The best "warm" weather cities to live in the U.S.

[ringmastery]

What are the best places to live in the country where it is usually warm and rarely or never snows?

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Pretty much everywhere in Hawaii

and you don't have that BS humidity that you get in the great lakes states and the south.

[ringmastery]

6. Hawaii is beautiful

Are there jobs there?

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Depends on what you do, of course

There are always jobs.

It's just a matter of whether they're jobs you would want.

And there's always entreprenuership.

:shrug:

But the economy is looking up. Slowly, but moving.

[windansea]

2. San Diego

hands down best climate in USA

[rwenos]

3. Definitely, or Santa Barbara

I'm rather partial to LA myself, but San Diego takes it, I think.

[Fleshdancer]

4. Austin is nice...as long as you don't mind having your vote not count

other than that, it's pretty damn nice down here.

[TXDemGal]

11. Austin's great

as long as you can deal with 100F+ temps for a couple months every year.

Having grown up in the Chicago area, I'll take hellish summers over hellish winters, thankyouverymuch.

[SmileyBoy]

17. Chicago??? You don't know ANYTHING about hellish winters!!!

Come up and spend a January in Fargo. :D:D:D:D:D

[Fleshdancer]

19. lol!

Fargo must be hell! This Austinite endured 3 very loooong winters in Minnesota...that was enough for me. I agree, very hot summers are much better than very cold winters.

[trogdor]

44. Upstate New York

Around Utica. Not quite as cold as Fargo, but it snows more. Lots more. It snows more in Syracuse than around Utica, but we get plenty. Lake Ontario never freezes all the way across (it's too deep), so we get bombarded all winter long. Typical annual snowfall is around nine or ten feet.

Of course, north of here is even worse. 10 to 20 degrees colder and even MORE snow. Oswego had ten snow days already, so they had to open schools during mid-winter recess when the rest of the state was off.

[ewagner]

53. Let's see....Fargo? Fargo?

Oh yeah, I know where that is....'bout 3 miles past Resume Safe Speed

:)

[fudge stripe cookays]

54. I know where Fargo is...probably on the couch right now.

Sorry...we now return you to your regularly scheduled topic already in progress.

[ewagner]

55. Beautiful, intelligent looking dog......

thanks

back to the thread...........

[XNASA]

22. I could only take it for 6 years...........

It wasn't that the weather bothered me so much. But I noticed that most of the locals seemed to suffer from some kind of affliction that I can only assume is caused by the heat and by the sun baking their brains into raisins.

Besides, there are more genuinely pleasant days in Chicago than there are in Texas. Especially when you consider most of the pleasant days in Texas occur when there's only about 10 hours of daylight, which kinda defeats the purpose.

[Moriarty]

28. Exactly the topic I was looking for!

My Girlfriend and I are in the midst of planning a move to Austin, from Chicago no less. And well, for lack of a better way to ask, how do we go about this?

We're initially going to move into an apartment, however, knowing next to nothing about Austin, we're not sure where a couple of near-30-somethings who want a good nightlife should go. We've done the apartments.com and the apartment rater sites but that just tells us part of the story (though we've learned that The Metropolis apartments are REALLY VERY NOT GOOD places to live).

I guess what I'm asking is, where in Austin should we be looking to move into?

Thanks in advance!

[GOPisEvil]

31. Welcome to DU...where have you looked here in town?

I'm in Austin, maybe I can help. :hi:

Edit - if you have specific questions, let me know. I'll try to answer them for you.

[XNASA]

32. There are dozens of Austin DU'ers who can answer these questions....

...better than I.

But as a Chicagoan, who resided in TX for a number of years, and who just spent a long weekend in Austin, all I can say to you is...

Are you out of your mind? :D

I'm only kidding. Austin is a great town. But right now, there are no jobs there. And the housing market has been booming for some time, so the infrastructure hasn't kept up with the demand. Why, just this past Saturday night in Austin, we were playing cards and the damn power went off for an hour. For no apparent reason. So we had to gamble by candlelight, and everyone started cheating. It got real ugly.

If you're gonna move to Texas, Austin is the best place.

But it's light years behind Chicago.

Good Luck!! And welcome to DU.

[GOPisEvil]

33. Hey! That was Pflugerville! Austin's electricity was JUST fine!

Also...rents are about as cheap as they've been in quite some time. If you've got a job lined up, this is a great time to move here.

[XNASA]

36. Yeah, I think one of the hamsters escaped.......

up in P'ville. No hamster, no power.

[GOPisEvil]

37. That's what happens when you lived unincorporated...

...we city folk have backup hamsters. :D

[Moriarty]

38. We're still in the Talking phase...

As much as I'd hate to leave Chicago, I've been here my whole life and I think its time for something different for a while. My girlfriend has been wanting to move south or southwest for quite sometime but never managed to muster up the nerve.

The jobs thing is a bit of a concern but I work for a consulting company with a branch in Austin that I *may* be able to transfer to. But I hadn't realized how poor the job market in Austin is, but I can't imagine it being much worse than Chicago. We were laid off for quite a while before landing where we are now.

And my GF is looking to go back to school to further her Spanish studies -- which is another reason for moving South; depsite having one of the largest Mexican populations in the country, there's little in the way of any halfway decent Spanish or Latin American programs in Chicago colleges and universities.

I'm loathe to use the word 'trendy' but I guess that's the kind of area I'm looking for. If there's any other Chicago to Austin transplants I'm essentially looking for Lincoln Park social scene with just a hint of Bucktown seediness for character :)

Thanks again!

[GOPisEvil]

39. There's South Congress...

...quite trendy, hip, and getting expensive as all hell. But, you can still rent cheaper than you can buy there. There's also West Campus, Hyde Park, any number of good places with houses with character, not some bland-ass complex (which is what I live in now).

I'd say the job market has bottomed out - or at least that is what the papers tell us. ;-)

Go here for an alternative view on Austin. Also their classifieds might have stuff the other papers don't, especially non-complex apartments and duplexes. www.austinchronicle.com

If you want to come down for a visit, or have any questions, look me up. I'm always happy to help.

[XNASA]

40. "Lincoln Park social scene...........

.....with just a hint of Bucktown seediness for character".....

You're not really gonna find that in Austin. Not that you couldn't find an area that you'd be happy in...but there are no places like Lincoln Park/Lakeview in Austin.

You'll need to adjust your expectations, just a tad. GOPisEvil is right about South Congress. It's a burgeoning funky/trendy area. I was surprised to see how much it's improved.

But Austin is not the Northside. For one thing, you'll absolutely need a car, preferably a light-colored car.

[GOPisEvil]

41. You'll never get the same sense of neighborhood here.

That is very true. There are some neighborhoods in Austin, but they are not as defined and are larger geographically than I remember in Chicago.

[Moriarty]

45. "But Austin is not the Northside."

Which is fantastic considering that I'm a longtime South-Sider :)

For the past few years though I've lived in the western suburbs with a two year stint in Bridgeport and I'm looking to get back into a more urban setting. I take it Austin doesn't have an extensive public tranportation system like Chicago? I threw out Lincoln Park because when I tell other Chicagoans about my love of Bridgeport, they get a bit wary (not without good reason, but still).

But South Congress and a website I can look into is a fantastic start for me. I appreciate all the help.

[GOPisEvil]

48. Austin has a bus system, and it's OK...

...but nothing like Chicago.

Here's a good guide to South Austin, which is better than North Austin, in the views of most. ;-) http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/vol18/issue14/southaustin/

[XNASA]

49. Now, don't anyone take this the wrong way......

But I edited out a comment previously that said the closest thing to Austin in Chicagoland is Naperville. So, you should feel right at home if you're in the Western Burbs.

In and around UT, there are plenty of funky places to hang out. Lot's of great restaurants and clubs. Plenty of record stores, etc. But it's not like Bridgeport either. It's really not that dense anywhere in Austin, which might be a good thing, I suspect.

But no public transportation in Austin. No L. No subway. No Metra. You could take a bus, but waiting at a bus stop when it's 105 degrees is not my idea of public transportation.

If you want to live in a place that has weather that is much the same as Austin, but has a funky vibe with public transportation, I'd recommend New Orleans.

[fudge stripe cookays]

52. Look for places between about 45th Street and Oltorf...

and you'll get the funkiness and trendiness and cool places to hang out.

A little ways north of 45th the houses and apartments start becoming a little more affordable.

As a rule, east of I-35 tends to be older, more Latino and AA neighborhoods. That's the way it was when I was growing up. But since rents started spiking in the mid-90s, that area is showing a little more renaissance now, since folks started moving east again.

Just to the east and heading west past Loop 1 (Mo-Pac) is pretty pricey. (If you see Westlake listed for a property, best to avoid unless you think you can swing it; this is high dollar area near Bee Caves & Mo-Pac)

Places you may want to be near:

* Waterloo Records (6th and Lamar)
(also a Whole Foods, Book People, Amy's Ice Cream, and other assorted nifty shops at this location)

* 6th Street (from I-35 to Congress) for nightlife, live music.

* Highland Mall (Airport Blvd./I-35 area)- Closest mall to this area. Used to have a JCPenney, Foley's, & Dillard's as anchor stores, but it's been awhile since I've been in.

* "The Drag" (Guadalupe)- avenue that runs along the side of UT. Good parts from about 38th to MLK and just south (Austinites? Is the Dog & Duck still there? It's been awhile for me). Nifty shops, record & book stores, cafes, indie theater @ Dobie Mall.

* Riverside & S. 1st (just south of here are the funky shops that GOP was talking about). Nearby is the Town Lake Pavilion and the Hike and Bike Trail that runs alongside the lake. Good for keeping in shape!

* 38th Street & Kerbey Lane-- The closer the proximity to Kerbey Lane Cafe, the better your chances of quicker gingerbread pancakes on weekends! This place is packed for breakfast. Also nifty shops nearby.

* Zilker Park (west end of Barton Springs near Mo-Pac) Great for firework shows 4th of July, free concerts, and a giant lit up Christmas tree during December. Nearby are tons of great restaurants--Chuy's (where the mini Bushs were caught imbibing), Shady Grove, Green Mesquite BBQ, etc.

Hopefully this will help a bit. You can PM me for info too since I'm a transplanted Austinite.

FSC

[SammyWinstonJack]

34. Yeah, 100+ temps and humidity

Nice combo. I can hardly wait. :bounce:

[silverweb]

5. Sweet home San Diego....

:)

[ixion]

8. key west!!

I love it there. :-)

[Gringo]

9. Have to agreee with San Diego

Since SF doesn't quite qualify as "warm"

Houston, Phoenix - lousy

Austin, Miami - okay

Hawaii would be nice, but too expensive, and I imagine one would get "island fever". You want to go for a drive & a change of scenery, but you're back at your house after only 2 hours...

[SlavesandBulldozers]

10. Orlando's not bad

Democratic mayor. Beautiful weather. There's not really any Southern-ness. Ocean or Gulf 2 hours away in EITHER direction (you could see the sunrise and sunset on two different bodies of water on the same day). Of course you get the Bush Double Whammy, which is no small matter for a democrat. Then again, you could come here and help FL go Dem this year!

[maggrwaggr]

14. Orlando's in Florida, isn't it?

uh .....................................

let me put it this way .......

Why anybody human lives there is beyond me.

[gyopsy]

18. Agreed

Orlando has got a lot of nice stuff. And people forget there's so much going on in O-town other than the damn theme parks.

[HawkerHurricane]

12. San Diego

In spite of being a Navy Town, it's not as conservative as it's made out to be.

However, I will recommend not living within the city limits of San Diego itself, unless you like your tax money going to wealthy sports team owners who then kick it back to Republican city councilmen...

And avoid Santee, which has earned the nickname 'Klantee'...

[Semi_subversive]

13. San Diego

What a beautiful place. We make it a point to take the 550 mile trip there at least every other year. And they have the prettiest women on earth there! Please don't tell my wife I said that.

[maggrwaggr]

15. it's hard to beat Malibu

if you can afford it

[gyopsy]

16. West Palm Beach, FL

When it's not having an election crisis, it's really a nice place to live. really. I'm not joking.

[IronLionZion]

20. New Orleans,

good food, music, culture, etc. Too bad its build on soft sediment below sea level.

[av8rdave]

21. Phoenix...

Lived there five years - great town...stuff to do all year round. 90 minutes to escape the heat during the three hot months.

I have to agree with the Key West posting too....My wife and I were just there at the beginning of the month - one of our favorite places.

av8rdave

[RebelOne]

23. I live in the Atlanta area and I love it.

Of course, you wouldn't want to live in Atlanta proper, but in the northern suburbs.

[Anaxamander]

42. I was born in Atlanta

and my heart will always remain in the ATL. I'd like to move back eventually.

Go Braves!

[KCDem]

24. Houston

ha ha, just kidding. The weather's nice, but it sucks here otherwise.

[XNASA]

26. Actually, I kinda liked Houston.....

Especially the restaurants. And the people were OK, at least they were alright down in Clear Lake, which is were we lived.

But I thought that the weather was absolutely oppressive. And the air quality was so bad that we actually feared for our children.

So my take on Houston was just the opposite. Nice town. Stinky weather.

[KCDem]

30. my main complaint is that it's just too damn big!

I hate driving 45 minutes and not being anywhere. And yes, the air quality sucks. My kids don't know what stars are. Sigh.

I like the warmth. This past summer was my first here; after years and years of midwest summers, I thought it was quite pleasant--only 2 days over 100. Missouri was far worse.

[XNASA]

35. My first two summers there, I just kind of ignored it......

and I really didn't think it was too bad.

My next two summers there, I had just been made the manager of my department so I kept busy. Time was just a blur.

My last two summers there were spent getting our ducks in a row so we could get the hell outta there. It got to the point where we really just couldn't take it anymore. Not being able to camp during the summer. The poor kids stuck inside the house for the entire duration of their summer vacation.

[trogdor]

46. No stars? That's gotta suck.

On a really clear night (we have lots of those) in central NY, we can see the Milky Way. I bet the guy from Fargo can appreciate that.

[KCDem]

47. ok, a bit of hyperbole there.

I think we have about 8. On a good night. Sigh.

[radwriter0555]

25. LOS ANGELES.

The best city in the USA.

Literally PERFECT weather.

[Xithras]

27. If you don't mind smog

L.A. on a clear day is a beautiful place with wonderful weather. The other 350 days a year....

[VOX]

29. Believe it or not, the smog in L.A. is better now than in the 1950s-60s

Even with all the traffic, the emissions standards have improved the air quality. It still has a long way to go, though, of course.

[trackfan]

51. It's way too hot in the summer if you live inland at all.

It's been great since about December 1 last year though - nice temperately cool winter.

[aldian159]

43. Sarasota

specifically Siesta Key. The greatest beach in the nation, by far, plus the local eateries are stellar.

[NC_Nurse]

50. Chapel Hill's

not bad, but it's been pretty cold this winter (I grew up in Fl and Atlanta so I know "pretty cold" is relative).
We've got clubs, UNC, short drive to the mountains or the coast and a big and growing Hispanic population to practice your Spanish with...