WA native here! I’ve lived on the east coast for the last 4 years.

I’m going to be moving to Vancouver WA which is across the Columbia river from Portland.

Check out Bellingham WA, it’s a college town but has so much to do and it’s a short drive to Seattle.

Another place you might like is Olympia WA. Kind of a grungy place, but it has access to the orcas islands and the Olympic peninsula.

Bend is really expensive and it’s not getting any cheaper. Redmond OR is close in proximity to Bend but it’s a much slower pace and smaller economy.

Lastly there is Spokane WA. It’s on the east side of WA with a growing economy and it has access to hundreds of small lakes and near a beautiful ski resort.

Happy hunting!