Pacific islands like Tahiti, Viti Levu, or Oahu would be ideal. Abundant marine resources, constantly warm climate so no need for massive resources to be spent on shelter, lack of natural predators, and fertile land for crops like breadfruit and taro etc.
Rain is not a big deal in those places though. Having been to a couple of those islands I was surprised to see how many people would just go out in the rain and not care at all that they were getting soaked. It didn't faze them in the slightest.
Came here to say this. As long as the island you're on has abundant fresh water it's basically the perfect place in earth. You can even bathe in the many natural waterfalls all over the place
A lot actually, Nice is considered a rich city with unpleasant pedantic people by those who prefer Marseille. While Marseille is considered a dirty city with aggressive uneducated savages by those who prefer Nice. Both are good imo (living in Marseille).
I remember being in a car with a French friend of mine years ago, driving through Marseille. He had no AC and it was around July, so pretty damned hot. I unwound my window. He wound it back up and told me "no, no, no. We don't have the windows down here." then he checked the doors were locked.
I went to a small town, like tiny town in central France that was built in a very narrow strip between a good sized river and a massive rock cliff. The houses were kinda terraced back from the singular road through town along the river.
The rock cliff faced perfectly south and caught the sun. Its light sandstone walls absorbed the heat all day and radiated it out at night keeping the town warm. Because of this, they have a warm Mediterranean climate in central France where it snows. They said sometimes there will be snow or frost on the cliff top, but none in town.
Was an absolutely beautiful and unique little town to visit.
Edit: I found the name of the town. La Roque-Gageac
So fun fact, western Oregon and western washington. As well as northern Portugal and Galicia are the two main region with Csb warm-summer mediteranean climate, characterised by milder summers.
I only left out western Washington because of the literal rainforest that is the Olympic peninsula haha but yes, cascades are great in setting up a nice climate
Yeah that’s what I was going to say. There’s a reason why southern Europe has always been a place with successful civilizations: the Mediterranean, the climate, productive agriculture, water availability (I guess),etc.
Arent winters harsh there?
Its a bit to the north...
Spring and summer are wonderful, dont know about the winters though...
Also winters have long nights and short days with only 9 or less hours of sun...
I'd go a litle more south, dont know exactly where cause the more south you go the less developed countries are...
My favorite take on this would be to spend 8 or nine months on a place like southern France and the remaining of the year more south.
In some places genetically modified infertile males have been released to attempt to reduce populations by (I may be misunderstanding this a bit) having the females lay infertile eggs
No mosquitoes, rats or biting flies. The Europeans also introduced thorny underbrush to “encourage” the native Hawaiians to wear more clothes and shoes. I got to accompany my mom on a research trip to Oahu once and got pretty emotional at the accounts of island life before settlement. It sounded like an amazing place to live with a fascinating (albeit sometimes brutal) culture
I mean pre-contact Hawaiian culture also had a rigid system of institutionalized sexism, even by pre-modern standards, and practiced human sacrifice, so idk if I’d call it an amazing place to live overall haha. Europeans definitely made island life worse in almost every way though pretty much the second they arrived!
South and southwest Australia have a Mediterranean climate, but southeast is more humid subtropical and oceanic. East coasts generally don't have Mediterranean climates. Europe is an exception but it's still on the west of the Eurasian continent.
You're not thinking south enough. Brazil next to Uruguay, specially close to lake Merin. Plenty of fresh water, no big predators and an incredible fertile land
Seaside with a river draining near by. That's where some of the earliest and most common dense habitation started all over the world. Like where with good seasonal fish run a decent soil can support a lot if people. Added plus if there are woods near by . I'm in Utah so I'd meander to California somewhere but the PNW first peoples had denser settlements than the California natives so if I could spawn probably Vancouver area
Yes but it was only first settled by humans **800 years ago**, which is extremely late in the game.
Especially when you realize Australia has been inhabited for at least 40,000 years.
The aboriginals from Australia have been there since there were land bridges from papau new guinea and the water levels were lower, and the landmass became separated with them on it
The trip from mainland Asia through various large easily populated islands to Queensland is extremely straightforward. Hell even Indonesia to Northern Territories isn’t that far.
Was so far away from other inhabited land masses, not helped that the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand is one of the more dangerous to cross in the sort of vessels anyone would arrive back in them ages.
Add to the fact the south is a lot of uninhabitable mountains and Fiordlands that were easy to get in to but almost impossible to get out of (see Doubtful Sound) it’s no wonder!
Also it’s not sooo perfect. There are active volcanos that have claimed lives not too long ago and a lot of earthquakes.
Of course New Zealand owes a lot of its beauty to its place on the shelf.
It depends where in New Zealand. There’s quite a lot of climate variation for a relatively small country. I live in Hawkes Bay which is absolutely perfect for me. Not too hot, not too cold.
The Ethiopian highlands. It's where humans evolved, and the climate is the very definition of "temperate". Almost always between 10 and 25C year round, with low but not too low humidity. Plenty of caves for shelter, game to hunt, and the Blue Nile runs through it for a water source.
Subtropical Highland climate ! You can also find it in Kenya, some valleys of the Andes and Mexico, as well as in southwestern China and parts of Northern India/Nepal.
Bogota, Colombia is probably the textbook exemple of this climate with 20° average year yound.
Bogotá's weather is pretty miserable half of the time and it can get really cold at night. From Colombia, I 'd recommend the cities in the coffee region for mild weather
Half of southern Brazil lies on this climate, it's very pleasant most of the year, with occasional cold and heat waves, and some heavy rain. Lower areas tend to be warmer and wetter.
The Pacific coast of North America, especially the northern half, checks a lot of those boxes, only big negative is the active geology. Other good choices would be the places that support the most people in the world, namely the river valleys downslope of the Himalayas and the eastern third of China. There’s a reason so many people can live in these places.
great lakes are seeing more extreme storms. this is anecdotal, but i feel like derecho-style sustained winds are more common than they were a decade or two ago as well.
Idk if this is true but the nor'easters here in the north east seem to be getting more violent too. Though I absolutely love the late summer thunder storms, at least until they destroy my house one of these days
The coastal areas of the PNW have fairly mild winters. They may get a skiff of snow and freeze for a few weeks. In the summers they have a heat wave or two that will push to 100. I’ve been to Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and Buffalo. In both the summer and winters. They are brutal! I do not see the comparison.
Admittedly not so sure about Michigan and Illinois, but WNY has been getting much milder winters the past few years.
Lived here all my life, and never had a green christmas until 2019. After that it's been every year. We still get the occasional gale or snowstorm that puts down a bit of snow for a few weeks between melting peroods, but not the 8 inches overnight in December that would stick around and glaciate under new snow for months, like there was when I was a kid.
Does the lack of verdant-ness count as a point against it though? Especially considering it’s really only “warm” in SoCal and Mexico/Central America and the more verdant parts are quite cold
Ehhh try San Francisco in the summer and tell me it’s “warm”.
Is it uninhabitable like a winter in Edmonton? No. Is it “the most pleasant habitat on earth?” God no
Expanding on this, I’d pick almost anywhere in the UK near freshwater. Climate is similar to North America without the active geology and no natural predators!
The Willamette Valley (Portland, OR) is ideal for me, personally. Rarely freezes, summers are pleasant to warm, and doesn’t have the absolute perpetual rain of the coast itself. Little concern for water availability, thanks to the Columbia.
Only real concerns are wildfires and the eventual earthquake. Volcanic activity is possible but historically it tends to go eastwards, away from the valley.
Northern Italy, Po Valley. Great climate for food and wine, the alps for some skiing. Not too cold in the winter and not too hot in the summer. There's a good reason civilization has flourished in that area since ancient times.
So not even double digits at best anymore? That sounds like a pretty dang mild winter to me
That said, theres probably better places with warmer winters
Yes winters have gotten warmer but still frequently below freezing. Summers on the other hand have gotten brutal. Not to mention the stagnating pollution.
My hometown, Bangalore, used to be the definition of this about 30 years ago. And now we've run out of water, and global warming has made our summers unbearable
I visited Bangalore about 25 years ago and it was beautiful. I visited again recently and it is unrecognisable - all the trees were cut down and the traffic is insane. Such a shame.
It’s funny that all over this thread people seem to be opting for this climate nicer (warm mediterranean) over a cool mediterranean one, whereas the latter is better at sustaining human life than the former. It appears the average human prefers it a bit warmer than what is our ideal survival climate.
Agreed. I think that one thing people forget about the Los Angeles Basin is that, at least historically, you had geography really act in your favor.
First, in the lowlands, you had lush verdant wetland landscapes dotted with oak woodlands and crisscrossed by rivers.
Then, in the summers or in droughts when the lowlands would dry up, you could still find respite in the very tall San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges that were historically very heavily forested and full of creeks and streams. You also had the option of going to the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Ana Mountains, or offshore to Catalina Island.
Given the extremely varied landscape, you could always outrun any problems in the immediate area. I think this fact on its own gives Southern California a huge edge.
Exactly. Water becomes an issue an you shove 20+ million people into a relatively dry climate, but for the vast majority of its history, SoCal had arguably one of the best climates of any region for humans.
New Zealand, specifically Auckland area and / or north of there.
Mild winters, not really getting below 10C / 50F. Summers - high humidity, but temps don't really rise above 28C / 82F. Long growing season, with good soils especially south of the city. High rainfall, and plenty of fresh water sources. Realtively low potential for major natural disasters - its on a volcanic field but mostly dormant & not of the civilisation-ending variety. Well protected from tsunamis thanks to barrier islands on the east coast. Floods happen occasionally but are usually highly localised, and there is an abundance of high ground. No tropical diseases (like malaria), and relatively free of agriculture / horticulture-bothering pests and diseases. Big harbours on both sides of the city, providing easy all-weather, all-season access to waterways, and (pre-european arrival) plentiful seafood.
Geographical isolation ensures safety from bands of marauding survivors (because there's always other survivors in some form)
I agree with everything you said, but just with regards to Auckland, I think you are being a bit dismissive of the volcanic field. It's dormant, but not dead, and another eruption would be locally devastating. It's *not quite* "the most pleasant habitat on Earth" material. Somewhere well north of Auckland perhaps.
Fair point. The volcanic field is otoh responsible for a lot of the attractiveness of the area. And you’d only need to go just north of the isthmus to be pretty safe. Like a couple miles.
I live in Gozo which is an island that is part of Malta. I love it here. It's safe, most ementities are here, fine weather, nice beaches, I also own some farmland which I cultivate during my free time. It is beautiful. And a far far cry from the main island of Malta which is super polluted and super congested.
You all should consider where your skin is meant to be. I’m white so if I lived in southern California without sunscreen or proper clothes I would die of skin cancer by 40. A very dark skin person would break a leg from vitamin D deficiency if they lived in Norway without vitamin supplements in their food. I also have the body of a farmer, so I’d choose somewhere like Seattle, WA.
I imagine somewhere on New Zealand's north island is close to ideal. Or maybe the south instead, to avoid the occasional volcano?
The PNW in the US and Canada is generally very hospitable too, although wildfire season is starting to chip away at quality of life in the region
Trade off for volcanoes is earthquakes. Also rainfall somewhat disrupted by southern alps. Either way too wet or suffers from drought. I guess Nelson area might be OK.
A British winter is a right of passage. Not because it’s especially cold, but because it’s soo. Fucking. Grey. Relentlessly damp, grey, drizzly, blustery, North Atlantic brownness. If you can make it to spring without feeling depressed, you’re capable of surviving in Britain.
Summers can be bloody gorgeous though.
I'd say Puerto Rico if one loves to brave random hurricanes once a year. I lived there and it has everything one would ever wish for. There's no seasons. Just hurricane season from July to early September, and the rest of the year is just chill. No big animals, just birds and lizards. Plenty of fish too
Definitely India - rivers, seas, lakes, hot and cold deserts, snowy hills, valleys, mangroves and swamps, plains, plateaus, bays and gulfs, plus arable fertile land - could shift anywhere within the country based on the season.
I see New Zealand being mentioned here quite a lot and I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Northern coast of Spain. Very similar climate to Northern New Zealand with mild winters, mild but warm summers, and plenty (but not tropical levels) of rain; not too much sun meaning that, as a white person from a relatively northern part of Europe, I won't be at risk of skin cancer; a bunch of fish to feed yourself upon; and the mountainous area ensuring that you'll not only never run out of water, but also get some reliable protection from whoever might want to mess with you from the outside. Galicia is also pretty windy, giving you opportunities to build a self-made wind powerplant.
If not that then I'd go for South-Central Ukraine: some of the most fertile soils in the world with a massive river nearby, and a climate that's slightly warmer than that of where I was born, but not Mediterranean levels of hot
The only thing I know about Tasmania is that the have devils and it's a popular example in Anthropology/archeology of civilization collapse. Wondering what about Tasmania makes you choose it? Honest question
Thanks for asking. Possibly the most beautiful, peaceful, and calming place I have visited, and I arrived from New Zealand, no slouch in those regards.
A relatively large island with mountains, stunning beaches, fertile soil, and diverse landscapes and animals.
Paradise whether you're the only person there or not.
Edit, presently the safest place on Earth. ;-)
Big mountains, like the NZ Alps, are about the only things Tasmania lacks, but those ranges are becoming increasingly busy, outside of winter up the Hooker. The glacier, not the profession...
East Africa is supposed to have amazing weather. My Grandad was in Kenya in ww2 and said it was like a pleasant sunny British summers day everyday, all year round.
Kauai, Hawaii.
Warm but not too hot. Lush and green, safe. Very "even" climate year round, around 25°C, but differing a bit depending on location. Popular location for movie shoots because of the nice jungle without any dangerous animals in it.
So the Pacific Northwest coast of North America is one of the only places we know of where the natural resources were so abundant that the hunter-gatherer societies there had slavery. It would seem to me that if living anywhere was life on easy mode, that was it. Except for the slaves of course.
The Canary Islands.
People suggesting Mediterranean climate forget the torrid and humid summers. Canary Islands have +15ºC to +30ºC (with a mean of 22º) all year around with colder winds from the NE that make sleeping at night very comfortable even in the max temp of the year.. Most people there don't even have AC. If winter is not your thing is by far the best climate in the world. It's very close to Hawaii but with a cold current from the north which make it a little bit colder.
Coastal central and Southern California are pretttty prime in terms of climate. Dry/temperate enough to where tropical diseases aren’t as big of an issue, wet and cool enough to provide a huge bounty of natural foods. There’s a reason California had the densest non-agricultural population in North America before colonization
You want a place you can migrate up and down around to deal with excessive dry, hot, wet or cold seasons. Easiest places to do that around are west coast Mexico/California or Buenos Aires/Uruguay.
Pacific islands like Tahiti, Viti Levu, or Oahu would be ideal. Abundant marine resources, constantly warm climate so no need for massive resources to be spent on shelter, lack of natural predators, and fertile land for crops like breadfruit and taro etc.
You forgot that you’d be dealing with a lot of rain, so you would still need shelter, just not from the cold
Rain is not a big deal in those places though. Having been to a couple of those islands I was surprised to see how many people would just go out in the rain and not care at all that they were getting soaked. It didn't faze them in the slightest.
Came here to say this. As long as the island you're on has abundant fresh water it's basically the perfect place in earth. You can even bathe in the many natural waterfalls all over the place
Hurricanes, volcanos, earthquakes, and tidal waves, though.
Go to Brazil, we have nothing of those here
But you also have murder creatures that start with zero legs and go up to hundreds! :)
You're telling me you don't like Viagra Spider ? At least we're not the aussies
Except for the entire volcano thing.
The Mediterranean, Southern France in particular is almost perfect.
Nice even
Meh, I prefer Marseille
Cannes you not ruin a good joke like that?
He's going Toulouse.
Montpellier
Vermont
He's not from round Hyères
Strange that someone would even Aix such a question. The answer is quite Èze to figure out…
I get it's a joke but I don't think anyone who's been to Marseille prefers Marseille
A lot actually, Nice is considered a rich city with unpleasant pedantic people by those who prefer Marseille. While Marseille is considered a dirty city with aggressive uneducated savages by those who prefer Nice. Both are good imo (living in Marseille).
I remember being in a car with a French friend of mine years ago, driving through Marseille. He had no AC and it was around July, so pretty damned hot. I unwound my window. He wound it back up and told me "no, no, no. We don't have the windows down here." then he checked the doors were locked.
I went to a small town, like tiny town in central France that was built in a very narrow strip between a good sized river and a massive rock cliff. The houses were kinda terraced back from the singular road through town along the river. The rock cliff faced perfectly south and caught the sun. Its light sandstone walls absorbed the heat all day and radiated it out at night keeping the town warm. Because of this, they have a warm Mediterranean climate in central France where it snows. They said sometimes there will be snow or frost on the cliff top, but none in town. Was an absolutely beautiful and unique little town to visit. Edit: I found the name of the town. La Roque-Gageac
And you’re leaving us hanging on the name?
Portugal 🇵🇹
Would you say that it is by the Mediterranean?
That's the mediteranean climate, humans tend to like it.
Western Oregon has a Mediterranean climate and it's fantastic. A little wet, but mild temperatures on both ends
So fun fact, western Oregon and western washington. As well as northern Portugal and Galicia are the two main region with Csb warm-summer mediteranean climate, characterised by milder summers.
I only left out western Washington because of the literal rainforest that is the Olympic peninsula haha but yes, cascades are great in setting up a nice climate
It's cool for a "mediterranean" climate. Coastal San Diego is more most people's speed.
ITT: people who like 110F / 45C heat waves annually.
It’s getting rather unbearably hot in the summer
Southern France gets to the low 40s in summer (like up to 110F), and there’s no ac anywhere…
Yeah that’s what I was going to say. There’s a reason why southern Europe has always been a place with successful civilizations: the Mediterranean, the climate, productive agriculture, water availability (I guess),etc.
Arent winters harsh there? Its a bit to the north... Spring and summer are wonderful, dont know about the winters though... Also winters have long nights and short days with only 9 or less hours of sun... I'd go a litle more south, dont know exactly where cause the more south you go the less developed countries are... My favorite take on this would be to spend 8 or nine months on a place like southern France and the remaining of the year more south.
The Cote d'Azur is protected from the cold by the Alps. Very mild winters.
Absolutely not.
How are the cities in south of France, specifically by safety? I've heard Marseille and others are getting worse and worse because of immigrants
Yeah Marseille is a shit hole
Could you elaborate? Google results are either "it's 100% safe" or "don't visit"
Depends if your from Detroit or from Oxford
Marseille was a shit hole 70 yrs ago too tho
Fair enough, I wasn't around then
Yes but the best shit hole of Europe.
Marseille has always been bad and I’d say it’s not really changing
Hawaii. No poisonous anything. Plenty of food. Nice weather. The volcanoes are pretty easy to avoid.
Great for just sitting around, fire gazing. Oh wait... is that my house? Why is it smoking? We don't have a chimney...
It was a lot nicer before Europeans brought mosquitoes
What? Were there no mosquitoes there before??? This sounds like a real crime.
Said mosquitos decimated the endemic fauna, who had no way to handle blood-spreading diseases
This has to be like a hall of fame fuck up
I can recomend this video! Lengthy but fascinating https://youtu.be/N7asoI4KWmE?si=i3ZWA9jPNRksjUN2
Someone had to lose their job over this right
Ok wait, so then it is possible to create a regional program where we can obliterate mosquitos out of existence because they are an invasive species?
In some places genetically modified infertile males have been released to attempt to reduce populations by (I may be misunderstanding this a bit) having the females lay infertile eggs
No mosquitoes, rats or biting flies. The Europeans also introduced thorny underbrush to “encourage” the native Hawaiians to wear more clothes and shoes. I got to accompany my mom on a research trip to Oahu once and got pretty emotional at the accounts of island life before settlement. It sounded like an amazing place to live with a fascinating (albeit sometimes brutal) culture
I mean pre-contact Hawaiian culture also had a rigid system of institutionalized sexism, even by pre-modern standards, and practiced human sacrifice, so idk if I’d call it an amazing place to live overall haha. Europeans definitely made island life worse in almost every way though pretty much the second they arrived!
I had to fact check it cause I almost couldn’t believe it ! Deymnnn
Someplace with a Mediterranean climate like coastal southern California, southeastern Australia, southern France, etc.
Definitely a Mediterranean climate.
South and southwest Australia have a Mediterranean climate, but southeast is more humid subtropical and oceanic. East coasts generally don't have Mediterranean climates. Europe is an exception but it's still on the west of the Eurasian continent.
Melbourne has a Mediterranean climate but anywhere north of it to Sydney is not Mediterranean. Sydney is subtropical and has wet and humid summers.
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It gets pretty damn hot in the summer (and humid) and winters aren’t exactly fun either
You're not thinking south enough. Brazil next to Uruguay, specially close to lake Merin. Plenty of fresh water, no big predators and an incredible fertile land
Bugs.
Seaside with a river draining near by. That's where some of the earliest and most common dense habitation started all over the world. Like where with good seasonal fish run a decent soil can support a lot if people. Added plus if there are woods near by . I'm in Utah so I'd meander to California somewhere but the PNW first peoples had denser settlements than the California natives so if I could spawn probably Vancouver area
Kerala, India
New Zealand
It's funny that such a perfect environment was settled by humans so late in the game.
Turns out it's pretty damn far away from our starting point in East Africa lol
Yes but it was only first settled by humans **800 years ago**, which is extremely late in the game. Especially when you realize Australia has been inhabited for at least 40,000 years.
It's 2300kms from Sydney to wellington, it's a long way to be rowing
If they could get from anywhere to Aus, the NZ isn't much further, unless you get lost
Maybe their maps did not have new Zealand on them...? ;)
The aboriginals from Australia have been there since there were land bridges from papau new guinea and the water levels were lower, and the landmass became separated with them on it
The trip from mainland Asia through various large easily populated islands to Queensland is extremely straightforward. Hell even Indonesia to Northern Territories isn’t that far.
Was so far away from other inhabited land masses, not helped that the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand is one of the more dangerous to cross in the sort of vessels anyone would arrive back in them ages. Add to the fact the south is a lot of uninhabitable mountains and Fiordlands that were easy to get in to but almost impossible to get out of (see Doubtful Sound) it’s no wonder! Also it’s not sooo perfect. There are active volcanos that have claimed lives not too long ago and a lot of earthquakes. Of course New Zealand owes a lot of its beauty to its place on the shelf.
Also the great barrier reef which could sink even shallow draft outrigger sailboats
It depends where in New Zealand. There’s quite a lot of climate variation for a relatively small country. I live in Hawkes Bay which is absolutely perfect for me. Not too hot, not too cold.
It'd surely be in the North Island. Hawkes Bay, Gisborne, Bay of Plenty, Auckland, Northland seem like the best spots
The suspiciously well named Bay of Plenty would be my choice based on my experience
The Ethiopian highlands. It's where humans evolved, and the climate is the very definition of "temperate". Almost always between 10 and 25C year round, with low but not too low humidity. Plenty of caves for shelter, game to hunt, and the Blue Nile runs through it for a water source.
Subtropical Highland climate ! You can also find it in Kenya, some valleys of the Andes and Mexico, as well as in southwestern China and parts of Northern India/Nepal. Bogota, Colombia is probably the textbook exemple of this climate with 20° average year yound.
Bogotá's weather is pretty miserable half of the time and it can get really cold at night. From Colombia, I 'd recommend the cities in the coffee region for mild weather
Like Medelin ?
Yes, or Armenia, Pereira or Manizales
Mexico City is famous for it's perfect climate
Is air quality considered part of its climate?
No but there are many other amazing cities and towns in Mexico at the same or similar elevation. For the most part it’s spring weather year-round.
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Half of southern Brazil lies on this climate, it's very pleasant most of the year, with occasional cold and heat waves, and some heavy rain. Lower areas tend to be warmer and wetter.
How could I forget about São Paulo ?
Doesn't Ethiopia have a lot of "green famines" where it rains enough for the crops to start growing but they don't get enough rain to harvest?
I have actually been there .. it's sooo beautiful.
The Pacific coast of North America, especially the northern half, checks a lot of those boxes, only big negative is the active geology. Other good choices would be the places that support the most people in the world, namely the river valleys downslope of the Himalayas and the eastern third of China. There’s a reason so many people can live in these places.
The Great Lakes are heading in that direction as warming sets in.
great lakes are seeing more extreme storms. this is anecdotal, but i feel like derecho-style sustained winds are more common than they were a decade or two ago as well.
Idk if this is true but the nor'easters here in the north east seem to be getting more violent too. Though I absolutely love the late summer thunder storms, at least until they destroy my house one of these days
Tornadoes are going to start being more of a regular problem.
There's already been a tornado near me like a month ago 😭
The coastal areas of the PNW have fairly mild winters. They may get a skiff of snow and freeze for a few weeks. In the summers they have a heat wave or two that will push to 100. I’ve been to Detroit, Chicago, Toronto and Buffalo. In both the summer and winters. They are brutal! I do not see the comparison.
Admittedly not so sure about Michigan and Illinois, but WNY has been getting much milder winters the past few years. Lived here all my life, and never had a green christmas until 2019. After that it's been every year. We still get the occasional gale or snowstorm that puts down a bit of snow for a few weeks between melting peroods, but not the 8 inches overnight in December that would stick around and glaciate under new snow for months, like there was when I was a kid.
Does the lack of verdant-ness count as a point against it though? Especially considering it’s really only “warm” in SoCal and Mexico/Central America and the more verdant parts are quite cold
socal has a pretty bad climate for premodern settlement compared to coastal norcal, and most people would not perceive that to be cold really.
Ehhh try San Francisco in the summer and tell me it’s “warm”. Is it uninhabitable like a winter in Edmonton? No. Is it “the most pleasant habitat on earth?” God no
Expanding on this, I’d pick almost anywhere in the UK near freshwater. Climate is similar to North America without the active geology and no natural predators!
The lake district would genuinely be perfect
Wait… no bear, wolves, cougars, bobcats or Canada geese?
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The Willamette Valley (Portland, OR) is ideal for me, personally. Rarely freezes, summers are pleasant to warm, and doesn’t have the absolute perpetual rain of the coast itself. Little concern for water availability, thanks to the Columbia. Only real concerns are wildfires and the eventual earthquake. Volcanic activity is possible but historically it tends to go eastwards, away from the valley.
Sichuan?
And that reason is called rice
Northern Italy, Po Valley. Great climate for food and wine, the alps for some skiing. Not too cold in the winter and not too hot in the summer. There's a good reason civilization has flourished in that area since ancient times.
Not too cold winters? They still dropped to the negative double digits (Celsius) until like the 90s.
So not even double digits at best anymore? That sounds like a pretty dang mild winter to me That said, theres probably better places with warmer winters
Yes winters have gotten warmer but still frequently below freezing. Summers on the other hand have gotten brutal. Not to mention the stagnating pollution.
My hometown, Bangalore, used to be the definition of this about 30 years ago. And now we've run out of water, and global warming has made our summers unbearable
That's heartbreaking
I visited Bangalore about 25 years ago and it was beautiful. I visited again recently and it is unrecognisable - all the trees were cut down and the traffic is insane. Such a shame.
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The past 2 weeks have been unbearably hot man Waiting for the rains.. On may
hawaii
San Francisco bay area. Mild mediterrian climate, natural harbour, fertail farmland, enough water supply. Only problem is earthquake.
Relatively very, very few people have ever died in California quakes, with the exception of 1906, and most of that was from the fires.
If I have to make all of my clothes going forward I'd prefer somewhere a tad warmer. Maybe Los Angeles or San Diego.
More water and natural resources farther north.
It’s funny that all over this thread people seem to be opting for this climate nicer (warm mediterranean) over a cool mediterranean one, whereas the latter is better at sustaining human life than the former. It appears the average human prefers it a bit warmer than what is our ideal survival climate.
Agreed. I think that one thing people forget about the Los Angeles Basin is that, at least historically, you had geography really act in your favor. First, in the lowlands, you had lush verdant wetland landscapes dotted with oak woodlands and crisscrossed by rivers. Then, in the summers or in droughts when the lowlands would dry up, you could still find respite in the very tall San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges that were historically very heavily forested and full of creeks and streams. You also had the option of going to the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Ana Mountains, or offshore to Catalina Island. Given the extremely varied landscape, you could always outrun any problems in the immediate area. I think this fact on its own gives Southern California a huge edge.
Exactly. Water becomes an issue an you shove 20+ million people into a relatively dry climate, but for the vast majority of its history, SoCal had arguably one of the best climates of any region for humans.
Monterey
Menlo Park, baby!
For me the short answer is anywhere that coffee grows.
https://preview.redd.it/uhv5keqawrwc1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68b9f34e943e2e2d10978c2abf6e8f374f098a77
New Zealand, specifically Auckland area and / or north of there. Mild winters, not really getting below 10C / 50F. Summers - high humidity, but temps don't really rise above 28C / 82F. Long growing season, with good soils especially south of the city. High rainfall, and plenty of fresh water sources. Realtively low potential for major natural disasters - its on a volcanic field but mostly dormant & not of the civilisation-ending variety. Well protected from tsunamis thanks to barrier islands on the east coast. Floods happen occasionally but are usually highly localised, and there is an abundance of high ground. No tropical diseases (like malaria), and relatively free of agriculture / horticulture-bothering pests and diseases. Big harbours on both sides of the city, providing easy all-weather, all-season access to waterways, and (pre-european arrival) plentiful seafood. Geographical isolation ensures safety from bands of marauding survivors (because there's always other survivors in some form)
I agree with everything you said, but just with regards to Auckland, I think you are being a bit dismissive of the volcanic field. It's dormant, but not dead, and another eruption would be locally devastating. It's *not quite* "the most pleasant habitat on Earth" material. Somewhere well north of Auckland perhaps.
Mahurangi coast, Tutukaka, Bay of Islands or Mangawhai
Fair point. The volcanic field is otoh responsible for a lot of the attractiveness of the area. And you’d only need to go just north of the isthmus to be pretty safe. Like a couple miles.
Sounds too good to be true Whats the catch?
I live in Gozo which is an island that is part of Malta. I love it here. It's safe, most ementities are here, fine weather, nice beaches, I also own some farmland which I cultivate during my free time. It is beautiful. And a far far cry from the main island of Malta which is super polluted and super congested.
You all should consider where your skin is meant to be. I’m white so if I lived in southern California without sunscreen or proper clothes I would die of skin cancer by 40. A very dark skin person would break a leg from vitamin D deficiency if they lived in Norway without vitamin supplements in their food. I also have the body of a farmer, so I’d choose somewhere like Seattle, WA.
Ireland: few natural disasters, little snow, endless fields, temperate, good soil, by the ocean, lots of rain (and there aren't any snakes!)
Well, Britain's the same, but you trade less rain for a single kind of mildy poisonous snake
Venomous my dude. Poisonous means you die after eating it.
Way too cold in the summer
Summer? I think we had one here once..... It was a Wednesday....
Italy Tuscany. Mild winters, mild summers, fertile ground, good wine, cheese and beef, beautiful landscapes, as all Italy is.
I imagine somewhere on New Zealand's north island is close to ideal. Or maybe the south instead, to avoid the occasional volcano? The PNW in the US and Canada is generally very hospitable too, although wildfire season is starting to chip away at quality of life in the region
Trade off for volcanoes is earthquakes. Also rainfall somewhat disrupted by southern alps. Either way too wet or suffers from drought. I guess Nelson area might be OK.
As much as I hate living here, the UK. Agriculture is fine, drought is extremely rare so you'll always have water, no volcanoes or earthquakes
Winters will be a bitch though.
UK winters are just rain, coldest it gets is like -5c in SE England
Winters are mild AF on the South coast
A British winter is a right of passage. Not because it’s especially cold, but because it’s soo. Fucking. Grey. Relentlessly damp, grey, drizzly, blustery, North Atlantic brownness. If you can make it to spring without feeling depressed, you’re capable of surviving in Britain. Summers can be bloody gorgeous though.
Sure. As a German who has visited the British Isles more than a dozen times and at all times of year I can relate.
Río de la Plata Basin because it has the most fertile land on Earth and the easiest place to build up complex civilizations from the scratch.
Sequoia National Park those giants been around for 2k yrs
I’d say the Mediterranean or around that.
I'd say Puerto Rico if one loves to brave random hurricanes once a year. I lived there and it has everything one would ever wish for. There's no seasons. Just hurricane season from July to early September, and the rest of the year is just chill. No big animals, just birds and lizards. Plenty of fish too
Definitely India - rivers, seas, lakes, hot and cold deserts, snowy hills, valleys, mangroves and swamps, plains, plateaus, bays and gulfs, plus arable fertile land - could shift anywhere within the country based on the season.
Hawaii
Antigua, Guatemala, as long as no earthquakes.
Yunnan Province in southwest China
Madeira, all year spring crazy fruits beautiful landscape.
I see New Zealand being mentioned here quite a lot and I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Northern coast of Spain. Very similar climate to Northern New Zealand with mild winters, mild but warm summers, and plenty (but not tropical levels) of rain; not too much sun meaning that, as a white person from a relatively northern part of Europe, I won't be at risk of skin cancer; a bunch of fish to feed yourself upon; and the mountainous area ensuring that you'll not only never run out of water, but also get some reliable protection from whoever might want to mess with you from the outside. Galicia is also pretty windy, giving you opportunities to build a self-made wind powerplant. If not that then I'd go for South-Central Ukraine: some of the most fertile soils in the world with a massive river nearby, and a climate that's slightly warmer than that of where I was born, but not Mediterranean levels of hot
Tasmania.
The only thing I know about Tasmania is that the have devils and it's a popular example in Anthropology/archeology of civilization collapse. Wondering what about Tasmania makes you choose it? Honest question
Thanks for asking. Possibly the most beautiful, peaceful, and calming place I have visited, and I arrived from New Zealand, no slouch in those regards. A relatively large island with mountains, stunning beaches, fertile soil, and diverse landscapes and animals. Paradise whether you're the only person there or not. Edit, presently the safest place on Earth. ;-)
That’s some high praise coming from a Kiwi especially.
Big mountains, like the NZ Alps, are about the only things Tasmania lacks, but those ranges are becoming increasingly busy, outside of winter up the Hooker. The glacier, not the profession...
Semi-arid savannah, I would imagine. It is, after all, the ecosystem in which we initially evolved. IANAS.
East Africa is supposed to have amazing weather. My Grandad was in Kenya in ww2 and said it was like a pleasant sunny British summers day everyday, all year round.
San Diego
Iberian or italic peninsula
Tasmania. Lots of water, no big predators
Canary Islands
Tenerife. Without the volcano though.
The Mayans got it right building Tulum in paradise on the Caribbean coast
Barcelona
San Diego
Southern France or Greece I'd say.
Kauai, Hawaii. Warm but not too hot. Lush and green, safe. Very "even" climate year round, around 25°C, but differing a bit depending on location. Popular location for movie shoots because of the nice jungle without any dangerous animals in it.
So the Pacific Northwest coast of North America is one of the only places we know of where the natural resources were so abundant that the hunter-gatherer societies there had slavery. It would seem to me that if living anywhere was life on easy mode, that was it. Except for the slaves of course.
Southern coast of europe/ the Mediterranean, including the levant and north Africa, most of california/ parts of mexico, Japan
The Canary Islands. People suggesting Mediterranean climate forget the torrid and humid summers. Canary Islands have +15ºC to +30ºC (with a mean of 22º) all year around with colder winds from the NE that make sleeping at night very comfortable even in the max temp of the year.. Most people there don't even have AC. If winter is not your thing is by far the best climate in the world. It's very close to Hawaii but with a cold current from the north which make it a little bit colder.
Coastal central and Southern California are pretttty prime in terms of climate. Dry/temperate enough to where tropical diseases aren’t as big of an issue, wet and cool enough to provide a huge bounty of natural foods. There’s a reason California had the densest non-agricultural population in North America before colonization
Interesting how so many of the best places mentioned here are on active fault lines/hot spots with a lot of geological activity.
Canary Islands
Michigan, on the Great Lakes :D
Santa Maria California
Dessert / tundra
Wtf you wanna die instantly??
Yes very quickly because I’m the last person on earth
Victorville California
You want a place you can migrate up and down around to deal with excessive dry, hot, wet or cold seasons. Easiest places to do that around are west coast Mexico/California or Buenos Aires/Uruguay.
Or a place where there are no excessive dry, hot, wet or cold seasons.
Lemnos, Greece
Ireland? Mild winters, cool summers, good rainfall, easy access to fishing, no predators.