Yeah, I meant central OR for Bend- I think you're right on the winter time being exactly what I want to move away from, though,... and having to drive over a sometimes scary mountain pass to get anywhere else is a little iffy.
Sounds like I should spend some time exploring Oregon more. I'm also curious about Vancouver WA and thereabouts just north of Portland as an option without income tax. Or a far out Seattle suburb/exurb.
I'm open to small cities as long as I'm not so remote that I never see anyone I know and love again and so long as I'm not too far from a larger city for travel/airport, concerts, etc.
The passes definitely qualify as iffy during the winter sometimes =) Especially if you're not used to mountain driving.
Vancouver has some really nice areas, actually. It's currently undergoing quite a bit of a revitalization. Still rough around the edges in a lot of areas, certainly, but there's a great food scene starting to grow up there as Portland chefs start "passion projects" up there that wouldn't survive with all the Portland competition. Lots of farmer's markets too. A little tough to do transit in Vancouver though, although there if a bus that runs you to Portland that might be nice (takes a while though). Vacouver only really sucks if you're commuting to/from PDX during rush hour. (Think an hour plus to go like 15-20 miles many days). That being said, Vancouver has a rough reputation, but I think it's largely undeserved these days.
Have you spent time around Seattle? I was shocked at how much less sunlight there is between Portland and Seattle. To be fair, living in Seattle/Tacoma definitely ranks as the most miserable time in my life, but I found it to be awful. Expensive transit that is hard to use, everything very sprawled out in the suburbs and disconnected, no walkability (compared to the other places I've lived) unless you're in the very expensive Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, etc districts. That being said, the seafood culture up there is incredible.
As far as small cities/travel, there are actually quite a few airports around. (I know Eugene has one. Corvallis doesn't though). Also, there's a shuttle that travels the whole I5 corridor- stops at Albany, Salem, etc (at least as far south as Eugene, maybe more) that will take you to Portland airport for pretty cheap. Last time I used it (probably 2009?) it was $20, $15 with a student discount. Bend does not have a commerical airport as far as I know.
I will say as far as hiking, Corvallis is much easier to get to hiking than Eugene is. I don't know about hiking around Ashland. Bend has incredible hiking everywhere, obviously. Vancouver has good hikes but you have to drive out the gorge or up I5 to get there. (Whereas Portland has Forest Park that you can take transit to).
If you have any specific questions on PNW towns just let me know- I've lived a lot of places =P All that moving may as well be useful to someone.
