Would Redding be a better alternative to Phoenix and Las Vegas? (San Diego: oceanfront, condo)

[Dad01]

I wanted to live in Redding but my GF convinced me to move to Clovis CA

not sure if I would regret that later

[SAN_Man]

Phoenix and Vegas are hot and have entertainment, world class dining, resorts, major league sports, huge airports.

Redding is hot and then it's cold and wet.

Redding population: 95,000
Phoenix population: 5 million
Vegas population: 2.3 million (with 40 million annual visitors, makes it feel much bigger, that brings along world class shopping/dining/entertainment).

PS it's 38F in Redding right now, at 8:30am. Probably not what you're looking for if you want it to be warm year 'round.

[halcyon1999]

Originally Posted by SAN_Man

PS it's 38F in Redding right now, at 8:30am. Probably not what you're looking for if you want it to be warm year 'round.

Oof

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by halcyon1999

Oof

Well Vegas is currently seeing highs in the 50s and lows in there 30s as well. Vegas is substantially cooler than Phoenix in the winter. I've been there in winter and seen ice on the pools...

[SAN_Man]

Originally Posted by tstieber

Well Vegas is currently seeing highs in the 50s and lows in there 30s as well. Vegas is substantially cooler than Phoenix in the winter. I've been there in winter and seen ice on the pools...

It also snows in Vegas and the mountains close to Vegas reach 12,000 feet and have snow on them until June in many years.

[halcyon1999]

Originally Posted by tstieber

Well Vegas is currently seeing highs in the 50s and lows in there 30s as well. Vegas is substantially cooler than Phoenix in the winter. I've been there in winter and seen ice on the pools...

Looks like I'll have to cross off both Redding and the Las Vegas area on my list then

[MechAndy]

110 degrees is not uncommon in either location.
With that temperature you will be inside or at least in an air conditioned environment for a decent amount of time.
The same can be said when it’s cold.

Me I can still do fine with outdoor activities when it’s cold if I dress for it.
Anything between 85 and 95 degrees will require me doing some kind of water sport.
Anything over 95 degrees might as well freezing temps as far as I’m concerned because I’m not going outside in those temps.

It gets cold in most desert areas too so most hot areas that have affordable housing will also have a cold season.
That’s probably why they are affordable.

Unless you have ton of moola you might be like the rest of us and have to make some compromises.
Me I’m ok with a few days of snow so I can have excellent pristine summer weather.

Good luck on your quest.

[AnythingOutdoors]

Originally Posted by MechAndy

It gets cold in most desert areas too so most hot areas that have affordable housing will also have a cold season.
That’s probably why they are affordable.

It cannot simply be a function of climate. Ketchum, ID has hot summers and cold winters, yet the median home price was $3.7M in October.

Home values are a function of supply and demand, not climate (though climate can affect both supply and demand). Limit the supply, e.g. through no-growth policies, and as long as there's some reason for demand (jobs, climate, etc.) prices skyrocket. Similarly, increase demand faster than supply can be built, e.g. for whatever reason a place gets "discovered," and prices will also increase, which is what happened in recent years in many parts of the Mountain West.

[MechAndy]

Well yeah there are exceptions to the rule but they are only a tiny slice of the pie.
Way way way more cheap desert locations than places that charge 3.7M for a house.
Don’t cha think?

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by halcyon1999

Average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in Redding is surprisingly low, ranging from $900-$1,200. Price of houses are also pretty cheap, $400-500k. I did some research you won't find any other locale with the combination of a sunny/hot climate, affordable COL, and high minimum wage. Phoenix and Vegas metros? too expensive and overcrowding, St. George, Utah? colder in winter, pay is very low and the COL is increasing. South/Central Florida? increasingly expensive and getting overcrowded. Southern California? extremely expensive and overcrowded

I think you are overlooking a large section of the country that meets most of your criteria and does not get snow. We have family on the panhandle of Florida which is more affordable than South/Central FL. We just returned from a warm-up trip visiting them along the Emerald Coast. It is beautiful even in December with white sand beaches, palm trees, sun and mild temps. Best of all, the northern part of Florida is less susceptible to bearing the brunt of hurricanes like central/southern FL is. Our family members retired to Ft. Walton Beach and have lived there 30+ years. They've never sustained hurricane damage in that time while most of the rest of the state has.

I would also look to places around east and west of Florida such as Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. There are warm areas in the south with a much higher QOL over places like Redding, Vegas or Phoenix.

Here are a few recent pics, the first from yesterday in Pensacola where it was 73 degrees just before we flew home.

















Derek