Hot cities or cold cities; 4 seasons or no seasons; desert cities or green cities?

[CaliNative]

What is your favorite climate for a city? Do you like desert cities or rainy forested cities or something in between? Mild climate or four seasons? What do you like best and least of the climate of the place where you live?

[CaliNative]

I dislike extreme heat or extreme cold. So the coastal climate of California suits me. San Diego to Eureka. The northern end is a bit too cold and overcast and rainy in winter, the southern end much less so but also a browner landscape escept in the mountains or canyons with streams where there are oaks and other trees. I like some woods to walk in. Perhaps the central coast, somewhere between Santa Barbara/San Luis Obispo north to Monterey/Santa Cruz is best. Maybe Mr. Hearst selected the perfect spot in the middle near San Simeon, when he built his grand mansion on a partly wooded hill about 5 miles from the coast, with the slightly inland location providing some sunshine and mild warmth away from the coastal winds and fog. Or along San Francisco Bay, inland enough that you don't get the summer cold, fog and strong winds. Sunny afternoons that aren't too hot. But the fall colors and bracing weather of New England Autumn have appeal as well. Maybe I should spend October and November in Boston. The summer heat of Phoenix or Las Vegas are intolerable to me, as are winters in Toronto or Chicago. Same with the humid summer heat in the south and midwest. Humidity plus heat, no thank you.

[10023]

We’re thinking about leaving London because I just can’t handle the rain and grey skies anymore.

The problem is that there are no decent cities the Southwestern US, and I’m not a big fan of LA, so this would mean moving to either Southern Europe (harder now thanks to the Brexit disaster) or somewhere like Mexico City (harder for other reasons).

I’d love to spend winter in Miami, late spring/early autumn in London, and a couple months of “real summer” in the Mediterranean. That’s the life.

[Pedestrian]

San Diego probably has the best single climate in North America but I split my time. Northern CA can be (not every year) dreary in the winter but I love the cool summers so that's for me, May-October. On the other hand, the desert southwest is really nice late October through April, so it's the general vicinity of Tucson for me that time of year.

Besides San Diego, if you must stay in one place, places like Flagstaff, AZ or Santa Fe, NM are smaller towns but have good year-round climates because they have enough elevation to keep them from having the brutal summers of Phoenix or Tucson or even Albuquerque (plus the nearby mountains make them scenic). Colder winters though with occasional snow but nothing like farther north--mostly just scenic snowfalls with skiing in the nearby mountains.

Of course none of them would be good enough for 10023 it seems.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

San Diego probably has the best single climate in North America but I split my time. Northern CA can be (not every year) dreary in the winter but I love the cool summers so that's for me, May-October. On the other hand, the desert southwest is really nice late October through April, so it's the general vicinity of Tucson for me that time of year.

Besides San Diego, if you must stay in one place, places like Flagstaff, AZ or Santa Fe, NM are smaller towns but have good year-round climates because they have enough elevation to keep them from having the brutal summers of Phoenix or Tucson or even Albuquerque (plus the nearby mountains make them scenic). Colder winters though with occasional snow but nothing like farther north--mostly just scenic snowfalls with skiing in the nearby mountains.

Of course none of them would be good enough for 10023 it seems.

Seasonal migration makes sense.

Your selection makes sense. But I would add a month or two in New England for the glorious bracing fall weather and leaf spectacle, and probably a few weeks in a mountain resort in July/August:

To wit: Ca. Coast: May-Sept., perhaps with 2-4 weeks in mid summer in the High Sierra above 7,000 feet where it is cool in July/August, perhaps around the Mammoth Lakes area, or the Alps if I want to put up with the hassle of air travel and covid risks; New England: Oct-Nov. (Thanksgiving); Desert Southwest: Dec.-April. Ideal.

[Yuri]

Rain, forest and seasonal changes.

Hate dry weather, desert, sterile landscapes.

[strongbad635]

My favorite climate type is Mediterranean, which is generally popular worldwide. Warm summers with a marked dry season and mild, wetter winters. This climate is more widespread than just the Mediterranean basin, with zones on the west coasts of continents from Australia to Chile to South Africa and, yes, famously California.

Having lived in Los Angeles for 4 years, I loved the green hills in the winter that tone out to a nice tan over the summer, and the lack of temperature extremes. Where I lived, just over 4 miles inland from the coast, it was almost never hotter than 90f or colder than 40f. Very comfortable.

You still get a sense of seasons, there is a cool down and warm up, but it's gradual, and the difference in precipitation makes winter and summer feel even more different than one another. In late spring, there is fog that rolls in from the Pacific, sometimes quite dense fog, but it almost always burns off by lunchtime.

Personally, having lived in a cold climate only once (6 years in Denver), I just do not prefer it. I hate the stinging feeling of cold air on my face. I hate being outside when all the trees are barren. I hate living where there are no palm trees or other tropical/subtropical vegetation, which are the plants I find the prettiest.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

San Diego probably has the best single climate in North America but I split my time. Northern CA can be (not every year) dreary in the winter but I love the cool summers so that's for me, May-October. On the other hand, the desert southwest is really nice late October through April, so it's the general vicinity of Tucson for me that time of year.

Besides San Diego, if you must stay in one place, places like Flagstaff, AZ or Santa Fe, NM are smaller towns but have good year-round climates because they have enough elevation to keep them from having the brutal summers of Phoenix or Tucson or even Albuquerque (plus the nearby mountains make them scenic). Colder winters though with occasional snow but nothing like farther north--mostly just scenic snowfalls with skiing in the nearby mountains.

Of course none of them would be good enough for 10023 it seems.

The climate is lovely. The problem is the inhabitants, who generally speaking are a lot of people like you. They’re also not real cities and are far too remote from everything else (a positive for some, not for me).

Agree on the benefits of altitude, but I’d move to Mexico City before the American southwest.

[10023]

Originally Posted by strongbad635

My favorite climate type is Mediterranean, which is generally popular worldwide. Warm summers with a marked dry season and mild, wetter winters. This climate is more widespread than just the Mediterranean basin, with zones on the west coasts of continents from Australia to Chile to South Africa and, yes, famously California.

Having lived in Los Angeles for 4 years, I loved the green hills in the winter that tone out to a nice tan over the summer, and the lack of temperature extremes. Where I lived, just over 4 miles inland from the coast, it was almost never hotter than 90f or colder than 40f. Very comfortable.

You still get a sense of seasons, there is a cool down and warm up, but it's gradual, and the difference in precipitation makes winter and summer feel even more different than one another. In late spring, there is fog that rolls in from the Pacific, sometimes quite dense fog, but it almost always burns off by lunchtime.

Personally, having lived in a cold climate only once (6 years in Denver), I just do not prefer it. I hate the stinging feeling of cold air on my face. I hate being outside when all the trees are barren. I hate living where there are no palm trees or other tropical/subtropical vegetation, which are the plants I find the prettiest.

LA isn’t really a Mediterranean climate though. It is classified as such, but it’s different. Nowhere in the actual Mediterranean is quite that warm and dry in the winter.

It’s really a cross between a Mediterranean and a hot arid climate.

[suburbanite]

I loved the weather in Scottsdale in October-November when I was there, but sprawly desert metro is probably my least favourite type of city. No way I could do a full year there once it was 45 degrees in the summer and the limited walking options became even less attractive.

For something full year-round I think the ideal is a warm-weather, breezy coastal city. San Fran, San Diego, Barcelona, Lisbon maybe.

[badrunner]

The coastal Mediterranean climate or the high and dry sky island ecology of the mountain southwest are ideal for human health and well being. Hot humid lowlands are the worst, unless you like a long summer of sticky itchy marinating in your own juices. It's no wonder those places breed such intemperate people .

[eschaton]

The primary thing which affects my enjoyment of the weather is sweat. Thankfully I don't have much in the way of body odor at all (stopped using deodorant back in high school, none of my girlfriends/wife ever noticed anything) but it's still copious. Starts out as a ring around my scalp, and then switches to all-over sweating. It makes summertime (or really, any temperature over the mid 70s) completely gross and unenjoyable for me. So no, I'd never want to live anywhere which is hot/humid. I've not spent any real time in hot/arid climates, so I'm not sure how I'd do in them. I've heard from people that the sweat evaporates so quickly you don't notice it.

As for the cold, I don't really mind it much. I don't like when it gets below 20, as that's the temperature where your face starts burning when it's exposed to air, but I can walk around with a jacket in "normal" winter weather outside indefinitely and feel just fine.

My ideal climate - like many people - probably would be along the California coast somewhere - I really like temperatures in the low/mid 60s the best when it comes to the outdoors. But I don't have any real desire to live somewhere with an ideal climate - having nice weather part of the year is good enough.

[jmecklenborg]

Most of the Earth's surface is wasteland. Most of the United States is wasteland. Very little of it is broadly productive land.

Industrialization has allowed people to move, by the tens of millions, away from broadly productive land (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, etc.) to precarious wastelands like Southern California, Arizona, and Florida.

What do people do in this "nice" weather? They mostly sit inside and watch TV or scroll on their phones. Most people like bragging about "nice" weather to their friends and acquaintances in "bad" weather, without actually doing much of anything outdoors.

[badrunner]

Originally Posted by 10023

LA isn’t really a Mediterranean climate though. It is classified as such, but it’s different. Nowhere in the actual Mediterranean is quite that warm and dry in the winter.

It’s really a cross between a Mediterranean and a hot arid climate.

The Mediterranean is a much warmer body of water as well, so not a lot of coastal fog or harsh winter storms.

[MonkeyRonin]

I like places with four distinct seasons, though it's hard to find a place that gets all four of them just right. Toronto is great from spring to fall, but winters are a bit too long & cold for my liking. The US Mid-Atlantic meanwhile is perfect from fall to spring, but summers are too hot. Something like New York that borders on a humid-continental & humid-subtropical climate is probably the best balance for me. Or, perhaps a southern European oceanic climate (eg. non-alpine portions of Switzerland, Austria, and Northern Italy)?

Of course, can never go wrong with a Mediterranean climate either.

[jd3189]

I also like the weather of Coastal CA, but I'm starting to not care about it enough to stay. Seasons are pretty cool so I might go back to the NE. Yeah, the summers are humid, but I never had issue with that. I've lived in FL for quite a while so I'm used to the humidity. The winters can get tough with the snowstorms but I like snow too.

Plus the humidity moderates the temperature. That fog that rolls into California from the Pacific is essentially water vapor or "humidity". Cool humidity, but it counteracts the dry heat that makes Death Valley hell on earth. However, the marine layer/fog can only go so far inland. Beyond its reach, the dry heat is unbearable.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by badrunner

The coastal Mediterranean climate or the high and dry sky island ecology of the mountain southwest are ideal for human health and well being. Hot humid lowlands are the worst, unless you like a long summer of sticky itchy marinating in your own juices. It's no wonder those places breed such intemperate people .

"Hot humid lowlands are the worst". Curious that New Orleans and Miami are regarded as fun places. Only with constant air conditioning.

[mrnyc]

nyc has four rock solid seasons. take your pick when you want any of them. so thats fine for a homebase weather wise.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by badrunner

The coastal Mediterranean climate or the high and dry sky island ecology of the mountain southwest are ideal for human health and well being. Hot humid lowlands are the worst, unless you like a long summer of sticky itchy marinating in your own juices. It's no wonder those places breed such intemperate people .

Houston is known for epic swamp ass from mid-May to Septemberish but after that, the weather here is actually moderate and pleasant. having grown up in New York, I miss the summers and fall up there but could never do the winters again. I would rather deal with tank top and flipflops here in July than wear a thousand layers in February up there.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by badrunner

The Mediterranean is a much warmer body of water as well, so not a lot of coastal fog or harsh winter storms.

Many cities along the Med., like Athens and Marseille, have much warmer summers than coastal CA cities. They lack the summer fog that the CA coast usually gets, esp. in NorCal. The Pacific off CA is colder than. the Med. I find the summer heat of places like Athens and even Rome to be excessive.