Places to Live Where the Climate Is Suitable for COPD
I live in Illinois, and for the most part, we have four seasons. I loved growing up in a little rural town where everyone knew everyone, and I felt safe. That was all before I was diagnosed with Alpha 1 and started having breathing problems.
Our summers here are hot and humid, and our winters can be cold and long. Between my COPD and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), both seasons can be hard, which I’m sure most of you can relate to.
The best and worst places to live with COPD
A few years ago, my husband and I started spending a few weeks each winter in warmer climates and would love to eventually, when he retires, move somewhere nice, even if it is just for the winters.
If I could get my family to move songs, I would love to do it all year. I also realize that some of the places that we enjoyed are hot and humid or hot and dry, but I feel like at least if I did live there, I wouldn’t have to deal with cold and snow, at least most of the time, anyway.
I would just have to deal with the hot and humid, but I figured that even though it would be hard, I could deal with it better if I only went out early morning or late. Who knows?
So this has had me looking into the best climates for both COPD and RA.
As of 2020, the best places to live for COPD are: 1
10-Wenatchee, Washington<
9-Sierra Vista and Douglas, Arizona (tied)
8-Palm Bay, Melbourne, and Titusville, Florida (tied)
7-Elmira and Corning, New York (tied)
6-Pueblo and Canon City, Colorado (tied)
5-Kahului, Wailuku, and Lahaina, Hawaii (tied)
4-Bismarck, North Dakota
3-Casper, Wyoming
2-Urban Honolulu, Hawaii
1-Cheyenne, Wyoming
Some of the worse places to live with COPD are:1
10- Missouri
9- Michigan (ties with Indiana)
8-Indiana- (ties with Michigan)
7-Oklahoma
6-Louisiana
5-Tennessee
4-Arkansas
3-Alabama
2-Kentucky
1-West Virginia
I used to live in Arizona when I was younger, and my husband loved the dry heat when we went there for winter a couple of years ago.
Weighing climate factors in deciding where to live
We have been to Florida quite a few times, but I wonder if I really could handle the summers there. I don’t know if I could handle the altitude in some parts of Colorado, and the winters sound miserable there, also.
I really had a rough time breathing when we were there and didn’t get to see much, but I would try to see it again. I hear Washington state is beautiful, but I’m not sure about the winters there.
I am sure Wyoming would be the same: beautiful but bad winters. Wouldn’t Hawaii be great? What a paradise it looks like, but I can’t imagine a seven or eight-hour flight to get there.
Way too far from my family as well unless I could get them all to go with me.
Where do you all live? Do you feel it is hurtful or helpful for your COPD? I would like to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
This or That
Do you feel the climate where you live is helpful or hurtful to your COPD?
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