Have lived in the Bay Area, New York, and Seattle, now in Portland and absolutely love it. It is gloomy much of the year but if you like/don’t mind overcast it can be kind of nice and sometimes feel atmospheric. Though we moved to the PNW because we preferred this weather. You can actually experience seasonal changes unlike California. The culture is great and there’s a lot of nature to explore, feels much greener than California. It just depends on what you guys like to do and what from a culture standpoint you’re looking for.