AZ_Alba

Great in the winter, but blooming hot in the middle of summer ( upto 120F)
Today low 80's.

There is growing British Community here and British food seems to be more available these days with the Fresh and Easy stores popping up.

San Diego has greater weather but costs and an arm and a leg.

Depends what you are looking for, what do you do to relax?:

shades_smile

The Horticulturalist

I'm in Mississippi with horrible, horrible humidity in the summer and high temps (not quite that high), I think I'd take your temps over the humidity, they say your dry hot weather is not as bad as our humidity, but "they" might not be telling the truth!

Steerpike

The high heat in Phoenix is nowhere near as bad as it sounds; I went through my first summer there last year and it's quite bearable. I'm not saying you can go out and run around during the day, but - the summer nights are 'perfect' - you can sit outside at 9pm and there are NO bugs! You have to shift your outdoor activities to early morning or late evening for a few months. I've spent 25+ years in California, which has what I'd call 'near perfect' weather, but Phoenix is much, much better weather-wise from October through May. California (bay area, away from the coastal fog) has about 40% humidity in the summer; Florida, the south, and the east coast have about 80% humidity; Phoenix has about 15% humidity - makes all the difference in the world. Biggest issue with Phoenix is that, as a city, it's a disaster - no 'downtown core' to speak of (not one you'd want to live in or visit), and it's one big spread-out place. The attraction of Phoenix lies in some of the nicer suburbs (I'm in Scottsdale), and the proximity to mountains/lakes (which surprised me!).

I'd still recommend California as the best place to live, but - the Phoenix area has some kick-ass suburbs with house prices scraping the bottom of the barrel, so it's a good place to go if you are on a tight budget. I just bought a great condo (3 bed/2ba, 1300 sq. ft) in an upscale neighborhood for $150k. That wouldn't buy a driveway in any desirable part of CA!

To the OP - it really depends on your job skills, and desires. Can you work 'anywhere', and does your product or service have a ready market anywhere? If you can truly live/work 'anywhere', I'd say consider the Pacific North West if you can tolerate rain, California if you can afford it, Arizona if you hate rain and can appreciate the desert, and New Mexico if you don't mind cooler weather but still overall dry. To me, PNW is too similar to UK; the 'Southwest' is so radically different, I find it very appealing.

The Horticulturalist

That'd do it for me!
I just get eaten alive here, but I hate having to wear bug spray all the time so it does impact my gardening activites somewhat.

fatbrit

For some strange reason your arrival in the valley stopped the real monsoon last summer -- storms with humidity. It's usually worse.

Steerpike

But almost EVERYONE I spoke to there loves the short monsoon season in August! They all missed it last year. After MONTHS of no rain, I was really looking forward to the storms. I did see a few - they are AWESOME! Perfectly dry as you drive along the road; spectacular fork-lightening in the sky all around; then a massive downpour that is like nothing you've ever seen ... then dry again. One night, we went to a restaurant with big windows just so we could watch the lightening. It was dry on entering; torrential downpour while we ate; then dry by the time we left.

If I can make it through this summer, I'm almost definitely going to sell the CA home and buy something nicer in Scottsdale. Excluding the need for healthcare, I could probably quit working if I move there. Of course, then I really need to be sure I can cope with the summers since I won't have a job to keep me indoors! I'm going to look at properties in Flagstaff as a summer escape.

mamasue

Sorry to hear about your situation!
the main advantage to citizenship is that it gives you options.
If you decide to move back to the UK for a couple of years then decide to come back to the US to live, you've got no immigration hassles.


Oh... and I've lived in NW Georgia for the last 3.5 years..... I love the climate (Not too humid at all..... just lovely long summers!)
The cost of living is reasonable here.... property prices are great at the moment!

scrubbedexpat099

Forget Colorado, we have snow.

veryfunny

We need more postings like this? showing true courage when things are not going well. Thanks for sharing.

veryfunny

Yeah but people can Ski!!!!!!

Jerseygirl

Is that because of the snakes, lizards, scorpions etc?

henryh

Life and climate is good here in the Monterey Bay, CA. Job outlook is variable depending on your field, and the cost of living is probably higher than Ohio.

The Horticulturalist

Nah, the bears and the wildcats ate all the scorpions and snakes

Steerpike

Understatement of the century!

I just flew into Phoenix from the Bay Area yesterday, after a week in the Bay Area. It was raining hard at SFO; it was 74 degrees in Phoenix at 6pm. We drove to a restaurant and sat outside at 8pm and it was 'perfect'. Not bad for early April! I think it rained every day in the Bay Area ... at least there won't be a drought this year!

Michael

Monterey Bay extends from Santa Cruz to Monterey and both of those cities plus a few in between are very expensive. Many of the other towns in between are reasonably priced but still more expensive than Ohio.