Cool topic, Dan. Thanks for the opportunity to share in your adventure.

I am horrified that the availability of craft beer was not listed in your priorities.

I generally agree with Adrian's observations; I have found that folks on the West Coast are literally "friendly" and pretty unreserved compared to some other parts of the US.

Having lived my whole life in the Seattle/Tacoma metropolitan area, I can assure you that the claims of relentless rain are overstated. However, there is no such thing as "clear and cold" here. Seasonal Affective Disorder is real, and it is mostly gray from October through April. It is very expensive to live in or near Seattle. The public transportation is practically nonexistent. Microsoft, Starbucks and Boeing are laying people off. Traffic is bad.

AND

There are few US cities as beautiful and culturally rich as Seattle. Puget Sound, the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains are ridiculously close. The people are great. The weather is never extreme; it only snows about twice a year, and it rarely gets above 90F. June through September are reliably 75-80F, with sunsets at about 10:00 pm. It is not humid, and there is very little wind except during storms. Opportunities for outdoor activities are boundless. There is an excellent mix of cultures, and there is no income tax. Beer culture flourishes. Insects are small and not overwhelming. No poisonous creatures west of the mountains. No hurricanes, no tornadoes. You get accustomed to the idea that "it might rain" and plan accordingly.

Others:

I have family in Colorado Springs. Great scenery, MANY days where the sun shines. The beer and the people are wonderful. Things I don't like - the wind blows a lot. You're as far away from salt water as you can be in North America. Sprawl is 1970's California all over again. It is really dry, to the point where my skin isn't happy after a few days. Schizophrenic weather.

Vancouver BC is a wonderful, cosmopolitan, scenic wonder of a city. It is also wicked expensive. The weather is worse than Seattle.

Idaho might be trendy and cute, but there is no civilization there. None. If you are even remotely interested in the cultural opportunities available in a real city, you will be horrified. If you just want to be left alone and you don't mind skinheads, Idaho is a great place to live.

I adore Portland, OR. Great city - a lot like Seattle, but even more laid back, and with more parking and functional public transit. Also pretty expensive. Compared to Seattle, the proximal snow skiing is not quite as good, but Oregon beaches are better than Washington's (and also about the same ~3 hours away). There's no salt water, but the Willamette and Columbia rivers converge there. Portland lacks some of the "wow factor" of Seattle, and it is also probably not as multicultural. If "my people" weren't in the Puget Sound area, I would seriously consider a move to Portland or to Vancouver, WA which is right across the river.

At the end of the day, there is no substitute for California.

bibere usque ad hilaritatem