Cities with the Most Sunshine

Sunshine can be wonderful. It may be something you have to be wary of and take measures to protect your skin against, lest you end up with cumulative effects of sun damage causing wrinkling, discoloration, or even skin cancer, but so long as you observe proper precautions, sunny weather can be delightful.

The sun quite literally gives our planet life. Without the sun, plants wouldn’t be able to photosynthesize, and deprived of their source of energy, would wither away and die. In turn, herbivores would have no food, and would eventually die, leaving the carnivores food-less as well, meaning…you get the idea.

The sun is important. More than that, it can have an almost magical effect on mood and outlook, even helping combat and prevent depression. As such, Vine Vera decided it might be prudent to share our list of several cities with very high amounts of average sunlight. Suitable for a summer vacation home, to live in full-time, or merely as a destination for a weekend getaway, all of these cities are incredibly sunny.

Yuma, Arizona
Forget saving the best for last, we’re starting out with the very sunniest city in the whole of the United States. Yuma boasts an average 90% sunshine over the whole year, meaning overcast days are nigh unheard of, and don’t last long if they do happen. Yuma is right in the middle of an arid desert, and as such is unsurprisingly the least humid city in the U.S. as well as having the least amount of yearly rainfall in the country.

Redding, California
With the sun shining 88% of the time, Redding is not only incredibly sunny, it’s also notably beautiful, even picturesque. Situated by the Sacramento River, the largest in the state, the city offers days filled with not only sunshine, but green grass and beautiful trees. There are multiple hiking trails nearby, and the greenery offers a particularly stunning setting for watching the changing of seasons; you’ll be treated to some profound colorscapes in the trees come autumn.

Flagstaff, Arizona
This Arizona city is noteworthy for being sunny, but not too hot. You get the best of both worlds here with near-constant sunshine, but mild temperatures; it only rises above 90 an average of three days a year. It’s not too hot in the summer nor too cold in the winter, and the air is clean and fresh. While it does snow, it’s generally short lived, and if there are a few days where it borders on too cold, Phoenix is close enough by to easily retreat to for a weekend.

Las Vegas, Nevada
Want sunny days and wild nights? Get your butt to LA right now. The sun shines here 85% of the time, and there’s plenty to do, to say the least. There’s surprisingly beautiful desert wildlife and alpine mountains both within an hour away if you just need to get away from it all, and the nightlife sure is quite vibrant to say the very, very least.