The 20 Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather in 2019

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How you take to the weather where you live can be a major factor in how much you enjoy living there. U.S. News went on the hunt for the metro areas – out of the 125 largest in the U.S. considered for the Best Places to Live rankings – that offer the most moderate temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Data is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information, and it factors in the average number of cloudy days and the average number of days above 90 degrees or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Those with the fewest cloudy days and the most balanced temperatures made our list. Read on for the Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 88
Metro Population: 730,346
Median Home Price: $147,150
Median Annual Salary: $43,780
Days Below Freezing: 55
Days Above 90 Degrees: 75
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 219

The capital of Arkansas typically has 55 days with lows below 32 degrees and 75 days above 90 degrees during the year. With 219 days of clear or partly cloudy skies, there are plenty of opportunities for residents to enjoy the weather in Little Rock.

Learn more about Little Rock.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 118
Metro Population: 1,344,058
Median Home Price: $151,900
Median Annual Salary: $43,590
Days Below Freezing: 53
Days Above 90 Degrees: 68
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 214

Tied with the next place on the list and located along the Mississippi River in southwestern Tennessee, Memphis offers residents an average of 53 days with a low temperature below freezing and 68 days that peak above 90 degrees.

Learn more about Memphis.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 22
Metro Population: 872,463
Median Home Price: $172,067
Median Annual Salary: $43,230
Days Below Freezing: 61
Days Above 90 Degrees: 40
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 221

Located in the northwestern portion of South Carolina, Greenville enjoys milder weather partly due to its proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Of the 221 days residents can spot some sun throughout the year, a little over half are clear days, with an average of 100 partly cloudy days.

Learn more about Greenville.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 89
Metro Population: 1,144,097
Median Home Price: $171,450
Median Annual Salary: $47,300
Days Below Freezing: 51
Days Above 90 Degrees: 61
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 210

Birmingham comes in at No. 17 with a decent number of both hot and cold days, although residents experience, on average, 10 more days above 90 degrees during the year than they endure temperatures below 32 degrees. With 155 completely cloudy days out of the year, Birmingham residents typically see just 99 fully clear days annually.

Learn more about Birmingham.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 120
Metro Population: 803,074
Median Home Price: $289,168
Median Annual Salary: $46,176
Days Below Freezing: 22
Days Above 90 Degrees: 82
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 261

Modesto enjoys a good deal of days above 90 degrees, with 82 hot days a year, on average. But cold nights are far less frequent. The Modesto area typically hits freezing temperatures or below 22 days throughout the year.

Learn more about Modesto.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 123
Metro Population: 724,153
Median Home Price: $352,350
Median Annual Salary: $46,770
Days Below Freezing: 22
Days Above 90 Degrees: 82
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 261

Similar in population size to Modesto, neighboring Stockton also occupies the No. 15 spot. With an average of only 104 cloudy days per year, residents are lucky enough to enjoy some sun more than 70 percent of the year.

Learn more about Stockton.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 82
Metro Population: 2,268,005
Median Home Price: $389,858
Median Annual Salary: $55,010
Days Below Freezing: 18
Days Above 90 Degrees: 73
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 265

A bit milder on both the cold and hot ends of the spectrum, Sacramento is about 75 miles north of Stockton and Modesto. The Northern California metro area – and the state’s capital city – averages 265 clear or partly cloudy days per year.

Learn more about Sacramento.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 125
Metro Population: 2,193,264
Median Home Value: $124,200*
Median Annual Salary: $29,820
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 65
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 276

Puerto Rico’s capital city sees 65 days that hit above 90 degrees but no days dipping below freezing temperatures. San Juan’s location in the Caribbean means it has an elevated risk of storms during hurricane season. But those storms certainly aren’t the whole story, as the San Juan area averages 276 clear or partly cloudy days annually.

Learn more about San Juan.

(*The median home price for San Juan was not available, so median home value per Data USA is listed.)

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 75
Metro Population: 432,772
Median Home Price: $181,800
Median Annual Salary: $35,890
Days Below Freezing: 41
Days Above 90 Degrees: 44
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 215

The popular tourist destination in coastal South Carolina doesn’t reach above 90 degrees more than 44 days a year, on average. Still, residents and visitors don’t have to worry about too many gloomy days – typically 215 days per year are either clear or partly cloudy.

Learn more about Myrtle Beach.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 4
Metro Population: 514,166
Median Home Price: $177,942
Median Annual Salary: $45,830
Days Below Freezing: 72
Days Above 90 Degrees: 77
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 218

This Arkansas metro area has roughly 30 more cold and hot days per year than Myrtle Beach, but the weather extremes balance each other out. Additionally, Fayetteville sees three more clear or partly cloudy days per year.

Learn more about Fayetteville.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 57
Metro Population: 5,700,990
Median Home Price: $209,658
Median Annual Salary: $51,390
Days Below Freezing: 44
Days Above 90 Degrees: 43
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 217

Atlanta gets some cool nights and its fair share of hot days, but those almost completely cancel each other out across an entire year. With an average of 149 cloudy days per year, Georgia’s capital has more gloomy days than others on the list, but the sun is certainly present most days.

Read more about Atlanta.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 83
Metro Population: 977,869
Median Home Price: $149,000
Median Annual Salary: $45,260
Days Below Freezing: 76
Days Above 90 Degrees: 73
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 235

The first of two Oklahoma metro areas on the list, Tulsa comes in at No. 9 with a difference of just three days between the average nights dipping below freezing and average days peaking at 90 degrees or above.

Learn more about Tulsa.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 68
Metro Population: 1,353,504
Median Home Price: $150,925
Median Annual Salary: $46,070
Days Below Freezing: 76
Days Above 90 Degrees: 71
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 235

While Oklahoma City experiences plenty of cold nights and hot days, a near-even balance between the two makes either extreme seem more tolerable for a full year. Of those 235 days where residents see at least some sun, 139 of those, on average, are completely clear.

Learn more about Oklahoma City.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 107
Metro Population: 18,585,594
Median Home Price: $526,214
Median Annual Salary: $53,803
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 21
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 263

Not the only SoCal metro area on the list, Los Angeles averages just 103 cloudy days per year. With no nights of freezing temperatures and 21 days over 90 degrees, the City of Angels makes for a great place to enjoy warm weather without extremes.

Learn more about Los Angeles.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 60
Metro Population: 990,060
Median Home Price: $581,658
Median Annual Salary: $54,030
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 24
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 271

That tropical vacation wasn’t too good to be true – Hawaii’s weather really is that nice all the time. Honolulu’s island location is the perfect spot if you want to avoid freezing lows at night while experiencing just a handful of days above 90 degrees.

Learn more about Honolulu.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 14
Metro Population: 1,969,897
Median Home Price: $1,080,017
Median Annual Salary: $77,180
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 2
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 260

Tied for fourth place with a close Bay Area neighbor, San Jose averages only two days above 90 degrees per year and doesn’t experience any freezing temperatures. It’s no wonder the city is the capital of Silicon Valley – tech startups can’t resist the ideal weather.

Learn more about San Jose.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 7
Metro Population: 4,641,820
Median Home Price: $768,517
Median Annual Salary: $69,700
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 2
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 260

Known for its rolling fog, San Francisco coming in at No. 4 may be a surprise. But that fog often burns off by the afternoon – and 260 days out of the year are typically clear or partly cloudy.

Learn more about San Francisco.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 36
Metro Population: 3,283,665
Median Home Price: $555,325
Median Annual Salary: $56,410
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 3
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 263

With no freezing days and an average of just three days over 90 degrees, San Diego is No. 3 on the list of Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather. And with just 102 cloudy days per year on average, you’ll be spending plenty of time on the beach enjoying the blue skies and sunshine.

Learn more about San Diego.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 117
Metro Population: 433,168
Median Home Price: $581,342
Median Annual Salary: $48,290
Days Below Freezing: 6
Days Above 90 Degrees: 3
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 267

Located just inland from Monterey Bay and south of the San Francisco Bay Area, Salinas offers residents only six nights below freezing and three above 90 degrees, on average, throughout the year.

Learn more about Salinas.

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Best Places 2019 Rank: 73
Metro Population: 442,996
Median Home Price: $463,750
Median Annual Salary: $54,320
Days Below Freezing: 6
Days Above 90 Degrees: 3
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 286

A little northwest of Los Angeles along the California coast, Santa Barbara benefits from beach breezes and the beauty of Los Padres National Forest. With as few as 79 cloudy days per year, on average, Santa Barbara tops the list of Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather.

Learn more about Santa Barbara.

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• Santa Barbara, California
• Salinas, California
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose, California
• Honolulu
• Los Angeles
• Oklahoma City
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Atlanta
• Fayetteville, Arkansas
• Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Sacramento, California
• Stockton, California
• Modesto, California
• Birmingham, Alabama
• Greenville, South Carolina
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Little Rock, Arkansas