Quoted from CLEllison:Great subject and very hard to answer honestly due to some rules of this site. Before I get rolling let it be made clear I am a tolerant person. I believe in respecting someone's beliefs even though I may not agree. I simply ask for tolerance be reciprocated. I saw one person mention where I currently live. Oregon. I dont care where you live the #1 thing that can make or break a place is politics.
The bad: (as a whole this part matters)
This state as a whole is mind numbingly out of control. (Blanket statement alert) People are vicious and down right rude. The city of Portland is a straight up shitfest. Homeless issue out of control, needles laying all over the place, after dark the real "prize winners" come out. Should your political beliefs differ you WILL be attacked "at a minimum verbally". It's completely intolerant. Traffic is beyond ridiculous. Rent/home prices are ridiculous.
Run by a mayor that encourages violent protests and restrains the police from doing their jobs. Judges that slap wrists... repeat offenders get back on the street in a matter of hours.
The good:
Pinball scene is really big here. About an hour from the beach. About an hour to the mountains. Hiking and general outdoor activities. Hunting big game. Dunes for avid ATV enthusiasts.
The neutral:
Weather depends on where you physically live.
You can drive 15 minutes and be arsehole deep in snow or simply get a dusting of snow. Drive an hour or so East and be in desert and a COMPLETELY different political ideology.
In closing, if you enjoy large crowds with crap attitudes, barely being able to afford to live then you will adore Portland Oregon. If you don't then look at Eastern Oregon. Less snow, more tolerance
For me, Idaho is on my radar as I enjoy freedom, heat and blue skies. I've also looked at New Zealand however super expensive to live, dual citizenship allowed, must possess a skill they find worthy to gain citizenship.
Great post. I grew up in Portland. It used to be beautiful - now it's tent city, part of that is the housing market getting crazy expensive, not enough apartments and insane taxes. But it's still a great pinball place, so I moved across the Columbia River to Washington and I'm pretty happy here, can drive over and play pinball, then leave. Love the nearby beaches, the mountains, the Gorge. When it rains, guess what? Stay in and play pinball!
Other places I've loved while visiting: central CA coast (my favorite place but way too expensive + earthquakes + taxes), Austin and San Antonio (great food and weather), Asheville (great weather and beer), and Albuquerque (pretty, but gets cold, no great breweries and no great pinball).