tomato I can grow carrot and potato and fruit trees, and lots more, broccoli, lettuce, kale, chard, and so on. I want to retire to a place where I can harvest plentiful protein without working too hard at it. Shooting a moose is easy, field dressing a moose is not. Those Asian carp 'infesting' the Mississippi and Ohio river drainages are loaded with Omega 3 and they are fairly low in heavy metals as they primarily eat algae. I am not an expert on freshwater asian carp and they have a lot of bones, but they look manageable. I will claim to have reasonable facility with Alaskan salmon, but the only veg that grow up here well with the salmon are cabbage and potato. Salmon, cabbage and potato with a bit of moose and caribou does not score as a well balanced diet. You want some lichen or seal fat with that? Asian carp with all the veg that can grow near tomato, with a bit of white tail deer thrown in, does score as a well balanced diet. I will have to buy olive oil.

As my dad near Tampa FL says, 'there is an alligator in every river.' In southern IN the alligator is tornadoes, but I have enough vinegar left to put a wheelchair ramp in my house from the main floor down into the basement. I work with a fair number of folks up here on fixed incomes with nutrition status that is, mmm, not enviable. The three main problems I see on a fixed income are protein, nutrient rich veg, and the heating bill. Shelf stable carbs are cheap, but living on those opens the door to a host of expensive medical problems. I am going to die of something, I don't plan for it to be poor nutrition. Triple digit speeds in a hot car moments before 'the crash' is in my top three along with 'massive coronary', but casting off this mortal coil because of poor nutrition looks like a lousy exit strategy. I want to go be with Jesus when the time is right, but I am not looking to linger as a helpless old fogey with a medical condition.

What I see, going back to 1800 or so, is the dollar has less buying power year after year and decade after decade. If I can get the mortgage paid off and count on the retirement accounts to cover the property tax and utility bills, I have a fighting chance to die of something other than starvation if I can accumulate my own food with my retirement free time.



I got a text the middle of last week from a buddy saying he just planted potatoes and onions and was going to do a first plow in the morning. He plants everything you can imagine, has pear trees fig trees u name it, hunts turkey and dear when not tilling and tending to his wife and garden. N.E. Georgia :)

[Jack Frederick]

Have lived in NY,TX,MI,WA,CO,ND,NE,CA,MA&CA. Always thought we would end up back in WA, but that didn’t work out. If I was making the choice today I would rule out about anyplace in the west, due to the heat, but mostly the dryness and fire danger, which is now year round. To me, Jim is in about the sweet spot in E PA. That spot extends variously all the way down the Shenandoah Valley into NC. Western VA is wonderful country. You are within a short trip to the ocean and within easy range of some big cities. Good balance there.

[Malcolm McLeod]

FWIW in Fairbanks our average 24/7/365 year round temperature is +32 degrees F. The four seasons are this winter, last winter, next winter and construction. ...

A woman in Kenai informed me that you had 9mo of winter followed by 3mo of really *crappy* weather.


Come to Indiana! We often have all four seasons in a single day!

Try Amarillo.
They'll see your single day, and raise you 6hrs.
(My father, while in USAF, saw weather report for Amarillo AFB reporting "blowing mud". I laughed until I had to clean it off my windshield.)


I'm with you there...if I were forced to move to Texas, Austin it would be for sure for a lot of reasons.

Go west young man. Or at least west of US 281. Life is better in San Saba, Llano, Fredericksburg, Kerrville (all Hill Country).

[Jim Becker]

There's very little chance I'll ever move to Texas Malcolm. But I visited a whole bunch of times which I was traveling for business as well as a couple of times when I was a kid on family travel.

[Malcolm McLeod]

There's very little chance I'll ever move to Texas…

I figured. ”Forced” was a dead giveaway ;)

[John Goodin]

We moved from Minnesota to northeast (Johnson County) Tennessee. We get some snow, but most of it melts in a few days. Fall is beautiful as the leaves start changing colors at the higher elevations and work their way down. Our elevation is 2500 feet, so our summers are a little cooler than lower elevations.
Tennessee has no state income tax. Our property taxes went from $4,100 (in Minnesota) to $1,200.
We have 5 acres with plenty of white oak, poplar and pine for lumber.

Texas doesn’t have a state income tax but they get you on the property tax. Last year we paid 11,000 dollars on the homestead and just under 7,000 for the 1650 square foot rental property.

[Lee DeRaud]

Texas doesn’t have a state income tax but they get you on the property tax. Last year we paid 11,000 dollars on the homestead and just under 7,000 for the 1650 square foot rental property.Yup, had that discussion several times with my folks: their prop taxes just about equaled my combined state income and prop taxes, on similar-sized homes.

[Michael Drew]

What's the humidity like during the summer months in the Tennessee area and surrounding states? I have been hearing it can get pretty rough. I have memories of visiting a friend in Kansas City during the summer, and I had sweat dripping off me. Reminded me of trekking through the jungles in Panama.

[Scott Winners]

What's the humidity like during the summer months in the Tennessee area and surrounding states? I have been hearing it can get pretty rough. I have memories of visiting a friend in Kansas City during the summer, and I had sweat dripping off me. Reminded me of trekking through the jungles in Panama.

It just depends on your tolerance. I grew up in Kentucky, poor, with no central AC. I thought waking up sticky and going to bed stinky was normal. Until I got to Alaska. I feel normal here. My metabolism belongs in Fairbanks, my joints belong in Mexico City. Try visiting in August, cheap as chips compared to moving twice.

With respect for all and malice towards none, summertime in the lower 48 is a fearsome monster to a lot of us up here. There is a pretty fair chunk of the population up here in Fairbanks thinking about moving to Barrow when he have an entire week of +80dF with 80% RH. And I know perfectly well, for an enormous chunk of all y'all down south, a week at +80 and +80 is mild. I don't miss it at all.

For me, -20 dF with RH around 10% for most of the year, but a summertime long enough and warm enough to grow tomato and all the other veg that growing season indicates would be perfect.

I cannot argue with the friend in Kenai who stated Fairbanks has 9 months of winter and three months of crappy weather every year. That is pretty close to reality.

[Lawrence Duckworth]

What's the humidity like during the summer months in the Tennessee area and surrounding states? I have been hearing it can get pretty rough. I have memories of visiting a friend in Kansas City during the summer, and I had sweat dripping off me. Reminded me of trekking through the jungles in Panama.

The last few dayze around here the humidity has been around 25%. for me that's too low, I get little red bumps all over my belly from being so dry....but the chicks dig it :)

[Thomas Wilson]

What's the humidity like during the summer months in the Tennessee area and surrounding states? I have been hearing it can get pretty rough. I have memories of visiting a friend in Kansas City during the summer, and I had sweat dripping off me. Reminded me of trekking through the jungles in Panama.

Hot and humid is a standard weather forecast for entire month of July. We take our rubber ducky inner tube down to the lake with a tall glass of sweet, iced tea. The water temperature in the cove gets up to mid 80’s.

My locale in East Tennessee gets 50 inches of rain per year. In something of a statistical anomaly for the area, July has the the second highest monthly rainfall for the year. We have lots of afternoon thundershowers.

[Jim Becker]

I feel normal here. My metabolism belongs in Fairbanks, my joints belong in Mexico City.

That is a wonderful analogy that so many of us can appreciate. LOL

[Dave Roock]

Hard to get a perfect 4 seasons. Here in southern Michigan, Winter was going very nice until second 1/2 of January - but 51 yesterday with overnight rain melted 85-90% of ice/snow. Still a few more cold weeks but looks to be warming up some (acceptable lol) soon. Spring, Summer & Fall were excellent.

[Luke Dupont]

As someone who grew up in the deep South and enjoyed only 3-4 months of the year out doors:

JAPAN!

I'm in Tokyo now. Everyone who comes here was like "Oh, Japan is so hot and humid..." but I find summer somewhat mild (AND MUCH SHORTER!) compared to Mississippi -- which is essentially a Sauna for 7-8 months out of the year. Winter, on the other hand, seems insanely cold for me despite it not actually getting that cold (-5C or so at most).

But, the thing I like the most? Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall are all roughly equal lengths and you can actually enjoy each season.

Now I get why the seasons are featured so heavily in Japanese art, poetry, and literature. You can really enjoy each one here.

[Derek Meyer]

I guess it depends on what you consider 4 seasons. Here in Moscow, we get below freezing temps and a fair amount of snow each year. The average temp in December/January is usually in the 30's. July, August and early September are the hottest months, usually in the upper 80's to mid 90's, with occasional days over 100. Nights aren't bad, as it usually cools down to the 60's and sometimes 50's. Spring is a rainy season, usually from March till Memorial Day. June is usually pretty mild, with temps in the 70's for the high. Fall is similar to Spring, with temps in the 50's and 60's for the high from late September through November. It starts getting cold around Halloween at night, down into the 30's.

Overall, it's been a great place to live. I've been here for 34 years now, and I have no desire to move. It's much better than the Southern Idaho desert, where I grew up and had nosebleeds every other night because it was 85 degrees at 3 am with 10 percent humidity or less. I don't miss those days at all.

[Curt Harms]

Texas doesn’t have a state income tax but they get you on the property tax. Last year we paid 11,000 dollars on the homestead and just under 7,000 for the 1650 square foot rental property.

Holy Cow! It sounds like somebody from Jersey designed your property tax structure. New Jersey is notorious for their Real Estate taxes. When I first moved to this area SWMBO was a Real Estate broker. I looked at her listing books and gosh, there were some pretty nice properties for pretty nice prices in Hunterdon county. Then she pointed out the annual taxes.:eek:

[Mark Blatter]

I have lived in MT, UT, FL, RI, WA, UT, MT, UT, CO & UT in that order. I can say that as much as I would like (I think) to live in TN or KY for the weather it won't happen. All my kids are in the west.

From a weather viewpoint, I love the spring, summer and fall in MT. I have lived half my life there and while the winters have ameliorated since the '60s it can still be, umm unpleasant there in Jan (Nov - Feb actually).

CO is a nice place for all four seasons, though winters can give you a hammer now and then, but short lived. I have seen 15" of snow fall on Mon/Tue and it is gone by Wed.

UT is nice though the summers are heating up each year. Used to be we would get a day or two each summer above 100, but now it is not uncommon to have 10 - 15 days in a summer north of 100, but it is a dry heat...just like your oven.

After living on the east coast for a while, I won't go back to live. I enjoy a relative humidity in the 25-35% range too much. When we first moved to Jacksonville, we learned to put all cereals, crackers, etc in locking containers to keep them from going to mush. In Utah, you learn that when your brown sugar gets hard and dried out to put in a slice of bread. Different ways of living.

The perfect climate for living is spring, summer, fall in Montana and winter in HI. Few can afford it. Anywhere west of the divide means drought, but no hurricanes and virtually no tornadoes.

The middle of WA would not be a bad place, like the Tri-Cities area or Yakima. Lots of fruit/vegetables grown in the Yakima area, not just apples.

I would stay away from southern WY though unless you like to be snowed in for a week or two. I have seen Cheyenne closed down due to blizzards for 2 - 3 weeks at a time. Yet Denver 100 south gets more reasonable snow that melts.

[Rob Luter]

Down state Indiana is nice. Mild winters, great spring and fall, summers are warm but tolerable. It’s a well run state with property taxes limited by state law. Roads are good. Lots of lumber. You are convenient to a number of larger cities too. We’ve thought about retiring down there and getting away from the lake effect snow in South Bend.

[Rich Riddle]

Tennessee, and it's also rated first for retirees for several reasons. High sales tax though.

[Gregg Markowski]

We were thinking about Eastern TN ( Johnson City/Bristol area ) because we like to trout fish. My wife is from Hawaii and hates snow, I am from WI but lived in UT, MI, CT and IN. We would drive 8 1/2 hours to fish and looked for property there but it was slim pickens and kind of expensive so we started looking around for something closer to home ( Indainapolis ) and came up with South central KY between Dale Hollow and Lake Cumberland on the Cumberland River. We have a house on the river and a Barndominium on 8.5 acres a couple hundred yards away. Taxes are 1900 for both. I am building an in ground greenhouse right now to grow year round we are in growing zone 6b. . Its pretty much perfect but the humidity in July and August is brutal that's what AC is for. Cost of living is low, services are meager, town is 20 minutes away, Walmart and Big Box stores are 45 minutes, airport 2 1/2 hr. I don't think there is a perfect spot with no downfalls everything comes with tradeoffs.

[Clifford McGuire]

I can handle a wide swing in temps.

For me, I need sunshine and low humidity. I can be outside all day in 20 degree weather, as long as it isn't damp. I lived in Wisconsin for 50+ years. Winters are cold, damp and somewhat windy. Yuck!

[Andrew Joiner]

I found my dream weather location in the Columbia River Gorge near Hood River. We have what's called microclimates here in the summer and a little bit in the winter.
If you look to the West you see green tree covered mountains in the summer. If you look to the east you start to see more and more Brown dead grass.
I lived most of my life in Minnesota and I'm used to extremes. Cold Winters and hot humid Summers with plenty of mosquitoes. My first trip here from Minnesota was in July to windsurf for a few weeks. It was like heaven, no bugs flies or mosquitoes! Most summer days average around 80 degrees. On the hot days, 90° is pretty extreme for here, it feels cool in the shade because of the extremely low humidity. In Minnesota on a 90° summer day if you go in the shade for relief it doesn't feel much cooler and there's more mosquitoes!
Now that I've lived in Oregon for almost 30 years I can still say it's like a dream climate. On a very rare slightly humid day in the summer it always amuses me. The locals will complain, but I always laugh and say this is nothing like Minnesota humidity.
In the winter a cold day is below 40°, which is rare. But even when it's an average winter day of 45° some people will go out and warm up their cars before they get in them. I'm so amused at that because in Minnesota I grew up doing it only when it was below zero.

[John Goodin]

Or Jersey modeled itself after Texas. I work in real estate and many newcomers are quite surprised when they see the numbers. Very few clients are from out of state are retirees and those that are usually are moving in to be close to family.

[Matt Day]

Virginia/West Virginia

[Alan Lightstone]

Salmon, cabbage and potato with a bit of moose and caribou does not score as a well balanced diet. You want some lichen or seal fat with that?
Ah, the number of times I've said just that. We're addicted to the Alaska "reality" shows on TV, and always shake our heads about their diets (although there are plenty of hints that they get other food with continuity errors you pick up. My favorites were the one where she was cleaning out her outboard motor line with a Talenti gelato container, or the couple who are so inept you think they're going to starve, when you hear that the rats ate their bagels. Bagels?!!??)



As my dad near Tampa FL says, 'there is an alligator in every river.'

True too. And in every pond at some time of the year.

I really liked the four season climate in North and South Carolina. Ashville is very nice (our friends are building there), but prices are crazy. Chapel Hill is a nice college town, but again prices are insane.

The Midwest had its advantages, but living in a dying/dead auto town (Dayton) had a downside too. Not necessarily when working in healthcare like we do, but for your patients and neighbors.

Thrilled I moved out of NY state. Don't miss it.

Travelled all over the country years ago lecturing. Hit all 50 states, actually. The by far strangest city I went to was Little Rock, Arkansas. Can't even describe it. Molokai was bizarre too, but that's certainly not four seasons, and has pretty well cut itself off to non-locals by ending ferry service.

[andrew whicker]

As someone who lives in UT / The West, I would say stay away.. we are environmentally dying out here. That's not exaggerating. We getting hotter, less snow (means less water), great lake is drying up, the huge reservoirs in S Utah / N AZ are drying up big time, air pollution is getting worse... I'm thinking of moving even though I love the mountains. : (



I have often thought of TN. I'm from Indiana originally, but there's no way I'm going to go back to living in corn fields, so I think TN would be a good choice (can still rock climb and mtn bike). Maybe WA or N. Cali. I also really really liked Whitefish, MT. But what do you do out there for work?

[Mark e Kessler]

If you move to Vermont you get 6 seasons, Summer, Fall, Stick, Winter, Mud, and finally Spring…

[William Lessenberry]

The by far strangest city I went to was Little Rock, Arkansas. Can't even describe it.
Alan, as a 70 year native of Little Rock I was wondering if you could attempt to describe your experience here.
I honestly couldn't recommend moving here, it's really hot and humid from June to late September, but the northwest part of the state is much better. I've lived here all my life, so I'm used to it.
My state/city has been disparaged by lots of folks as being backwards, hillbilly, racist, and other ugly things, but I don't think it's any worse the other towns with the same size metropolitan area. Yeah, Austin is weird, but Little Rock?? :confused:
BillL

[Alan Lightstone]

Alan, as a 70 year native of Little Rock I was wondering if you could attempt to describe your experience here.
I honestly couldn't recommend moving here, it's really hot and humid from June to late September, but the northwest part of the state is much better. I've lived here all my life, so I'm used to it.
My state/city has been disparaged by lots of folks as being backwards, hillbilly, racist, and other ugly things, but I don't think it's any worse the other towns with the same size metropolitan area. Yeah, Austin is weird, but Little Rock?? :confused:
BillL

This was a long time ago, William. During the Clinton days. I really can't describe it except it just felt corrupt. And run by Tyson Foods. I've lived in the Midwest, Northeast, and South - in small towns and large cities. I've lectured in all 50 states. This certainly wasn't racist. That never crossed my mind. It just felt backwards. I got a similar feeling from some towns in West Virginia, yet other cities there were quite nice.

It also had to do with some of the questions I was asked when I did my medical lecture there. They just seemed way behind the times.

Anyway, I can't say a thing about Little Rock now. Haven't been there in probably 30 years. But back then ...

[Scott Winners]

as a 70 year native of Little Rock I was wondering if you could attempt to describe your experience here.
backwards, hillbilly, racist,
BillL

None of backwards, hillbilly or racist.

Unique for sure. I used to be a travel nurse in the lower 48. I lived in Chapel Hill, NC, and did a LOT of contract work in LA. My general route west bound was Chapel Hill to Fort Smith, AR in one day, with a stop for fuel in Little Rock, then Fort Smith to Gallup, NM on day two, then Gallup to Barstow, Ca on day three, and then I would leave Barstow about 10-11AM on day four to drive in to the Westwood/Venice CA area to end my trip.

I probably stopped for gas in Little Rock, AR 30-40 times in the decade I was a travel nurse. FWIW Alaska is, culturally, among the southern states, and as an alum of UNC-CH, I consider myself a southerner as well. I don't think Little Rock is anymore backwards, hillbilly or racist than anywhere else in "the south", including Atlanta, Chattanooga, Raleigh, Houston, Tallahassee, Louisville, Jackson, MS, Huntsville, or Anchorage.

Besides Little Rock, I have similar experiences in Amarillo, TX and Winslow, AZ. I think part of it is "sense of place." Little Rock is on a lot of geologic and meterologic edges, where the mountains meet the flood plain, where the prairie tries to reach over the mountain, where the hurricanes and tornadoes both try to get to but can't quite reach. I can easily imagine someone from Little Rock going to Saint Louis and feeling they were at too much risk from flooding, but also going up into the hills and feeling they were too far from the river, or going to Kansas and being too close to tornadoes or going to New Orleans and being too close to hurricanes.

With the rose colored glasses, Little Rock is just far enough away from all the scary things. A little piece of paradise if you don't mind hot summers. If I may, Bill Clinton was(is) able to be erudite and highly educated, but still have a down home personality.

There is just no place else in the US I have ever been to quite like Little Rock. It hadn't previously occurred to me to think of the 'strangest' city I have ever been too. I will have to stew on that one.

Once upon a time, I think it was 2003, I had a fashion forward girlfriend in Boston who insisted I buy a particular pair of shoes. They were current. I was at home in North Carolina a few months later with shoes from 20 years in the future, a few days after that I was in LA and saw the same shoes that I was wearing at the time in the window of a second hand store as yesterday's news. Overall I think the USA is a lot more homogenous than we might like to admit; we have the same movies in our theaters, the same restaurants, the same cars, the same TV shows, the same clothes with different sports team logos, all very cookie cutter. Little Rock (along with Fairbanks) is one of the very few cities I can think of that breaks that mold a little bit.

On the one hand, I am eternally grateful coach K's last game before retirement was an at home loss to the Tar Heels (woo hoo!!), on the other Little Rock is one of the last bastions I know of where individuality or community spirit trumps boring corporate extruded conformity.

If you don't mind hot, humid summers Little Rock might be worth a look as a place to move to.

[Tom M King]

While I was working on the garage doors yesterday, three slightly spectacular young ladies came by in a golf cart, wearing string bikinis, and asked if they could nude sunbathe in our Round Pen. The round pen is for training horses. It has 5-1/2 foot high solid walls, and is 20 meters in diameter with sand footing-not visibly exposed from the outside. It's been used for that before. Of course, no spectators allowed, but I remembered why I'm good with a little humidity.

[John Adank]

Gods Country-La Crosse WI