Average number of sunny days per year?

[snowave]

My pleasure sharing my exploits and travels!

Re: the RV... That's what we did. We took our 3 dogs and cat in the motor home for 4 months traveling the west stopping in all the places we were considering on our list, and staying a while. You can't learn everything about a place in a week or so, but you get a pretty good feel for things. We did spend a pretty good amount on data for our work, but since we were traveling, we saved a lot in other expenses, so it wasn't a big deal. feel free to private msg me if you want any other info.

We knew NW Montana was very dreary in the winter, but we liked many other aspects so much we wanted to give it a couple yrs to see if we could learn to deal with it. Unfortunately, we realized we can't.. That being said, it's been great living here during that time as we've got to enjoy so many things and places. We also rented during this time, as not to commit to buying without knowing for sure we wanted to stay long term.

It's all part of the journey!

[509]

Originally Posted by snowave

yes, Leavenworth/Wenatchee are in the same "bowl" as the rest of the Pacific NW ... winter time is muck city.

Except for tri-cities and Walla Walla, the Levenworth/Wentachee area is as good as it gets in winter. We have lived in Coeur d'Alene, Colville, and Wenatchee and traveled to Missoula and other cities for business trips when we were working.

We just leave from Thanksgiving through President's Day. During that time period the weather is just as cloudy as Seattle. Before that time and after the weather improves quickly and in dramatic fashion.

At least, in the Wenatchee Valley and other counties in eastern Washington you have access to the fastest internet in the US. That is helpful if you need to work remotely.

[Giesela]

This was an informative read as I was considering these MT areas as a place to rent and try out. Sun is fairly big for me. I wouldn't mind partially cloudy days though. I'm just trying to avoid that low thick gray wall of a sky from Nov to Mar. But I also worry about water, putting more stress on water resources which is why I wasn't considering CO.
"All I need" is a good library, good grocery store, internet and cable and lots of wildlife.

[snowave]

Originally Posted by 509

Except for tri-cities and Walla Walla, the Levenworth/Wentachee area is as good as it gets in winter. We have lived in Coeur d'Alene, Colville, and Wenatchee and traveled to Missoula and other cities for business trips when we were working.

We just leave from Thanksgiving through President's Day. During that time period the weather is just as cloudy as Seattle. Before that time and after the weather improves quickly and in dramatic fashion.

At least, in the Wenatchee Valley and other counties in eastern Washington you have access to the fastest internet in the US. That is helpful if you need to work remotely.

yep, you nailed it. And it was funny, we lived up near Lake Wenatchee (Plain) in the boonies.. and our internet was crazy fast. It's wild they have fiber lines up there!


We moved to a ranch just south of Pagosa Springs a few weeks ago. So far, we love it! Storms every few days and lots of sun, too.

[snowave]

Originally Posted by Giesela

This was an informative read as I was considering these MT areas as a place to rent and try out. Sun is fairly big for me. I wouldn't mind partially cloudy days though. I'm just trying to avoid that low thick gray wall of a sky from Nov to Mar. But I also worry about water, putting more stress on water resources which is why I wasn't considering CO.
"All I need" is a good library, good grocery store, internet and cable and lots of wildlife.

Then yes, NW Montana is not a good choice regarding the gray! You will have that low gray wall most of the winter.


I understand your concern about water, However... it's going to be a issue just about anywhere in the west. Of course, some places more than others, and yes, Colorado tends to have more extremes than Montana on that front (plus, the population overall is much higher than Montana, too). It was a concern of ours moving here (near Pagosa Springs), but in the end, we decided it fit our priorities best on most other levels.

The bottom line is... no place is perfect. You have to prioritize your wants/needs, and do the best you can with some of the things that are not ideal. I'm sure you know that, but it took me a few years to really believe it myself. The good thing for you is, your list is relatively short, and you don't seem to have a ski area as a necessity (that is a big one of ours, and it changes the game with having to live near resort towns, which generally means $$$).


Let me know if you'd like any information on some other areas. As mentioned, I've traveled extensively across the Rockies, and visited many towns. I also have a weather background, so I can probably give you a pretty good idea on the gray!

Good luck in your search!

[mncd]

I've lived in Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, and San Jose, so have experienced several climates. I moved from Seattle to the Bay Area a few years ago partially to escape the clouds and seek the sun. I had lived in SJ before so was a bit shocked at the very different weather of SF only a few dozen miles away. After a year of living in an apartment with an outdoor hot tub that we never used once because it was too windy and cold outside, we moved south back to SJ and couldn't be happier.

The rents here are famously high so not really suggesting the Bay Area. But I've traveled a bit locally: what about the Sacramento / Gold Country / Tahoe / Reno area? There is a mix of rural and big city in the area, mountains for recreation and scenery (and you can see them almost all the time), and you can live in a small town but not too far from a big town. Some of the mountain cities are expensive due to being wealthy retreats, but I would think most are not (Truckee probably isn't). Sacramento is affordable. You can live over the Nevada line if you don't want to pay income tax. :-) There are major airports in both Sacramento and Reno. Amtrak connects San Francisco, Sacramento, Truckee, Reno, and points east all the way to Chicago. Greyhound serves a similar route.

Some of the local towns are among the sunniest in the nation:

269 sunny days per year - Sacramento
257 sunny days per year - San Jose
252 sunny days per year - Reno
245 sunny days per year - Truckee

224 sunny days per year - New York
200 sunny days per year - Boston
189 sunny days per year - Chicago

152 sunny days per year - Seattle
155 sunny days per year - Eugene

Plus if you want to be close to the Pacific Northwest, distance to Eugene, for example:

387 miles flying / 473 miles driving between Eugene and Sacramento
975 miles flying / 1257 miles driving between Eugene and Denver

Parts of Colorado are three times further away than parts of NorCal / Nevada.

The whole Tahoe area is famously scenic and there's lots of outdoor activities. Lots of snow most winters. I've been there a couple times for vacation, once in spring, once in fall; going back in a few weeks again, to experience it in the summer (high season).

[bluefishmt]

I've lived in Missoula for 20+ years, and am on this forum because I need more sun. Missoula in the winter is not arctic-cold, but it is cloudy. It's in a bowl of mountains, which makes it incredible for hiking in the spring/summer/fall, but inversion is a real problem here. So much so, that wood-burning fireplaces and stoves had to be outlawed in the 80s. If you want lots of sunny days, you'll love it here in July, when it gets hot. That is until fire season sets in. November through at least March though, can be brutal. You could not see the sun for days and only intermittently for weeks, and about half the years, there isn't even boatloads of snow on the valley floor to compensate. If you like downhill skiing, there are a number of affordable ski hills within 2 hours in almost any direction. If not, well...come visit in the summer.