Which city to retire to

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TwoBrains
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Which city to retire to

Post by TwoBrains »

Dear Bogleheads,

Thank you in advance for your valuable advice!

I am planning on retiring within the next few years, and would like to move to San Diego. I currently live in DFW (have lived here for about twenty years), and have had the good fortune of (taking a hiatus from DFW and) living in San Diego for seven years (201x to 201x).

My top criterion is good weather, especially summer weather (push comes to shove, I can tolerate less-than-perfect cold weather but not extreme summer weather; I have family in MN so plan B would be to live winters in TX and summers in MN). Everything else (family, cost of living, cost of housing, taxes, etc.) is pretty much a wash.

Is there a city within the Continental United States with better weather than San Diego, at a similar or lower cost of living?
(As an example, there are other cities such as Santa Barbara with equally good weather as San Diego if not better, but with higher cost of living).

I am hoping this forum can provide some guidance.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by quantAndHold »

The question you’re really asking is, is there another place in the US besides coastal California that has a Mediterranean climate. And the answer is no. There are only five places on earth that have a Mediterranean climate, and four of them are not in the United States.

You might be able to find someplace further up the coast that has acceptable weather but is further from the places where people work. One of my San Diego friends moved to Camarillo, for example. And a lot of people retire to the northern Baja coast, then come back to San Diego for medical care and shopping. That has its disadvantages, but it’s a lot cheaper than living in the US.
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TwoBrains
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by TwoBrains »

Thank you, quantAndHold, Camarillo is worth looking into. I am also looking at Julian.

I'd like to stay within the United States, so moving to Baja (or another international location) is not under consideration.
coolasadog
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by coolasadog »

OP, when you San Diego can you be more specific . I live in North San Diego County 15 miles from the ocean. It is much less expensive than near the coast but it does get warm in the summer (Upper 80s to low 100s). It really depends on what you want. Near coast, tract house or with property?

If you are considering Julian, which is a remote/far, you may consider Temecula. More affordable but can be really hot in the summer. Nearer the coast some parts of Oceanside are more affordable.

Like quantAndHold says it is a limited supply you are looking at. Further north, Santa Maria to SLO are possibly less expensive.
finite_difference
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by finite_difference »

Puerto Rico and Mexico.

I also like your Plan B! Why not do Plan B until you’re sick of the traveling? You’ve probably saved so much money that you can afford to buy a mansion in California at that point. (And by mansion I mean a house with three bathrooms.)
The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. - Thich Nhat Hanh
finite_difference
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by finite_difference »

quantAndHold wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:19 pm The question you’re really asking is, is there another place in the US besides coastal California that has a Mediterranean climate. And the answer is no. There are only five places on earth that have a Mediterranean climate, and four of them are not in the United States.

You might be able to find someplace further up the coast that has acceptable weather but is further from the places where people work. One of my San Diego friends moved to Camarillo, for example. And a lot of people retire to the northern Baja coast, then come back to San Diego for medical care and shopping. That has its disadvantages, but it’s a lot cheaper than living in the US.
For those curious like me, the 5 places are:
-countries in the Mediterranean basin
-parts of California between San Diego and Cape Mendocino
-central Chile
-the Western Cape in South Africa
-southwest and southern Australia

Hey that little fellow in the book was right about moving to Australia.
The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention. - Thich Nhat Hanh
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TwoBrains
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by TwoBrains »

Thanks for the replies.

Congruentsea, I was in zip code 92127; housing is not a priority, having good weather (especially good, not too hot summer weather) is; I rented, and could now rent or own (house, townhome, condo, etc.). Stayed in Fallbrook, Murietta, Temecula, Bonsall, etc. but it gets really hot in the summers (plus traffic is a nightmare in Temecula). Good advice about Santa Maria and SLO, I will look into that.

Finite_difference, I'd like to live within the Continental US, so Mexico and Puerto Rico unfortunately are not an option. Yes, TX / MN is option B, followed by just moving to MN as option C, as I did spend summer 2019 in MN, and the travel back and forth gets old quick.

(Wondering if some of the mountain towns in the east of the country have some hidden gems, did travel to WV and really liked the area, but perhaps summers are too hot).
Valuethinker
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by Valuethinker »

TwoBrains wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:03 am Thanks for the replies.

Congruentsea, I was in zip code 92127; housing is not a priority, having good weather (especially good, not too hot summer weather) is; I rented, and could now rent or own (house, townhome, condo, etc.). Stayed in Fallbrook, Murietta, Temecula, Bonsall, etc. but it gets really hot in the summers (plus traffic is a nightmare in Temecula). Good advice about Santa Maria and SLO, I will look into that.

Finite_difference, I'd like to live within the Continental US, so Mexico and Puerto Rico unfortunately are not an option. Yes, TX / MN is option B, followed by just moving to MN as option C, as I did spend summer 2019 in MN, and the travel back and forth gets old quick.

(Wondering if some of the mountain towns in the east of the country have some hidden gems, did travel to WV and really liked the area, but perhaps summers are too hot).
"heat" is really tricky to define. Especially after the summer western North America has been experiencing, with temperatures in Western Canada regularly breaking records.

I don't imagine San Diego, except right on the coast, is much cooler than Dallas, but it's a far dryer heat? (lower humidity)

It is hot in New Mexico - I mean in recent times unbelievably hot. On the other hand, it's very dry. Downside of that is drought + wildfires (even if not directly affected, then the smoke & particulates). Santa Fe is elevated.

With dry heat it is normally cooler at night (although not so during the recent heat dome?).

"Hot" in the eastern half of North America tends to mean "hot and humid". I mean New York, let alone Washington, in July is really *hot*. I know people from Mediterranean countries who experienced Toronto in early August and thought it hotter than their home countries (Yugoslavia as was) even though it was 10-20 degrees F cooler on the thermometer.

It's that "wet bulb" temperature that really matters -- there's a calculation of how that is derived (someone talked about it here in one of the Forums).

I don't know Minneapolis, but I gather it's a tolerable summer heat for you? One heck of a winter.

I can tell you that anywhere south of Ontario or east, has a really hot and humid summer**. You either stay inside air conditioned boxes, or you learn to adjust. Mosquitoes come with the package.

It sounds to me like you are actually aiming for Colorado? Beware that the population pressures are at risk of "over developing" it, in the "front of range" area - at least from complaints I have read. Traffic worse. Cost of housing rising. Air pollution worse. Water supply is an everpresent issue***. So think ahead as to where you would like to live there. There's also Utah?

Failing that, San Diego is probably your best bet. If you can stand the cost of living.

But due to elevation you would find cooler summers (again, not this year?). Winters are cold but there is lots of sunlight.

** Maine would be milder, definitely. Anywhere right on the coast.

*** From what I have read, the solution will involve farmers transferring their rights for water to growing urban communities. However there are all kinds of obstacles in the way of this taking place - legal, political, cultural. The Southwest of the USA is out of water & the only solution is that transfer of water rights from farmers to other users (and accompanying reductions in consumption per capita, to accomodate increasing growth and water supply that was over-allocated in the first place).
ThankYouJack
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by ThankYouJack »

TwoBrains wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:03 am housing is not a priority, having good weather (especially good, not too hot summer weather) is;
What do you consider too hot? I personally like warm weather and warm ocean temps and can acclimate well to it, while others can't stand humidity.

Do you have other priorities? If housing cost wasn't a priority for me, I would choose Santa Barbara if I didn't want anything that hot.
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vitaflo
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by vitaflo »

TwoBrains wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:03 am
followed by just moving to MN as option C, as I did spend summer 2019 in MN, and the travel back and forth gets old quick.

(Wondering if some of the mountain towns in the east of the country have some hidden gems, did travel to WV and really liked the area, but perhaps summers are too hot).
Having lived in MN for decades, I'd say if your want is great weather, MN is probably the last place to look. There are summer days that are hotter and more humid than Florida and winter days that are colder than Alaska. The great thing about living here though is the COL is fairly low and I could move just about anywhere else and the weather would be better! All that said the QoL here is awesome.

If you want good summer weather (not too hot) in the mountain west, find a place with elevation. Even if it gets hot at least it will be dry. Winters at elevation though can be a diff story.

I've looked into this stuff more than I care to admit and any place worth living for weather is going to already be found (little is "hidden") and expensive. There's always going to be tradeoffs. I would focus more on if the place you move has the things you want to do there. If you want to spend a lot of time Walleye fishing, MN is going to be a lot better than SD. If you want to spend a lot of time on the beach, SD is going to be better than MN, etc.
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JupiterJones
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by JupiterJones »

TwoBrains wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:37 pm My top criterion is good weather, especially summer weather (push comes to shove, I can tolerate less-than-perfect cold weather but not extreme summer weather...
Depending on how long you plan on living there, it might be useful to keep long-term climate trends in mind and skate where the puck is going. A place with "hot, but bearable" summers might have "unbearably hot" summers in 20-40 years' time.
"Stay on target! Stay on target!"
carolinaman
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by carolinaman »

TwoBrains wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:03 am Thanks for the replies.

Congruentsea, I was in zip code 92127; housing is not a priority, having good weather (especially good, not too hot summer weather) is; I rented, and could now rent or own (house, townhome, condo, etc.). Stayed in Fallbrook, Murietta, Temecula, Bonsall, etc. but it gets really hot in the summers (plus traffic is a nightmare in Temecula). Good advice about Santa Maria and SLO, I will look into that.

Finite_difference, I'd like to live within the Continental US, so Mexico and Puerto Rico unfortunately are not an option. Yes, TX / MN is option B, followed by just moving to MN as option C, as I did spend summer 2019 in MN, and the travel back and forth gets old quick.

(Wondering if some of the mountain towns in the east of the country have some hidden gems, did travel to WV and really liked the area, but perhaps summers are too hot).
Western NC has some nice places to live. The summers are cooler than the rest of NC and the winters are not bad. Lower COL than San Diego and probably DFW. Asheville is very popular but I like Hendersonville, Boone/Blowing Rock and Franklin better. It really depends on what you are looking for and your lifestyle.
Firemenot
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by Firemenot »

congruentsea wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:07 am OP, when you San Diego can you be more specific . I live in North San Diego County 15 miles from the ocean. It is much less expensive than near the coast but it does get warm in the summer (Upper 80s to low 100s). It really depends on what you want. Near coast, tract house or with property?

If you are considering Julian, which is a remote/far, you may consider Temecula. More affordable but can be really hot in the summer. Nearer the coast some parts of Oceanside are more affordable.

Like quantAndHold says it is a limited supply you are looking at. Further north, Santa Maria to SLO are possibly less expensive.
SLO is heaven in my book. Santa Maria would be more affordable but I don’t like the feel of it. It’s like a giant strip mall. Love Santa Maria BBQ however.

While real estate in SLO is generally more affordable than other areas of coastal CA, prices have really run up during Covid.
sailaway
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by sailaway »

As we start thinking about actually setting sail soon, we have done a lot of research. Even most Mediterranean cities aren't quite as stereotypically Mediterranean as coastal San Diego. They have warmer summers and cooler winters.

The heat can be moderated in Julian, due to altitude, but I would personally look at something less touristy if it were me.
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JaneyLH
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by JaneyLH »

Firemenot wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:24 am
congruentsea wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:07 am OP, when you San Diego can you be more specific . I live in North San Diego County 15 miles from the ocean. It is much less expensive than near the coast but it does get warm in the summer (Upper 80s to low 100s). It really depends on what you want. Near coast, tract house or with property?

If you are considering Julian, which is a remote/far, you may consider Temecula. More affordable but can be really hot in the summer. Nearer the coast some parts of Oceanside are more affordable.

Like quantAndHold says it is a limited supply you are looking at. Further north, Santa Maria to SLO are possibly less expensive.
SLO is heaven in my book. Santa Maria would be more affordable but I don’t like the feel of it. It’s like a giant strip mall. Love Santa Maria BBQ however.

While real estate in SLO is generally more affordable than other areas of coastal CA, prices have really run up during Covid.
I lived in SLO for 4 years while attending college. It was definitely the best weather I have experienced year-round. Santa Maria was not a desirable town by comparison and got much hotter in the summer. Carmel or Monterey would also be nice choices.
phinanciallyfit
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by phinanciallyfit »

Valuethinker wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:27 am
TwoBrains wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:03 am Thanks for the replies.

Congruentsea, I was in zip code 92127; housing is not a priority, having good weather (especially good, not too hot summer weather) is; I rented, and could now rent or own (house, townhome, condo, etc.). Stayed in Fallbrook, Murietta, Temecula, Bonsall, etc. but it gets really hot in the summers (plus traffic is a nightmare in Temecula). Good advice about Santa Maria and SLO, I will look into that.

Finite_difference, I'd like to live within the Continental US, so Mexico and Puerto Rico unfortunately are not an option. Yes, TX / MN is option B, followed by just moving to MN as option C, as I did spend summer 2019 in MN, and the travel back and forth gets old quick.

(Wondering if some of the mountain towns in the east of the country have some hidden gems, did travel to WV and really liked the area, but perhaps summers are too hot).
"heat" is really tricky to define. Especially after the summer western North America has been experiencing, with temperatures in Western Canada regularly breaking records.

I don't imagine San Diego, except right on the coast, is much cooler than Dallas, but it's a far dryer heat? (lower humidity)

It is hot in New Mexico - I mean in recent times unbelievably hot. On the other hand, it's very dry. Downside of that is drought + wildfires (even if not directly affected, then the smoke & particulates). Santa Fe is elevated.

With dry heat it is normally cooler at night (although not so during the recent heat dome?).
Santa Fe may be a good option. Even with the heat wave, it really wasn't particularly bad in Santa Fe. We are in Albuquerque and the highs (record highs) were about 102-105, the lows were in the low 70s, so tolerable. Santa Fe is usually about 10 degrees cooler than us. But water is definitely going to be an issue in all of these SW states, including Colorado.... it already is.
Firemenot
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by Firemenot »

JaneyLH wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 12:05 pm
Firemenot wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 10:24 am
congruentsea wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 8:07 am OP, when you San Diego can you be more specific . I live in North San Diego County 15 miles from the ocean. It is much less expensive than near the coast but it does get warm in the summer (Upper 80s to low 100s). It really depends on what you want. Near coast, tract house or with property?

If you are considering Julian, which is a remote/far, you may consider Temecula. More affordable but can be really hot in the summer. Nearer the coast some parts of Oceanside are more affordable.

Like quantAndHold says it is a limited supply you are looking at. Further north, Santa Maria to SLO are possibly less expensive.
SLO is heaven in my book. Santa Maria would be more affordable but I don’t like the feel of it. It’s like a giant strip mall. Love Santa Maria BBQ however.

While real estate in SLO is generally more affordable than other areas of coastal CA, prices have really run up during Covid.
I lived in SLO for 4 years while attending college. It was definitely the best weather I have experienced year-round. Santa Maria was not a desirable town by comparison and got much hotter in the summer. Carmel or Monterey would also be nice choices.
Monterey Penninsula is nice, but SLO weather is definitely better in my book. Monterrey Penninsula is also considerably more expensive for real estate than SLO.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by quantAndHold »

Valuethinker wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:27 am I don't imagine San Diego, except right on the coast, is much cooler than Dallas, but it's a far dryer heat? (lower humidity)
San Diego, even the parts that aren’t right on the coast, has much more pleasant weather than Dallas, pretty much year round.

Anyway, the idea of SLO is a good one. I had forgotten about that. SLO has always been my plan B, if I couldn’t afford San Diego.
Topic Author
TwoBrains
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by TwoBrains »

Thank you everyone for the (very) valuable advice, you have given me enough for me to now do some homework!

I also wanted to share a link that I came across while reviewing another thread.
https://weatherspark.com/

For the fun of it, I punched in 92127 and then 76244; attached are the results.
Image
Image

(Should you have difficulty opening the images, you can just punch in zip codes on the site's webpage).
ExTx
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by ExTx »

Valuethinker wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:27 am
TwoBrains wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 9:03 am Thanks for the replies.

Congruentsea, I was in zip code 92127; housing is not a priority, having good weather (especially good, not too hot summer weather) is; I rented, and could now rent or own (house, townhome, condo, etc.). Stayed in Fallbrook, Murietta, Temecula, Bonsall, etc. but it gets really hot in the summers (plus traffic is a nightmare in Temecula). Good advice about Santa Maria and SLO, I will look into that.

Finite_difference, I'd like to live within the Continental US, so Mexico and Puerto Rico unfortunately are not an option. Yes, TX / MN is option B, followed by just moving to MN as option C, as I did spend summer 2019 in MN, and the travel back and forth gets old quick.

(Wondering if some of the mountain towns in the east of the country have some hidden gems, did travel to WV and really liked the area, but perhaps summers are too hot).
"heat" is really tricky to define. Especially after the summer western North America has been experiencing, with temperatures in Western Canada regularly breaking records.

I don't imagine San Diego, except right on the coast, is much cooler than Dallas, but it's a far dryer heat? (lower humidity)

It is hot in New Mexico - I mean in recent times unbelievably hot. On the other hand, it's very dry. Downside of that is drought + wildfires (even if not directly affected, then the smoke & particulates). Santa Fe is elevated.

With dry heat it is normally cooler at night (although not so during the recent heat dome?).

"Hot" in the eastern half of North America tends to mean "hot and humid". I mean New York, let alone Washington, in July is really *hot*. I know people from Mediterranean countries who experienced Toronto in early August and thought it hotter than their home countries (Yugoslavia as was) even though it was 10-20 degrees F cooler on the thermometer.

It's that "wet bulb" temperature that really matters -- there's a calculation of how that is derived (someone talked about it here in one of the Forums).

I don't know Minneapolis, but I gather it's a tolerable summer heat for you? One heck of a winter.

I can tell you that anywhere south of Ontario or east, has a really hot and humid summer**. You either stay inside air conditioned boxes, or you learn to adjust. Mosquitoes come with the package.

It sounds to me like you are actually aiming for Colorado? Beware that the population pressures are at risk of "over developing" it, in the "front of range" area - at least from complaints I have read. Traffic worse. Cost of housing rising. Air pollution worse. Water supply is an everpresent issue***. So think ahead as to where you would like to live there. There's also Utah?

Failing that, San Diego is probably your best bet. If you can stand the cost of living.

But due to elevation you would find cooler summers (again, not this year?). Winters are cold but there is lots of sunlight.

** Maine would be milder, definitely. Anywhere right on the coast.

*** From what I have read, the solution will involve farmers transferring their rights for water to growing urban communities. However there are all kinds of obstacles in the way of this taking place - legal, political, cultural. The Southwest of the USA is out of water & the only solution is that transfer of water rights from farmers to other users (and accompanying reductions in consumption per capita, to accomodate increasing growth and water supply that was over-allocated in the first place).
San Diego can't compare to the heat and humidity of Dallas. Lived there for 30 years. In Dallas, you will also get annoying cold winters with 2-3 ice storms. And don't forget about the spring thunderstorms/tornadoes. If someone can afford it, San Diego is heads and shoulders above Dallas.
The OP might also want to check out South Orange County.
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Sandi_k
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by Sandi_k »

TwoBrains wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 2:22 pm Thank you everyone for the (very) valuable advice, you have given me enough for me to now do some homework!

I also wanted to share a link that I came across while reviewing another thread.
https://weatherspark.com/

For the fun of it, I punched in 92127 and then 76244; attached are the results.
Image
Image

(Should you have difficulty opening the images, you can just punch in zip codes on the site's webpage).
You might also look at Ventura - 30 minutes south of SB, cheaper than SB, similar weather, and within easy driving distance of Burbank's airport.
wfrobinette
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by wfrobinette »

TwoBrains wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:37 pm Dear Bogleheads,

Thank you in advance for your valuable advice!

I am planning on retiring within the next few years, and would like to move to San Diego. I currently live in DFW (have lived here for about twenty years), and have had the good fortune of (taking a hiatus from DFW and) living in San Diego for seven years (201x to 201x).

My top criterion is good weather, especially summer weather (push comes to shove, I can tolerate less-than-perfect cold weather but not extreme summer weather; I have family in MN so plan B would be to live winters in TX and summers in MN). Everything else (family, cost of living, cost of housing, taxes, etc.) is pretty much a wash.

Is there a city within the Continental United States with better weather than San Diego, at a similar or lower cost of living?
(As an example, there are other cities such as Santa Barbara with equally good weather as San Diego if not better, but with higher cost of living).

I am hoping this forum can provide some guidance.
The Hawaiian islands have the perfect weather in my book. You can experience 11 of the 13 climate zones.
ThankYouJack
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by ThankYouJack »

wfrobinette wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:48 pm
The Hawaiian islands have the perfect weather in my book. You can experience 11 of the 13 climate zones.
I find Hawaii pretty ideal too. What towns have cool temps in the summer?
wfrobinette
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Re: Which city to retire to

Post by wfrobinette »

ThankYouJack wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 4:43 pm
wfrobinette wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 3:48 pm
The Hawaiian islands have the perfect weather in my book. You can experience 11 of the 13 climate zones.
I find Hawaii pretty ideal too. What towns have cool temps in the summer?
Define cool,
There are several on the big island that sit up above 450 to 2k feet or more above sea level.
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