Best:
/bɛst/
Adjective, “not sweltering hot.” Snowbirds may love Florida but I don’t.
Just curious. Warm is acceptable as long as it isn’t so humid that you need a shower as soon as you leave the house. As close as you can get to 60-70 F for most of the year is perfect, but I don’t know where you could find that in that part of the world. Multiple seasons are a plus, as long as summer isn’t March to October. A microclimate that is very different from just down the road is fine. Coasts are a benefit in some cases I assume.
For example, I’ve never been to Texas, but I’ve heard that Dallas isn’t as muggy as Houston (or Austin). Looking at the climate data though, I’m not sure.
The US city with the most temperate weather is Honolulu (the average annual temperatures range from 66 to 88 degrees F). Which is technically one of the southernmost cities in the country, albeit not in what is usually though of as the South.
The closer to the Gulf, the more humidity you get. The Metroplex (Dallas, Ft Worth, etc.) is drier than Houston. But often a few degrees hotter in the summer & colder in the winter. If “sweltering” is too hot for you, Texas just won’t do. That sort of temperate weather needs more altitude; Texas & most of “the South” are pretty flat. Maybe Alpine, Texas? Still warmer than you like. Perhaps someone can report in from Appalachia.
The “best” (or at least most temperate) climates in the South are probably in mountainous areas (i.e. in North Carolina, Tennessee etc.). They don’t usually get long stretches of really hot weather in summer or freezing cold in winter, but even places like Asheville NC average about 14 inches of snow a year, if that’s a deal-breaker.
Still laughing at the idea that Dallas has a more bearable summer climate than Houston because it’s “less humid” (even moderate humidity can be rather draining when it’s consistently in the upper 90s and 100s). When you’re far enough south, the slightly cooler temps on the coast still don’t make it comfortable in late spring through early fall (for example, it’s not for nothing that Galveston was known by early explorers/residents as the Isle de Malheur).
About the only place in the southern US where you will find that kind of climate is high up in the southern end of the Appalachian mountains (AKA Blue Ridge mtns/Great Smokey mtns) - 4,500+ feet above sea level. An example is Brasstown Baldin northeast Geogia:
You can’t live there, it’s US Park Service land and they tend to frown on building homes. I do, however, happen to know where a list of such mountains exists. I leave it to you to research the individual climates and ownership status.
If by South you mean to exclude the west coast (San Diego et al.), you are probably looking for a place in or near the mountains like Chattanooga, Asheville, etc. Those places are not warm year-round, though.
Nashville weather, btw, has been extraordinary for the last 10 days or so. But that’s unusual - usually August is much more uncomfortable. July was really hot & humid.
Same for Atlanta. Personally I really like Atlanta weather (it’s why I moved here and stayed here), but to echo the others, the Appalachian areas are best for your considerations. Asheville is a great town… Knoxville is decent as well, but gets a bit hotter (a little less snow as well).
While I said you can define it your own way, that’s not what I meant!
It sounds pretty tolerable. I never made it to that city proper, but close enough (Waynesville area). Not there long enough to notice much.
ETA: or maybe I have: Biltmore is technically Asheville, but I didn’t see the city itself.
