# Are there any places, preferably in the US, that have good weather year round outside of southern California **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 2, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077 "2024-12-02T18:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/1 "2024-12-02T18:30:14Z")
Southern California has nice weather year round, but its pretty expensive. Does any other place have good weather year round (mild summers, mild winters) in the US? If not in the US, then overseas? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/2 "2024-12-02T18:39:50Z")
Do you count hitting freezing overnight, with no snow, several days per year? If’ so, Northern California has good weather. Although some locations hit over 100 F for weeks. Central California gets fog. I’m less familiar with Central. Basically, stay out of the mountains and you’ll have no snow. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/3 "2024-12-02T18:59:57Z")
Hawaii has a pretty stable climate that a lot of people find comfortable, no? I’m not sure how its cost of living compares to Southern California. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/4 "2024-12-02T19:10:21Z")
Hawaii, like Florida is too humid for my taste. I grew up in Southern California and find my current locale on the Central Coast to actually be an improvement. Fewer 3-digit days than down south and little fog as long as you live a mile or more from the beach. My only complaint is that the water temp requires a wetsuit year round. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/5 "2024-12-02T19:12:33Z")
I also grew up (and still live) in SoCal, and I found Hawaii _very_ humid and hotter than what I was used to. It was o.k. for a vacation, but I don’t think I’d enjoy living there year round. Much too humid for me. Hawaii also has a high cost of living. Everything (ish) has to be imported. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/6 "2024-12-02T19:39:45Z")
My personal / WAG comments: I too grew up in coastal SoCal. Cold all the time, and damp half the year. I’m much happier now in Miami where it’s usually warm enough. Usually. If your main weather criteria is temperature, you want to google up some maps of “heating degree days” and “cooling degree days”. That’ll give you an idea of the places where the local climate is mild enough that very little artificial heat or cool would be needed to get through a year. FWIW, Miami has fewer total heating & cooling days than does Orange County CA. The real short answer to year round mild is SoCal or, as a _very_ distant second, the US east coast from WAG Central Florida up to maybe the NC/VA border. The trade is hotter summers southerly vs colder winters northerly. But the annual average is decent and the extremes aren’t too extreme. The science answers: You might read up on this to give yourself more terminology fodder for googling about your favored climate types: > **[Köppen climate classification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification)** > > The Köppen climate classification divides climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (arid), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). Each group and subgroup is represented by a letter. All climates are assigned a main group (the first letter). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation subgroup (the second letter). For e... The specific climate of SoCal is the > **[Mediterranean climate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_climate)** > > A Mediterranean climate (/ˌmɛdɪtəˈreɪniən/ MED-ih-tə-RAY-nee-ən), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen as Cs, is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typically have dry summers and wet winters, with summer conditions being hot and winter conditions typically being mild. These weather conditions are typically experienced in the majority of Mediterranean-climate regions and countries, but remain ... The map in that cite will show you there are very, very few places on Earth with that climate, and none in the US other than coastal SoCal. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/7 "2024-12-02T20:23:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The map in that cite will show you there are very, very few places on Earth with that climate, and none in the US other than coastal SoCal. This is what I was going to say. There are a few places in coastal Italy and its surrounding islands that have a good climate, but there is really nothing like SoCal, and I’ve been all around the US and to many countries around the world. You might want to check out New Zealand or the Australian west coast, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/8 "2024-12-02T20:37:45Z")
If you don’t mind a lot of 90 degree days, I recommend Barbados. In the winter, virtually every day has a range of 75-86, and 3 or 4 degrees hotter in the summer. It apparently never goes above 90 or below 70. It is fairly humid though. The water temperature on the west (gulf) coast was never below 75. Atlantic side much colder. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/9 "2024-12-02T20:42:39Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > My personal / WAG comments: > I too grew up in coastal SoCal. Cold all the time, and damp half the year. I’m much happier now in Miami where it’s usually warm enough. Usually. Which just goes to show that “good weather” is a matter of taste. Florida is okay in January and February. But i find it awfully uncomfortable most of the year. I’ve only been to Hawaii in November, and found it very pleasant. A little too warm, but some rain and refreshing breezes. I was under the impression the weather was similar year round, but i never actually checked that. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/10 "2024-12-02T20:46:03Z")
Yes, I was going to say, my understanding is that in the vicinity of Perth, the climate is almost identical to that of Southern California. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/11 "2024-12-02T21:30:15Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I too grew up in coastal SoCal. Cold all the time, and damp half the year “Hates California, it’s cold and its damp. That’s why the Lady is a tramp”… There are much worse climates of course… ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/12 "2024-12-02T21:34:08Z")
If you are retired one option is to be a snowbird, where you might live in Florida, Arizona, or Texas, etc during the winter months and a more northern place the rest of the year. This would also be an option for people who entirely work remotely. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/13 "2024-12-02T21:34:52Z")
Maybe you could describe what you mean by “good weather”. Because, although I am guessing what you and other people generally call “good” is essentially like living indoors, I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/14 "2024-12-02T21:38:06Z")
That’s exactly what I do. I have a house in Montana that I live in from the late Spring to Early Fall, and I stay with my daughter and grandson in Oklahoma from Early Fall until Late Spring. I call it the best of both worlds weather wise. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/15 "2024-12-02T21:38:10Z")
And of course most people live indoors for most of the time–going from their temperature-controlled house to their temperature-controlled car to their temperature-controlled office or other indoor job to temperature-controlled shops. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/16 "2024-12-02T21:39:55Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Maybe you could describe what you mean by “good weather”. Since the first two words in the first post are Southern California, that seems pretty clear. I know it’s relative, since my idea of good weather is Seattle (rainy day person). ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/17 "2024-12-02T21:40:19Z")
I know people who moved from California to Phoenix, Arizona because it’s so much more affordable there. They tell me that 117 degrees isn’t really that bad because it’s a dry heat. I tell them they’re crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/18 "2024-12-02T21:40:22Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Maybe you could describe what you mean by “good weather”. [San Diego](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_San_Diego). > Average monthly temperatures range from 57.3 °F (14.1 °C) in January to 72 °F (22 °C) in August… On average, 344 days a year are hotter than 60 °F (16 °C), but only 25 days are hotter than 80 °F (27 °C). > Late summer and early autumn are typically the hottest times of the year with an average high of 78 °F (26 °C) in August and 77 °F (25 °C) in September… Snow and ice are rare in the wintertime, typically occurring only inland from the coast when present > San Diego on average has 146 sunny days and 117 partly cloudy days a year. The average annual precipitation is less than 12 inches (30 cm), That temperature range is exactly where I’m most comfortable, and there’s virtually no rain or snow. I’ve spent some time in San Diego for conferences, and every day I’ve been there has had essentially the same weather. The sun can be a bit intense for those of us from more northern areas, but even a little bit of shade fixes that. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/19 "2024-12-02T21:42:43Z")
I took my 9-year-old daughter one July day to the San Diego Zoo and it was so hot that we saw virtually no animals out. It certainly can get hot if you are away from the coast, where I assume the housing cost is highest. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077/20 "2024-12-02T21:52:20Z")
San Diego is so cold and gray and dismal much of the year. It’s Seattle without the rainfall. And 60-something, not 50-something. There can be hot days inland. This points out one of the big features of SoCal. The microclimate within a couple miles of the beach, 5 miles inland, and 20 miles inland behind the first row of hills / small mountains are utterly different. As is the cost of housing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-places-preferably-in-the-us-that-have-good-weather-year-round-outside-of-southern-california/1011077.md?page=2)