The 20 Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather in 2021
Avoid the extremes in these metro areas.
Weather can be a major factor in determining how much you enjoy a particular place. Since many people prefer clear skies and warm temperatures, U.S. News looked for metro areas among the 150 most populous in the U.S. considered for our Best Places to Live rankings that offer the most moderate temperatures and plenty of sunshine. We looked for places that had the fewest average number of days above 90 degrees and below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, as well as those with the fewest fully cloudy days, based on information from the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information. Read on for the Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather, counting down to the top spot.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 147
Metro Population: 742,603
Days Below Freezing: 22
Days Above 90 Degrees: 83
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 261
Located along the San Joaquin River, Stockton makes the list for its few cold days and plentiful sun. With an average of only 104 cloudy days per year, residents are lucky enough to enjoy some sun more than 70% of the year. With weather like this, it's easy to get out and visit the vineyards and wineries in the surrounding area.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 24
Metro Population: 307,617
Days Below Freezing: 61
Days Above 90 Degrees: 41
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 221
Located in northwestern South Carolina and just a short drive from the border with North Carolina, Spartanburg enjoys milder weather partly due to its proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains. While you'll experience similar weather in Spartanburg and its neighbor, Greenville, South Carolina, you may like the idea of a much smaller metro area. With a population of 307,617 residents, Spartanburg is the smallest metro area on this list of the Best Places to Live for the Weather.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 38
Metro Population: 895,942
Days Below Freezing: 61
Days Above 90 Degrees: 41
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 221
Greenville shares a weather station with neighboring Spartanburg. Of the 221 days Greenville residents can spot some sun throughout the year, a little over half are clear days, with an average of 100 partly cloudy days. Greenville's mountain location also leads to more nights that dip below freezing compared with other parts of South Carolina -- 61 days on average -- but the area's geography also keeps extreme heat from lasting too long.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 98
Metro Population: 2,315,980
Days Below Freezing: 18
Days Above 90 Degrees: 74
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 265
This Northern California metro area and the state's capital city averages 265 clear or partly cloudy days per year. Located away from the coast, Sacramento gets some hot and cold days while avoiding extremes in either direction. Additionally, you can expect 74 days above 90 degrees and just 18 days that reach below freezing during the coldest times of the year.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 35
Metro Population: 463,987
Days Below Freezing: 41
Days Above 90 Degrees: 44
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 215
This 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 since 215 days per year are typically clear or partly cloudy. If you feel the pull to Myrtle Beach, you're certainly not the only one. Myrtle Beach is the fastest-growing metro area on the Best Places to Live list, having increased in population by 15.65% between 2015 and 2019 due to net migration alone, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 150
Metro Population: 2,100,207
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, so this might be the place for you if ideal weather is your top priority. 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.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 4
Metro Population: 514,259
Days Below Freezing: 71
Days Above 90 Degrees: 78
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 218
This Arkansas metro area has more hot days than San Juan and more than 70 cold days, but the weather extremes balance each other out. Additionally, Fayetteville sees three more clear or partly cloudy days per year on average than Myrtle Beach. If you like the idea of getting out into nature in the Ozark Mountains, Fayetteville could be the perfect place to make your home base.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 55
Metro Population: 5,862,424
Days Below Freezing: 44
Days Above 90 Degrees: 44
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 217
Atlanta gets some cool nights and a 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 largest metro area has more gloomy days than others on the list, but the sun is present most days. The city has plenty of large parks frequented by locals and visitors, including Centennial Olympic Park, Westside Reservoir Park, Grant Park and more.
Vallejo and Fairfield, California
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 135
Metro Population: 441,829
Days Below Freezing: 18
Days Above 90 Degrees: 74
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 283
Located north of San Francisco and northeast of San Pablo Bay, the Vallejo and Fairfield metro area offers proximity to the job opportunities and attractions of the City by the Bay without the notoriously steep home prices. Weather-wise, Vallejo and Fairfield offer similar temperatures as other Northern California metro areas offer on this list: few cold and hot days, and plenty of sunny days.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 89
Metro Population: 990,544
Days Below Freezing: 76
Days Above 90 Degrees: 73
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 230
The first of two Oklahoma metro areas on the list, Tulsa may be a good weather destination if you like the idea of clear, moderate weather on the prairie. Tulsa's average weather has a difference of just three days between the average nights dipping below freezing and average days peaking at 90 degrees or above. Tulsa residents enjoy, on average, 230 clear or partly cloudy days per year.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 68
Metro Population: 1,382,841
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 over a full year. Of those 235 days where residents see at least some sun, 139 of those, on average, are completely clear. A clear day will also make it easy to see far distances in this flat part of the country.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 146
Metro Population: 814,576
Days Below Freezing: 22
Days Above 90 Degrees: 83
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 300
It shouldn't come as a surprise that Modesto is the one of 11 California metro areas on the Best Places to Live for the Weather list, as California is known for sunny, moderate weather that draws visitors and new residents year-round. In Modesto, you can expect an average of 83 days each year above 90 degrees Fahrenheit and as many as 300 with clear or partly cloudy skies.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 121
Metro Population: 499,772
Days Below Freezing: 18
Days Above 90 Degrees: 74
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 299
Part of what makes the heart of California wine country such a popular destination for people looking for an enjoyable weekend -- wine aside -- is the pleasant, moderate weather. With less than 20 days below freezing and less than 75 that surpass 90 degrees, Santa Rosa residents and visitors enjoy weather that makes being outside easier. Plus, the area sees nearly 300 days with some sun shining, on average.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 113
Metro Population: 984,821
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. With weather typically moving quickly over the Hawaiian Islands, Honolulu residents see just 94 fully cloudy days a year.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 36
Metro Population: 1,987,846
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 2
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 257
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose experiences similar weather to other metro areas nearby, including San Francisco and Salinas. San Jose averages only two days above 90 degrees per year on average and doesn't experience any freezing temperatures. Residents can expect an average of just 108 cloudy days a year. It's no wonder the city is the capital of Silicon Valley -- people looking to join or launch a tech startup can't resist the ideal weather.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 126
Metro Population: 18,657,347
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 21
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 278
Not the only SoCal metro area on the list, Los Angeles averages just 87 cloudy days per year. With no nights of freezing temperatures and 21 days over 90 degrees, on average, the City of Angels makes for a great place to enjoy warm weather without extremes. An average of 111 days throughout the year are partly cloudy, and the afternoons are frequently clear.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 15
Metro Population: 4,701,332
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 2
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 260
Since it's known for rolling fog, San Francisco ranking high on the list may come as a surprise. But that fog often burns off by the afternoon or rolls in late in the day because 260 days out of the year are typically clear or partly cloudy. Additionally, San Francisco experiences no days below freezing throughout the year and just two days above 90 degrees.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 97
Metro Population: 3,316,073
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 third 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 at the beach enjoying the blue skies and sunshine. Of the 263 days that are clear or partly cloudy, 146 are fully clear.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 141
Metro Population: 433,410
Days Below Freezing: 0
Days Above 90 Degrees: 2
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 293
South of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Salinas metro area includes Monterey Bay and the area inland from it. Salinas offers residents no nights below freezing and two days above 90 degrees, on average, throughout the year. With an average of 293 clear or partly cloudy days, Salinas has just 72 days throughout the year that are cloudy, which makes for ideal weather for visiting the beaches, marine reserves and parks along Monterey Bay.
Best Places 2020-2021 Rank: 104
Metro Population: 443,738
Days Below Freezing: 6
Days Above 90 Degrees: 3
Mean Number of Clear or Partly Cloudy Days: 307
A little northwest of Los Angeles along the California coast, Santa Barbara benefits from beach breezes and the beauty of Los Padres National Forest, located directly north of the metro area. With as many as 307 clear or partly cloudy days per year and less than three months' worth of cloudy days, on average, Santa Barbara tops the list of the Best Places to Live in the U.S. for the Weather.
Here are the places to live with the best weather in the U.S. for 2021:
-- Santa Barbara, California.
-- Salinas, California.
-- San Diego.
-- San Francisco.
-- Los Angeles.
-- San Jose, California.
-- Honolulu.
-- Santa Rosa, California.
-- Modesto, California.
-- Oklahoma City.
-- Tulsa, Oklahoma.
-- Vallejo and Fairfield, California.
-- Atlanta.
-- Fayetteville, Arkansas.
-- San Juan, Puerto Rico.
-- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
-- Sacramento, California.
-- Greenville, South Carolina.
-- Spartanburg, South Carolina.
-- Stockton, California.
