Wondering — Best Place to Live for 4 Season Weather

[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.