Oregon

then returned to the Portland area in 1995.

Pros:

A plethora of craft beers.
Good restaurants, vibrant food-cart scene
Mild weather (if you like rainy winters - coming from Edmonton, I'll take a little rain in exchange for sub-Arctic conditions)
Deeply Blue political area (not so on the east side of the Cascades)
Powell's Book Store
Within 3 hours of Portland you can find ocean beaches, old growth forest, hot springs, volcanoes, high desert, wind surfing and skiing.

Cons:
High cost of living, though not anywhere near as pricey as Seattle or San Francisco
Seriously under-funded schools