I know this topic, in various incarnations, has been discussed over and over but I have a question from slightly different angle. Also, out of all the forums this seems to be the most appropriate. I've been asking around but most people don't understand our needs. Everybody wants to live close to shopping malls, movie theaters, stadiums, have a house, two cars and 50" TV, etc. Also, we have no kids, so we're not concerned with schools. Solitude and peace and quiet are more important to us than anything else.

My wife and I are willing to make sacrifices in terms of work and income and our standard of living. We can live car-free or not. We don't need to be close to any cultural centers, bars, theaters, etc. As I mentioned in few other threads, we've been working on simplifying our lives. Our needs are pretty basic by now. But obviously bike-friendly and proximity to nice outdoors (touring, camping, hiking) would be a plus.

So here is the question:

Where in the USA would I have to move to (not a particular city, but a general area), to avoid long, harsh Winters and extremely humid Summers and get more sunny days? And not to live in a crowded large city. Basically, I'd like to move somewhere where temperatures in Winter don't drop below freezing for more than a few weeks and where there is little snow and the humidity in Summer isn't >80% most of the time.

If I was to chose, however, I'd chose hot and humid Summers over harsh, frigid, snowy Winters.

I'm tired of the NYC crowds, can't stand the mass transit so I have been commuting by bike for years, but Winters are becoming a problem. I tried to commute through the Winter in NYC for the second year, but my tolerance for cold weather is lower every year, it seems. I opted not to ride several times last month when temperatures dropped from 40s to 20s overnight. I just couldn't handle it.

I also suffer from depression and every Winter is a battle to remain sane. Then we get a couple of months of gloom and rain until some time in May. I need to move somewhere where there is more sunlight. In NYC the period between November and April is usually very, very lousy. That's like half a year of sucky weather with very few pleasant days scattered throughout.

Florida is out of question: too humid, too flat and boring and job market seems to suck.

I've been thinking about Arizona, parts of New Mexico. Since I've lived in NYC for 20 years, since I came to USA, such a move would be major undertaking from psychological and logistical perspectives. I was thinking about moving to Louisville, KY for some time, as an intermediate location before going further.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.