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

[L41A]

Four Seasons for me. Appalachian Piedmont in US fits me well.

Trees, hills, fall leaves, spring blossoms, cozy rainy days, rivers/creeks (love flowing water). Landscape full of life and in motion - always changing, becoming, being then repeating.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

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

NYC seasons graded:

Spring: B+/A-
Summer: B-/B
Fall: A/A+
Winter:C+

Not bad. The rains are a bit much, but make the forest trees grow. Summer days can be hot, humid and rainy, but a surprising number of days are nice. Fall is often beautiful. Spring too, but it rains a lot. Winter has cold snaps, but most days aren't intolerably cold. Not bad at all. I could handle NYC.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by L41A

Four Seasons for me. Appalachian Piedmont in US fits me well.

Trees, hills, fall leaves, spring blossoms, cozy rainy days, rivers/creeks (love flowing water). Landscape full of life and in motion - always changing, becoming, being then repeating.

The summer heat not too bad? I agree, there us much to be said in favor of four seasons. As long as the extreme heat of summer and cold of winter don't get too out of bounds, Dallas and Winnipeg being examples of out of bounds summers and winters respectively. Maybe the Piedmont fits the bill.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by 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.

Coastal California, especially the middle third, is really hard to beat. I just got back from a conference in Monterey. My wife and I rented a car and traveled down to the Hearst Castle, through Big Sur (and up the other direction to Santa Cruz and Big Basin Redwoods State Park), by way of California Highway 1. Stunning, to say the least. Surprisingly brisk climate for this late in May (but as you said, move inland a few miles and things warm up quickly). The water is way too cold to swim in, but the scenery is almost peerless.

[homebucket]

Agree with the Mediterranean climate takes. There are two main types. Under the Köppen climate classification, there are "hot dry-summer" climates (classified as Csa) and "cool dry-summer" climates (classified as Csb). Coastal CA is more the latter, as the summers never really get too hot as compared to the inland CA areas, and there is the marine fog to help keep the air from becoming too dry. The areas where the coastal redwoods grow have the best blend of warmth in the summer times but wet winters to keep the area from becoming too try.

[JManc]

We drove from LA where it was about 75 or so degrees and breezy to Mojave (the city) and it was about 95+ and stifling. Only about an hour and a half drive.

[iheartthed]

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.

Plenty of places in the Mediterranean have similar winter weather to L.A.

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by CaliNative

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.

Yeah, depends on the city. Lisbon is probably most like L.A. in the summer, but it has noticeably cooler winters. But it's also on the ocean, like L.A., instead of on the Mediterranean like all of the other major cities in that climate zone.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by JManc

We drove from LA where it was about 75 or so degrees and breezy to Mojave (the city) and it was about 95+ and stifling. Only about an hour and a half drive.

Indeed. There are several different micro climates in the LA area considering you go from beach up valley to foothills to mountains then high and low desert within 60 miles. For example, it's common to have the following Temps at the same time.. In summer, you can have 70 at Malibu, 80 in Westwood, 85 in downtown LA, 100 in woodland hills, 75 in big bear, 105 in Palmdale and 120 in palm springs.

In winter, it's common for it to be 60 at the beach, 65 inland, 55 in the foothills 20's in the mountains and deserts

[Crawford]

Coastal LA/OC has to be Mediterranean, no? My aunt lives right on the coast, she has no AC, and she barely uses her heat. She's in permanent Spring, more or less. I don't really notice any difference whenever I visit. The only changes are May/June gloom and and a little winter rain.

Twenty miles inland, yes, totally different climate. Even Irvine is very different from Coastal OC. It's hot. You'd be in hell without AC.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by L41A

Four Seasons for me. Appalachian Piedmont in US fits me well.

Trees, hills, fall leaves, spring blossoms, cozy rainy days, rivers/creeks (love flowing water). Landscape full of life and in motion - always changing, becoming, being then repeating.

I second this and I don't live there. I like having all the seasons but I don't like harsh winters.

To me, Atlanta's weather is pretty spot on for me. Yes, it gets hot as hell in summer but where doesn't it? I find that its location inland and slightly higher in altitude makes the other seasons there near perfect. I assume it's very similar in Greenville SC and Asheville NC, but those places are too small for me.

I do love the Ocean though, so it would be hard for me to live anywhere further than and hour or two from an Ocean (or the gulf).

[Yuri]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Coastal LA/OC has to be Mediterranean, no? My aunt lives right on the coast, she has no AC, and she barely uses her heat. She's in permanent Spring, more or less. I don't really notice any difference whenever I visit. The only changes are May/June gloom and and a little winter rain.

Twenty miles inland, yes, totally different climate. Even Irvine is very different from Coastal OC. It's hot. You'd be in hell without AC.

But people in the actual Mediterranean do need AC right? I've never been there during summers but I hear it gets very hot on most places.

I've spend one whole summer in Cape Town, and it could get hot during the day, specially in the vineyards. In the evenings, temps used to fall considerably to 14C-16C or so. I guess it's more similar to California than with the actual Mediterranean.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by CaliNative

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:

So would I if they weren't ridiculously long drives and if moving around like you suggest weren't a difficult proposition when you have pets and lots of things to take with you. Maintaining just two locations is plenty of work and expense for me, thanks.

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by JManc

We drove from LA where it was about 75 or so degrees and breezy to Mojave (the city) and it was about 95+ and stifling. Only about an hour and a half drive.

I used to work in Concord, CA, a commuter suburb of San Francisco. I took BART, the commuter rail line. When I left work in Concord on a typical summer day it was often in the mid-90s, 96F being common. When I exited the station in downtown SF where I live it would often be in the mid-60s, say 66F: A 30 degree temperature shift on opposite ends of a commuter rail line.

These are California micro-climates. They don't surprise anybody here. The cities around the Bay but away from the Golden Gate strait, like Fremont where you plan to live, tend to be somewhat between the extremes which makes them popular. They get warm enough to be comfortable outdoors in summer (though sometimes a little hot and A/C can be useful) and in winter it almost never gets cold enough to snow (except on the highest peaks like Mt. Diablo).

[Pedestrian]

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.

I suspect that's wrong. I think you are comparing coastal locations in the Mediterranean with inland ones in California. Much of LA is not really coastal.

But still, the climatic variables of a larger coastal city like Marseille don't appear that different to me. If anything the LA climate appears a bit more moderate (higher winter lows, slightly lower summer highs):

Marseille

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marseille

Los Angeles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles

[eschaton]

I've actually been very surprised how hot (reading climate data) Rome and particularly Athens gets in the summer.

Athens has average daily means close to 85 in July/August, and average highs of 94 degrees. I wouldn't call that pleasant at all.

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I used to work in Concord, CA, a commuter suburb of San Francisco. I took BART, the commuter rail line. When I left work in Concord on a typical summer day it was often in the mid-90s, 96F being common. When I exited the station in downtown SF where I live it would often be in the mid-60s, say 66F: A 30 degree temperature shift on opposite ends of a commuter rail line.

These are California micro-climates. They don't surprise anybody here. The cities around the Bay but away from the Golden Gate strait, like Fremont where you plan to live, tend to be somewhat between the extremes which makes them popular. They get warm enough to be comfortable outdoors in summer (though sometimes a little hot and A/C can be useful) and in winter it almost never gets cold enough to snow (except on the highest peaks like Mt. Diablo).

The craziest thing is when you take the Dumbarton bridge from Fremont to the Palo Alto area; the east Bay is more scrubbish while on the other side, it's more green with taller/ lusher trees. The two can't be more than a mile or so apart.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by JManc

The craziest thing is when you take the Dumbarton bridge from Fremont to the Palo Alto area; the east Bay is more scrubbish while on the other side, it's more green with taller/ lusher trees. The two can't be more than a mile or so apart.

My understanding is there are even microclimates within San Francisco. Like The Mission is almost always warmer/sunnier than Outer Sunset.

[ChrisLA]

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.

That’s not true, I spent a few weeks in southern France, Cannes and a few other cities in that area during the month of October several years ago. It is my understanding this region is considered a Mediterranean climate. It was definitely warmer and very uncomfortable than what I’m used to in much of the Los Angeles basin.

Also much of the vegetation I seen all around that region as we drove into Italy looks like a lot of Southern California.

[ChrisLA]

Originally Posted by Yuri

But people in the actual Mediterranean do need AC right? I've never been there during summers but I hear it gets very hot on most places.

I've spend one whole summer in Cape Town, and it could get hot during the day, specially in the vineyards. In the evenings, temps used to fall considerably to 14C-16C or so. I guess it's more similar to California than with the actual Mediterranean.

It really depends on where you live in the LA area. The valley you will need a/c but not even every day, and night time temperatures are cool enough to turn it off. I grew up with no AC so did most of the people around me.