For arthritis, it's probably best to find a dry, desert-like climate and stay away from places with high humidity.

Another area to look at is the "Inland Empire", i.e., San Bernardino County, which is directly east of Los Angeles, and was one of the hardest hit during the recent housing bust. Bad for many people there but maybe good for you in that you may find more reasonable prices for renting part of a home or buying. Very hot, so airconditioning definitely a must.

Another consideration is to be close to good health care. Whereas it might be good to be out in the middle of the dry desert, it may place you far away from good medical care; so, look at what is available nearby in terms of your own health needs.

Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback easytraveler. Excellent medical care is my primary reason for staying where I am but now the pain and breathing is getting to be unbearable. The last thing I want is to become a drug addict with all the pain meds offered. I'd rather move.

I did think of San Bernadino and may look into it some more. TY

You're quite welcome, Mewatis.

You have all my sympathy as I know what you mean by having pain and trying to stay away from the drugs.

Just the other day, one of my friends was telling me how the doctors put her mother on one medication that did its job in getting rid of a certain condition; however, the side effects caused even more harm and greater harm. So, staying away from as many drugs as possible is a good idea.

If you're looking in to San Bernardino County as a possibility, then you might in interested in not just the local hospitals but also in those in Los Angeles such as the hospitals associated with the universities, UCLA and USC, as well as the "private" hospitals such as Cedars-Sinai. Many of these hospitals are excellent and have their own outstanding specializations. I don't know how transferrable your benefits are, but you might want to look into these hospitals and which one would work best for your medical problems.

Here's a list of senior services in San Bernardino County:

http://www.sbmed.com/patient-informa...ransportation/

Here's another kind of list for LA:
http://www.la4seniors.com/independent.htm

Generally, I've heard, the community elder and disabled services are quite good in most of California, although I've never used them myself.

Good luck! Supporting you all from afar!

A lot depends on your budget, whether you are renting or buying. I live in North San Diego County (Inland) and the weather here would be perfect for you. But it is more expensive than other places although home costs have dropped considerably. You might want to look at Temecula or Murietta, CA in South Riverside County. They just opened a branch of Loma Linda in Murietta and you are about an hour away from top healthcare groups in San Diego. Temecula can be a little warm in the summer but overall nice weather.

I am not sure I would consider San Bernardino (at least the city itself) but there are areas around it like Redlands which are nice. However I do think Redlands could be expensive also. Loma Linda University/Health Care is there and they are excellent. Another areas in the Inland Empire are Rancho Cucamonga and Upland which are nice towns but the whole Inland Empire is smoggy in the summer (used to live there one reason I moved to No. San Diego).

I know you want to rule out Arizona but you might still want to consider it. Tucson is a little cooler than Phoenix. You can get a home in either area at a great bargain and there is Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale and U of A Medical in Tucson. Yes there are about 3 really hot months but the rest of the year is nice. I know what you mean about air conditioning as most of my family lives in Arizona and I'm not a fan of it when I'm there. But I think you would need air conditioning in the Inland Empire area of LA, Las Vegas, parts of San Diego and probably in Albuquerque in the summer. I don't have air conditioning in my house but there is always a month or two of the year that I wish I did.

I wrote "I think" you'd need air conditioning. No thinking about it for Las Vegas and the Inland Empire area of LA!!! Most people in my part of San Diego have AC and like I said, I wished I did. I do have a window AC in my bedroom and wouldn't be able to sleep without it during some of those hot summer days. The closer you are to the beach, the cooler it is but then the humidity would be a little higher and of course it's much more expensive!

Denver and the eastern plains have very low humidity year around but we also have winter. Although the temperature is very pleasant year around, we do get some cold weather but rarely below zero. The humidity is often single digits especially in the summer.

Thanking each of you for your input. Are there any of these places where I wouldn't need AC, I get migraines from the chemicals used to cool the air in them. With Alzheimers I forgot the name of the stuff so hope you know what I mean.

Generally speaking you can avoid AC in Denver if you pick your place well, have a whole house fan system, and a willingness to manager your house. For our first 25 years we did not have an AC but only recently installed it because we were planning on selling and AC is now expected in most homes. Even then we only used it a couple weeks per years. AC is primarily used to cool and not to remove humidity as it is in the mid west.

Just saw you comment about chemicals in cool air. It has to be another cause since there are absolutely no chemicals induced into cool air by AC. It is your house air that is being cooled or blown over the coils so the "chemicals" - if any - are coming from your house and not the AC. It is no different from your refrig. If AC was inducing chemicals into the air, your refrig would be doing the same thing AND it is not.

@NorthwestMale

HAHAHA Have YOU been to the Tri-Cities in the last 40 years? The economy is GREAT we are more then just THRIVING! Even with all the government layoffs there are still plenty of jobs. I work in retail and our sales keep going up and up and up. There are tons of new houses and new stores opening all the time. Pasco is very safe. As with all cities there are parts that are not so great. Pasco is no exception but I would say its safer then any spot in Seattle or Spokane. There are so many cities and town in the Tri City area that you cant narrow it down to just one city. If you are looking to retire I would recommend Richland as it is an older city, its quieter and has older residents. There are a lot of younger families and newer houses in Pasco. I love living here and couldnt think of anywhere that has all that the Tri Cities has to offer. Its not humid and as it does snow we only see it for about 3 days in the wintertime.

Seconding fmpden. Unless you take an ice pick and puch a hole in a cooling coil, there is no way an ac can introduce chemicals into your house.

Cheap room air conditioners recirculate your room air, which might cause a problem. more expensive window units can bring in fresh air.

Didn't real all 50 responses - but had an Uncle who lived in Yakima because they have a very dry climate.

And I liked Tri-Cities, especially Richland.

I moved my mom here to Sun City West (phx area for retirees)from Houston. She was horrible pain, had to have two knee replacements and became a mess living with the same problem. She is happy now and only feels pain in her hands durung the winter months , but she hates the heat! I live up in Prescott AZ the high tyemp on the summer is a 92* high and the best things is we have a 20* drop as soon as the sun goes down!
The winters are mild with a max of 2" of snow , record was 2ft.
Its nice and in AZ of course its a dry heat.
Flagstaff is like Spokane, it would be to much for you.
I have lived in both places, so I speak from exp. Lets face it, we're getting to old to shovel snow!
Good luck and dont remain in pain for too long , life is to short !
K-

I live near Prescott AZ. In Chino Valley AZ. It's only 2 hrs north of Phoenix, I am at 4,00 ft , Prescott is at 5,300, so they will get snow even though to 25 miles away. But it's perfect here...not to cold since I too lived in northern Mi and Spokane Wa. 25 yrs in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
This place is pretty close to perfect for your bones.
My mom is in Sun City West in the Phoenix AZ area.
I don't care for the heat 116* for months !
Night fall is about 92* by 1 am.
You'll hate it, crime, pollution, crazy drivers, etc.
Ck out the middle of the state.
It's great. Cottonwood is warmer, etc. anything near 1-17 . Flagstaff is like Spokane...too cold!
Hope you feel better soon, life is to short to be in pain. K-

Hi angelsrnx2u
I currently live in Kennewick WA (Tri-Cities). I have a daughter that is 16 and has been diagnosed with Juvenile RA,Fibromialgia, and has tested positive for the HLA-B27 genetic factor for AS. She has been living with chronic pain and swelling for 4 years now. At 16 she has erosion of her TMJ, large toe, and her thumb has already started to disfigure at the age of 16. We just spent a week in Seattle at childrens Hospital where they gave her incredibly large does of prednisone 1000 mg every 18 hrs, infusion of tosiluzimab (sp?) and had to drain 100cc of fluid from her knee that has a meniscus tear from falling and twisting her knee. Every summer she seems like a completely different person. Her quality of life greatly improves. We have what most people would consider mild weather conditions in this area but by no means are we comparable to the warm climates I believe you are looking for.After seeing a pattern for the last four summers we are now making a transition to move our family just south of Phoenix. This area was chosen because my husband can transfer with his job.We are somewhat limited bc we have children in school and we must work around the job situation.It is unbearable to watch my daughter suffer for 10 months out of the year so I am hoping for 10 good months with the move. I hope this forum stays open so that I can report on our findings. It is a stressful thing to uproot our whole family but if it means some quality of life for my daughter we are all willing to do it. I really hope you have found answers that you were looking for. I didnt read all of them. It really helps hearing from ppl who actually have considered or have already made a move to a warm climate because of RA. Wish you the best and will report back on our findings.

Wishing your daughter improved health and a much less painful condition. I have seen miracles happen in the desert climate for arthritis sufferers and hope the dry warm climate helps your child as well.
There are children's hospitals in Phoenix and Tucson plus the Mayo Clinic locations are in Scottsdale and Phoenix.

OK, I spent two weeks in Utahs Moab, low humidity I have inflammatory arthritis, arthritis. While there I was able to do four mile moderate hikes every other day or every day and felt great. Upon returning to Rochester, New York , the joint pain, sore knees returned. I am going to research the benefits of living in a low humidity environment but see conflicting opinions. I see all types of rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis. I guess it depends a lot on the type of arthritis. Any comments greatly appreciated.

tomlipovsky, funny you mention Moab.... that is where I live, and I am interested in moving to a better location for my condition. Summer is GREAT in Moab. I have ankylosing spondylitis and fibromyalgia. Warm weather, low humidity. However, our "Monsoon Season" in the fall is brutal. We get afternoon thunderstorms, and I become just like the original poster mentioned, a "tin man." Winters are cold. Yes, they are dry, but if the cold bothers you at all, we are not far enough south to avoid those brutal winters. Really, I only have about 3 good months here a year. Spring is wet. Summer is great. Fall is hot and wet. Winter is dry and cold, and can actually be wet and cold. Don't get me wrong, before having AS flares I thought Moab was the absolute perfect place to live. Now... not so sure.

Hi All,

Just a warning to folks considering a move to the Arizona desert ...

I recently learned that I have dextroscoliosis of my lumbar region along with several bulging discs, in addition to my arthritis, and fibromyalgia. I have lived in Phoenix for the better part of 30 years. I too am investigating a move from the area. The summer is terrible for my current conditions. Not only dealing with the heat during the summer you must also deal with the higher humidity (monsoons). I literally spend most of May, June, July, and August in my home with the A/C running, unable to spend much time outdoors. When you live in this desert, you turn on the air in May and don't touch it again until mid-September ... no joke! I grew up in the Chicagoland area, so I do know humidity, but that was when I was younger and didn't have these conditions. I noticed many people recommended visiting the desert ... which is an excellent idea, but do it in August when the humidity is the worst. The winter months are lovely, but I'm to the point that being indoors for 5 months of the year doesn't justify the winter anymore.