Oregon is a beautiful state with a little of everything just an hour or two away.
In that time I can be at the coast, the desert, or the mountains. If you like the outdoors there's lots of fishing, hiking, biking, that sort of thing.

People tend to be less hurried and more informal compared to the east coast.

If you want an area that is more liberal in its outlook and politics, than the greater Portland area is the place to be as far as tolerance to gay/lesbian people.

On the downside - some of the policies of the 1990's are backfiring on us. Our school systems lack adequate funding. The state employee pension program is draining our resources. While we seem to have a glut right now in home/apartment rentals, the cost to buy a home is just outrageous. Gasoline prices are some of the highest in the nation and we've been slow to bounce back from the recession.