Not So Humid Places in the South and the East Coast?

[Bamaman]

The NC "High Country", around Blowing Rock, Boone, Linville, & Banner Elk are usually really nice, especially if you're in the woods. Beech Mtn. is the highest town in the East & it never gets hot in the Summer. Many of the homes up there don't even have A/C.

My sister also spends her Summers in Banner-Elk, and she has no desire to return to her main home in a big, hot city. With a private airport, a fantastic Jack Nicklaus golf course, she thinks she's in heaven. The elevation brings low humidities and they're 10 degrees cooler too.

There are also a number of mountain communities like Highlands-Cashiers, NC, Hiawassee, GA and others in the NE GA Blue Ridge Mountains. We keep a RV in Helen, GA @ 4500' elevation.

I'm sorry that you chose to visit hot, humid places like Montgomery AL and New Orleans/Mobile. They're not the nicest of societies either. Many of the more livable places in the south are the university towns. Almost every big city in the region has a big, beautiful residential lake close by that are great places to retire to.

We returned from visiting national parks in UT, AZ and NV last week. We couldn't believe the cost of living since we had two grandkids eating our pocketbooks. The lack of humidity was nice, but we were glad to get back to the Affordable South.

 

[harllee]

My sister also spends her Summers in Banner-Elk, and she has no desire to return to her home in a big, hot city. With a private airport, a fantastic Jack Nicklaus golf course, she thinks she's in heaven. The elevation brings low humidities and they're 10 degrees cooler too.

There are also a number of mountain communities like Highlands-Cashiers, NC, Hiawassee, GA and othes in the NE GA Blue Ridge Mountains.

I'm sorry that you chose to visit hot, humid places like New Orleans.

Bamaman, I know your sister's resort--it is a wonderful place. For folks looking at the NC mountains and hoping to avoid heat and humidity, be sure you look at the elevation. The higher the elevation the cooler and less humidity. For example where I and Bamaman's sister spend our summers the elevation is about 4500 to 5000 feet, very cool and low humidity. On the other hand Asheville is at a lower altitude (about 2200 feet) and it is much hotter and more humid in the summer.

 

[Montecfo]

I think in some ways it depends on your personality and your adaptability. In my experience you do get used to humidity but the things people seem to love to complain about are weather and traffic. True most everywhere.

I know we liked the weather in Scottsdale but people complained about the heat. We ate outside in 95 degree weather. We also got chilled after leaving the pool in 90 degree weather. The humidity thing cuts both ways!

It is a given that east will be more humid than west and south more than north but also there are lots of different climates.

Heat also matters. I think last in checked summer humidity was higher here in Nova than in Dallas, but temps also lower. It pays to investigate weather trends in individual locations you are considering, in my view.

But if your hate humidity, finding a warm ocean will be a challenge. And those warm oceans come with hurricane risk. Mixed bag.

That's one reason we remain in the mid-Atlantic. Not that hot, not that cold. We have humidity but it is usually tolerable. And we are pretty adaptable.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

If money were no object, we would probably live exactly where we are at the moment. Just a tick closer to the ocean.

 

[rodi]

Not everyone gets used to, or acclimates to the humidity. I lived in Philly for about a decade, and hubby's family had a Jersey shore house that we visited, even after I dragged him to my home town of San Diego.

I never got used to the humidity. I got used to the snow. But not the humid summers. I avoided going outside before 7ish in the evening if I could help it. I went from home to work in my AC car... and did not linger outside. No al-fresco dining. No gardening before dusk. Weekends were spent watching movies on video or at airconditioned theaters. Even at the shore, it was humid unless you were in the actual ocean. The family shore house had no AC and was miserable.

I have asked my husband several times what it was like growing up in Philly before air conditioners were common. He described hanging out in the basement lying on the concrete to get cool. Or laying in the bathtub in wet clothes hoping to get evaporative cooling. It doesn't sound fun.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

No avoiding humidity in the SE! If you are fortunate enough to be very close to the $hore, the sea breeze is pretty reliable and makes being outside relatively comfortable but it's still humid (even more so). I hate the humidity but you do acclimate and, at least in SWFL, get about 5-7 months of wonderful weather depending on the year!

 

[audreyh1]

The worst humidity I ever experienced was during a summer heat wave in Iowa. It was 97%, still, and unbearable outside. I finally decided that a lot of the humidity was coming from all the corn fields around us. We weren’t that far from the Mississippi River either.

 

[Nick12]

Not everyone gets used to, or acclimates to the humidity. I lived in Philly for about a decade, and hubby's family had a Jersey shore house that we visited, even after I dragged him to my home town of San Diego.

I never got used to the humidity. I got used to the snow. But not the humid summers. I avoided going outside before 7ish in the evening if I could help it. I went from home to work in my AC car... and did not linger outside. No al-fresco dining. No gardening before dusk. Weekends were spent watching movies on video or at airconditioned theaters. Even at the shore, it was humid unless you were in the actual ocean. The family shore house had no AC and was miserable.

I have asked my husband several times what it was like growing up in Philly before air conditioners were common. He described hanging out in the basement lying on the concrete to get cool. Or laying in the bathtub in wet clothes hoping to get evaporative cooling. It doesn't sound fun.

Basements were the place to be when there was a Northern heat wave or someone turning on the fire hydrant.

 

[Dtail]

It depends how tolerant one is of the heat/humidity.
We are fine in FLA with all the weather.
I don't change one thing that I do when it is 90+ outside.

 

[Nick12]

It depends how tolerant one is of the heat/humidity.
We are fine in FLA with all the weather.
I don't change one thing that I do when it is 90+ outside.

I gave up cutting the grass, landscaping . One time I felt a little dizzy so I jumped into the community pool in our subdivision. I thought I was having a mini heat stroke. 90+ degrees and I'm not doing anything strenuous outside. I pay someone else to do it.

 

[FlaGator]

It depends how tolerant one is of the heat/humidity.
We are fine in FLA with all the weather.
I don't change one thing that I do when it is 90+ outside.

+1.

Summer yard work, one hour bike rides, hours fishing (don’t ever get in the water 20 miles offshore), all good. Never had a problem spending all day at IMS going to August NASCAR races either.

It’s been easier for me to stay hydrated in FL in the summer than it was to keep from overheating in Phoenix.

Yeah, those are two extremes on a continuum of summer misery.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

It depends how tolerant one is of the heat/humidity.
We are fine in FLA with all the weather.
I don't change one thing that I do when it is 90+ outside.

I do everything too, I just complain about the heat index while I do it... and change clothes multiple times a day!


FLSunFIRE

 

[Scuba]

We just returned from the US Virgin Islands. Very HCOL but the weather is amazing! Highs in the mid to high 80’s, lows in the mid to high 70’s, breeze virtually constant, and nice warm ocean.

However they have catastrophic hurricanes - don’t think you can have warm oceans without hurricane risk. And it is even more expensive than many places in California.

 

[GreenEggs]

Bamaman, I know your sister's resort--it is a wonderful place. For folks looking at the NC mountains and hoping to avoid heat and humidity, be sure you look at the elevation. The higher the elevation the cooler and less humidity. For example where I and Bamaman's sister spend our summers the elevation is about 4500 to 5000 feet, very cool and low humidity. On the other hand Asheville is at a lower altitude (about 2200 feet) and it is much hotter and more humid in the summer.

While the elevation is important, I've found that in the "high country" it's possible to find comfortable places that aren't quite so high if the location has good shade and good breezes. Our place is in Sugar Grove, within sight of Beech Mtn., but only at about 2900'. It's on a lower ridge that's only about 300' above the valley but in the trees. We have views to the East & the West and the breezes flow nicely.

Even in the higher elevations, it's still important to have shade and a good breeze.

 

[harllee]

While the elevation is important, I've found that in the "high country" it's possible to find comfortable places that aren't quite so high if the location has good shade and good breezes. Our place is in Sugar Grove, within sight of Beech Mtn., but only at about 2900'. It's on a lower ridge that's only about 300' above the valley but in the trees. We have views to the East & the West and the breezes flow nicely.

Even in the higher elevations, it's still important to have shade and a good breeze.

Where I am near the top of Sugar Mountain at 5000 feet it is cool all summer--no shade or breeze needed.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

Where I am near the top of Sugar Mountain at 5000 feet it is cool all summer--no shade or breeze needed.

In the Boone/Blowing Rock area, it got down to 53 last night. Expecting a heat wave of 75 today. Might have to open the windows to cool off the house.

 

[FreeBear]

The NC "High Country", around Blowing Rock, Boone, Linville, & Banner Elk are usually really nice, especially if you're in the woods. Beech Mtn. is the highest town in the East & it never gets hot in the Summer. Many of the homes up there don't even have A/C.

What’s winter like at these elevations

 

[finnski1]

In the Boone/Blowing Rock area, it got down to 53 last night. Expecting a heat wave of 75 today. Might have to open the windows to cool off the house.

Nice. I love cool dry breezy air. Had 45 deg this morning here in NH and it is a perfect blue sky, cool refreshing morning for walking the dog etc. Course there was this guy at the bird feeders delaying our departure.

 

[Jerry1]

That’s why the south invented porches, rocking chairs and ice tea. I wouldn’t call it getting used to it but rather leaning into it.

 

[harllee]

What’s winter like at these elevations

Can be cold and snowy in the winter, in fact my house is located in a snow ski area. I don't use my house in the winter, I just go up usually May-Oct, this year not going up until July due to DH's knee replacement surgery.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

It is OK with me if folks do not like the heat & Humidity or cannot acclimatize as we and many others have. Unfortunately they seem to be few and far between. Based on the migration South numbers that are thrown around here in Fla.. The more folks that dislike it the better, please stay home, the weather is Brutal here.

 

[finnski1]

It is OK with me if folks do not like the heat & Humidity or cannot acclimatize as we and many others have. Unfortunately they seem to be few and far between. Based on the migration South numbers that are thrown around here in Fla.. The more folks that dislike it the better, please stay home, the weather is Brutal here.

Well I'm one of the few and far between. So I will help your cause slightly by staying in NH

 

[bltkmt]

If you give up the oceans request, then Asheville, NC is a great spot with much cooler temps and lower humidity.

 

[figuy1]

If you end up going inland for escaping the humidity, you might even consider staying out west if you have friends/family out there. While not as cheap as the south, it's much cheaper than the coastal west. Its gotten a lot more expensive post-pandemic, but Reno-Tahoe area is relatively affordable. No income taxes on the NV side and if you have a low AGI in retirement, CA income taxes aren't that bad since they're progressive. You can still stay close to the coast in the portland suburbs on WA side have no income tax as well.

On the Atlantic side, you'll have to go north at least to the VA/MD/DE coasts before humidity starts to drop, and it's still fairly high in the summer. Perhaps, Norfolk, VA?

 

[FloridaJim57]

Tampa Bay

So I visited the south to scout retirement areas: i) Florida Atlantic side, ii) Savannah Georgia, iii) Montgomery AL and iv) New Orleans/Mobile.

Coming from Northern CA there is a lot to like:

a) Access to *warm* oceans
b) Much cheaper cost of living in terms of homes etc.
c) Lower taxes
d) More compact so easy to drive to a new city

But the humidity, it killed me and its only early June! Not only did it zap me of energy but it was relentless from 9am to 7pm.

Are there any places in the South which have all the benefits listed above but which are known to be much less humid?
How far up the east coast do you need to go to get less humid or do you have to go inland?

Not really. My wife and retired two years ago and moved to Tampa Bay. we love it, but the humidity is crushing. Maybe western North Carolina or West Virginia will suit you.