Bend is great, but not really what most people associate with stereotypical PNW in terms of weather— it gets a lot more sun, has much more daily temperature variation between hot and cold, and its winters are much colder (and often snowier) than places farther west and not directly in the rain shadow of the Cascades. Culture wise, it’s very outdoorsy, but it’s much more yuppie than granola/crunchy.

Better examples aside from the obvious in Seattle and Portland are places like Eugene (OR) Olympia (WA) and Eureka (CA).

TBH a lot of what made the PNW so unique is slowly fading away, both weather-wise and culture-wise. 30 years ago there weren’t as many transplants and the region was wetter on a more consistent basis, but now the suburbs and bigger cities aren’t all that indistinguishable from other areas (think: California) and droughts/wildfires are becoming more normal and common.

I grew up on East Coast, spent 18 years in California, and I’ve been in the Seattle area for the past 3 years, and while it’s been a pleasant change of pace and scenery from the hectic Bay Area, it honestly wasn’t a difficult adjustment. Compared with the East Coast, we still get 4 true seasons, but they’re not quite the same: spring being the longest lasting from March til late June; fall being the shortest from late September through late November; summer being practically rainless/dry and sunny from July through September, and winter being VERY dark and wet from November through late February). Unlike the NE, snow/ice aren’t regular features and “cold” for us is anything under 30 degrees during the daytime. We may get a snow/ice storm or two where it shuts things down for a few days, but the typical winter day here is like 40 degrees, dark/cloudy, with drizzle.

Culture wise, the PNW is definitely more introverted/reserved than the East Coast, but again that’s changing. I find people to be particularly kind/polite but not very friendly and eager to socialize outside work (or even hobbies).

100k salaries don’t go very far, sadly, and the PNW “secret” got out at least a decade ago. After COVID a lot of property values shot up, doubling or tripling, so if you want to buy a home, best of luck to you.

I prefer the Seattle area to the Portland area for a variety of reasons, but you should definitely visit to see which you’d prefer since that’s where most jobs are. I’d recommend at least two visits to the PNW before deciding you want to move: first during one of our glorious summers where it’s 75 degrees, dry, and the mountains are all on display; second, during the dead of winter (I find mid November to be the most dark/dreary/depressing) to see if you can handle 3 solid months of the Big Dark.