[ghaff]

I don't really disagree. Although a fair number of people are fine with the Southwest deserts, especially high desert.

But coastal California (which, as you say, is mostly somewhat different from SF specifically) is the only real Mediterranean climate in the US.

This particularly unpleasant spell of weather we had until a couple of days ago notwithstanding, New England generally isn't bad in the summer especially once you get out of the cities. You're rarely going to be too uncomfortable on the Maine coast in the summer even without AC. But, yes, it's cold and snowy in the winter.