I thought the same thing when we were passing thru there a few days ago. Sure, it was cold, but it’s a dry cold. Beautiful mountains, blue sky, lots of open space - what’s not to love?! The whole limited water thing may be a barrier to metropolis-building, tho.
Yeah, that’s the first thing I thought of – water. That will be the limiting factor.
For the most part, I love the weather in Northern Nevada as well. However, even after living here for nearly 25 years, I cannot reconcile my experience with your description. I’ve been driving professionally all over Northern NV for the last 22 some-odd years, from Fallon to Wendover and US 50 to the Idaho border. I’ve sweated out 112°F in the summer and had my fuel gel in temps below -25°F.
If you divide Nevada into North and South, the generally accepted dividing line between those is US 50. My house is about a mile North of I-80 roughly 10 miles East of Elko. Where are you referring to?
Our lows from early October through late April are generally below 20°F, with a couple of weeks every year reaching lows around -20° F. Our winter time highs rarely get into the 40s. Summer? Well we had 36 days over 100°F this past summer, with 10 of those days exceeding 105°F.
This is High Desert Country, where temperature swings of 30-40°F (and, frequently, temperature swings greater than 50°F) between daily lows / highs are common. “Spring” this year was +/- 3 days in early May, “Fall” was a Wednesday in late October.
Lucy
They tried to build a ‘metropolis’ here once, a long time ago. Didn’t work (for precisely that reason):
Lucy
Superman didn’t want to relocate?
Neither of you is correct. 
Don’t fall asleep while you’re ashore.
Nope. The last thing this city needs is more Californians moving in.
I think maybe just I’ve been lucky I’m usually up in the wendover area, I did a quick search on the weather before I posted on the averages
I’ve only visited a few times but, yeah, Hawaii is interesting because you can basically get any climate that you want by picking some specific facing and altitude.
If you face the wind then it will be fairly dry, if you face away from the wind (behind the mountain in the center of your particular island) then it will be extremely wet and rainy. You can choose anywhere between those extremes by rotating around the island.
If you go downhill, towards the ocean, then it will be warmer. If you go uphill, into the clouds, then it will be cool and, eventually, chilly.
So, basically, you can just choose your own personal favorite, find the right spot on the map, and Bob’s your uncle. Expensive, though.
California is conceptually the same: you can have nearly any climate you want. Just bring money. And for the more commonly desirable climates, a tolerance for traffic and crowds.
Hawaii is nice in August. I think the highs were in the mid 80s through around 91-92 while we were there. Maybe not ideal, but certainly not uncomfortable.
I believe winter’s maybe 5-10 degrees cooler or so.
There always is one of those guys. Or girls. I see a lot of what I think are college athletes shopping in shorts all winter long.
But it’s also true that when it dips to 40F in November, everybody bundles up, but when it rises to 40F in February, it feels like early spring.
One thing to keep in mind is that global warming will affect areas greatly in the future. I remember entire Januarys when the temperature never rose above freezing in Rochester. Doesn’t happen anymore. Gets a bit milder across seasons every year.
True. This was near a college and the guy and his friends looked like students.
I’m still shocked by Election Day (and not just for the usual reason). Eighty-one degrees on November 5? That is not normal temperatures of Rochester, New York. Apparently it set an Election Day record.
Northern Nevada is part of the Great Basin, a desert. Where are you going to get the water for your metropolis? Details, details.
Water would certainly be the biggest obstacle, no agriculture or heavy industry, very little landscaping. It might be doable, but I am not the guy who could figure that out.
If you drive across the vast deserts of the American West, you will notice that the population is negligible. Water is the reason. If water could be had, your megalopolis would already be built.
It’s called Phoenix. And, having lived there, it was a mistake from the git-go.
Northern NV is nothing like Phoenix. I have several friends who moved to the Phoenix area. I couldn’t live there.
Yes, but outside of a thin strip along the ocean, near LA and San Diego, that climate is usually going to vary strongly through the year.
I’d define “good weather”, because that’s what’s going to define your answer.
Hawaii has really stable weather year round, albeit a hair warm for some people. Most of Texas rarely has snow or cold weather, but you’ve got to trade the oppressive and dangerous summer heat for that. Alaska is fantastic in the summer, but it’s bitterly cold in the winter.
If we’re talking that sort of Southern California weather where it’s not really that hot or that cold, and isn’t often dreary or rainy, then as far as I know, that’s about the only place in the US like that. Which is why it’s so popular with people as well.
Oddly, I think I might look at some Appalachian locations in NC, VA and TN. A lot of those aren’t too hot int the summer nor too cold in the winter. Asheville, NC was absurdly pleasant in August, and apparently isn’t all that cold in the winter either. And it’s gorgeous around there.