I’m in Upstate NY and used a fan for my 900 SF apt. Never turned the air conditioner on. Scr**** the utility company bigtime!! So fun....And it was a little $15 turbo fan.
I was once in Ponce, Puerto Rico during the Summer solstice and I don’t think I could have survived the intense heat without air conditioning. Whenever I had to go out, I would scurry like a bug down the street from one shady spot to another. Although, I suppose if it doesn’t kill you, you will get used to it, just like the cold.
You could not do that in the Big Valley.
106deg air from a fan would just dry you out faster.
In the olden days people had to stay wet all day...near the river or lake.
And most definitely in the shade.