I have friends who relocated from Rochester, NY to Lake Havasu, Arizona. And, like me, they are car nuts and moved there because everyone there is into cars in one shape or another. The weather in the winter is sooooooo much better than here in Rochester and, I would suspect, Sweden. There is always something going on that is car related. You will find that just about every house has at least a three car garage and most now have an additional garage to house the motor home. Serious car people and VERY friendly to everyone. Can't go wrong if you decide on Lake Havasu. If you decide to look it up, PM me and I'll give you a name so that you can get the inside skinny.
I am in the Vegas area and have been for over 30 years and there is a decent car scene here but California with all it's problems still has the weather for the car culture...No rust is where it's at...
I live about 6 Hours from there in AZ (388 miles). Good advice, with 2 exceptions.: 1. Hotter than the hinges of Hell in the summer months - If you plan to return to Sweden in the warm months, not a concern. 2. Lake Havasu City is in the middle of nowhere. Again, not a problem if you like to drive long distances. Some time/distances from Google maps. Pomona, CA - 4:15 Hours, 271 miles Dan Diego, CA - 5:08 Hours, 301 miles Phoenix, AZ - 3:15 Hours, 194 miles Las Vegas, NV - 2:31 Hours, 153 miles Where I live it defined as the edge of nowhere, and we get snow in the winter, not a good match to your needs: 1. On the Mexican border, Tombstone, AZ is near by (Not much else is near by) 2. Due to the altitude, it is cooler in the summer (and it cools off at night). Russ
There are many places in the southern US that have great winter weather. Millions of snowbirds and retirees will attest to this. I've spent time in both south Texas and Arizona in winter and they're wonderful. As such, if you were just looking at locations strictly for spending the winter out of the cold, you'd have your choice of some great locations. If you're looking for great winter weather in combination with a huge hot rod culture/scene and this thread's title (Hot Rod Capital of the USA), there's only one choice....it's SoCal dude. On a side note, if you're planning on doing this on an annual basis, you'll have the luxury of checking out different locations year to year.
In my 12 winters east of phoenix I always visited Havasu City and it is in the middle of nowhere. However when we wanted to do something other than hot rod, we would drive about and hour and a half north to Laughlin Nevada, (little Las Vegas), for great food and entertainment and a little gambling. One thing about living there, (Havasu), it appears that one must pretty well heeled and pretty deep into the rod culture or boats to stay entertained. I'm not a golfer but there are 5 courses around according to google. I never priced housing but realtor. com is showing the median price at $339.9K. Hot it can be for sure, beginning as early in the year as late March, early April.
We've been attending that little get together for over 30 years, now. That club is now getting kinda long in the tooth, but Campland is such a great location for cars and families. We'll be in our usual spot again this Mother's Day weekend ...
Check out some of the Vanlife channels on Yotuube. It is a super popular thing to do these days. A good one to start with is called Number Juan Van. They have some tutorials on logistics, security things like that. There are also whole networks where you can camp at breweries and vinyards. Tons of options
I like central FL for the winter. Been coming here for over 30 years. Lots of car stuff all around here. Mike Kelly's Cruise News has all the goods on what's happening in FL. He has a paper copy as well as digital... http://www.cruisenewsonline.com/default.html
Great in the winter months but............when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-t...arks-hottest-day-ever-20190614-htmlstory.html Lake Havasu City recorded the hottest temperature in Arizona at 128°F (53°C) on June 29, 1994. Mean annual precipitation is 3.84 inches. The annual mean temperature is 74.6 °F (23.7 °C). Arizona is a beautiful state of extremes, for instance the coldest temperature was recorded at -40 degrees in the White Mountains January, 1971. Friends from my home state of South Dakota always asked me after we moved here "If I was tired of all the hot weather?", because most people assume its all desert and like Phoenix. It's much more than that, and the cool part (pun intended) is that if you don't like the weather where you're at you can drive a hundred or so miles to find cooler or warmer weather. In summer, drive to the mountains and in the winter drive to the desert. Prescott happens to be in a temperate zone in the middle of the state, half way between Phoenix and Flagstaff, which works for me. https://www.azfamily.com/weather/ph...cle_b68a40aa-a398-50d6-8de6-b863d3164ab6.html If you want to cruise one of the coolest roads in Arizona through the White Mountains, this is it. You can then head into New Mexico and follow another equally cool road north and end back up where you started. We made this trip late last summer. https://www.hannaganmeadow.com/scenic-roadway.htm
Great drive in a well handling car or motorcycle. More twists and turns than a constipated Rattlesnake. I drove this route, in my custom Volvo PV544, on my way to Lead Ain't Dead. There were only 9 vehicles going in my direction, 3 going slower (promptly pulled over and let me by) and 3 going faster (I promptly pulled over). Note: This route was formerly named RT-666 and the locals know it as the "Devil's Highway".
I'm spoiled having lived here for the past 60 years, it was THE place to grow up as far as I'm concerned. So I'm bound to be a bit biased, but who isn't? Sure there have been changes that many of us complain about, but hey, I'm still here! Most years Jan & Feb are great as far as weather, though be warned that some years are wet, if we get into a weather pattern where the prevailing winds shift south and flow between Hawaii and CA, those patterns settle in and we get storm after storm after storm, with a couple of days in between. Especially during El Nino years! Those are the times when we have landslides and people who build their homes on hill sides end up losing their homes. Not much rodding to do then. But most years the weather is very fair, like this year for instance. Beautiful day today, clear, sunny, t-shirt weather, great day for taking the hot rod out. As far as crowds, yeah, it's crowded. You learn to work with it, you learn the traffic patterns, and unless you don't have a choice, like having to commute to work, you adjust your travel plans to avoid the worst times. Still, anything can happen, like an accident, to screw that all up, and then you're stuck. That's part of the deal. And most other areas of the country are developing their own traffic problems. Phoenix was mentioned earlier, ever seen the traffic on I10 through Phoenix in the morning or afternoon? Really, I don't think you're going to find a location with a bigger more active hot rod / car scene than So Cal, but that doesn't mean other areas don't have their own scene happening. AZ has been mentioned a couple of times, that's not bad advice. But not Prescott, that's pretty damn cold in Jan/Feb. I'd also think about Tucson, I've been surprised by the amount of good hot rods I've seen coming out of Tucson area. There has to be a decent rodding scene there for there to be that many cool cars. Squirrel's not far from Tucson.
Being from cold Minnesota, we take vacations in Arizona and California. We love the San Diego area but cost of living and politics in California is a bit too much. We have spent a fair amount of time in Lake Havasu City and it is our choice. Lots of Hot Rod culture there plus boating and off roading. We will more than likely be snow birds there when we retire. Hotrodderman
We've done a few RV relocations across the USA, usually leaving from IOWA or INDIANA then driving across to CA. They are on a strict distance and time schedule but you get to see lots of different areas and cultures etc. This has now got us thinking of buying a RV over there to travel in when we're retired, and this COVID shit improves. Hook up a trailer and you could take/buy a car that suits.
Florida It's packed with 10's of thousands of Hot Rods, Harleys and Corvette's and there are at least 3 or more cruises (& bike nights) a week in the area of where you choose to live. I live on the West Coast (Gulf of Mexico) north of Tampa Bay around 50 miles. The weather is really nice over here along the coast line. Cost of living is a ton less than California, and NO state tax.... just ask the people that are leaving California by the thousands. We are the Sunshine State!
About 10 years ago we started looking for a place to retire, we went down to Lake Havasu to look around we loved it, it was in November. We got with a realtor and went looking the second house we looked at had vinyl shutters. They were melted down the front of the house. I have several friends that live there now and they are happy there, I'm sure it's a great place, But we didn't think we could handle it.
Were did hot rods start out at?? No 'we don't know really, like a lot of things the're is a lot of BS around that. Real fact is most things start when there time comes! Like what dose CALIF. stand for[ Come And Live In Florida ] we are the right coast,not the wrong coast'LOL. OK pick on ya enough!! Here's a little run around Miami Fla. with some of my buddy's, Mark ,Rosh,Kenny an I. Just click link an it will open On Marks page. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10218598116291836
Definitely Socal for the car scene (!) and the weather in san Diego is moderate in the Winter with a rainy day or two on occasion. Before you buy an (expensive) RV, consider renting one on your next trip to see if it's really for you. Maybe rent one for 2 or 3 weeks of your two month stay. Perhaps Airbnb San Diego first 2-3 weeks. Next 2-3 weeks; rent a small RV and hit the road and see the various areas of the Southwest; travel up the coast then spend a few days in LA, taking in some sights, some car events/museums. Cut across to visit Las Vegas if you wish, then drop down through the areas of interest in Arizona spending a week (Prescott, Phoenix, Lake Havasu), then return full circle to San Diego to spend your last week or two. You can get weekly rental rates on an RV. Even Winter rates are not cheap, but consider the RV will be your living accommodation's/rental vehicle for traveling/your kitchen. You'll save a lot of money preparing some of your own meals, coffee, beer, etc. You can choose your pace, staying an extra day if you like an area, or pick up and travel if you've seen enough. Have some fun exploring the country a bit. https://www.cruiseamerica.com/ https://www.elmonterv.com/ There are dedicated websites that show which Walmart locations allow(free)overnight parking (most within big cities do not because of the high homeless population here that live in their cars and old RV's). Many Native American casinos allow overnighters. Plenty of info on the web for on the road RV'ers. Seeing various areas/cities will let you experience them first hand and help you narrow things down and pick a few favorites. Maybe even make plans to stay at one or two the following Winter.
It was 57 degrees here today, will be 58 degrees tomorrow and that's whats forecast is for the next 10 days. Our 20" of snow is almost gone. I hope we get another round of it though to help keep our forests healthy. Maybe the California boys think this is "pretty damn cold", but to this east river South Dakota boy it feels pretty damn good! And best of all I'm not fighting for a spot in a line, a parking spot or my lane on a highway with 20 million other people. Coming from a state with just 885,000 people and growing up and living out in the country my whole life, I'm pretty much allergic to crowds. This is the first time I've lived in "town" for any length of time and I'm happy to live in a place with 1/2 acre lots so I have plenty of "elbow room". Even though I love California, and love to visit and see that beautiful state, the daily grind there would get me down and that's what I hear from many of them that move here from So Cal.
Lots and lots of really good answers! Might alternate between CA, AZ and FL. One place each year. Keep em coming Thanks. Tommy.
When I recommended Lake Havasu, it was with the knowledge that you would only be there during the winter months so I did not have to take into account the blazingly hot summer months. Winter there is so much better than upstate NY and, I suspect, most places in Sweden. I also thought about the rather remote location and then thought about how relatively easy it is to get to many other locations such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, etc. What the heck, you are there to be part of the car culture and it isn't a real stretch to encompass those other areas while doing it. We winter in Delray Beach, Florida being typical New York snowbirds, but find that the car culture in this particular area is rather dismal. If you aren't into foreign exotic stuff, look somewhere else. The weather, however, is spectacular and Delray is also where our daughter lives. A no-brainer, for sure. We have lots of friends over on the Gulf side of Florida and they keep telling us of the many car things there are to do over there. They are in the Naples, Ft. Meyers area. Winter weather is the best. Just thought I would give some further info on potential winter retreats.
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