I agree with pretty much all of this including the part about strip mall hell. The whole city and almost all the 'burbs around it are so spread out it makes getting anywhere difficult and just plain sucks to be in. Add to it the unbearable heat most of the year and it's not one of my favorites at all.
How about Big Sur? If people are talking about La Jolla and Laguna Beach, then why not Big Sur? I mean, those places are beautiful, but there's not too much to do around there, and to live there, you have to make a lot more than lower six figures. I personally feel like out of all the places that you need to be a millionaire to live, Big Sur is the California king.
1. Encinitas (all the nice stuff of La Jolla and Del Mar with less of the snob appeal). I like most of the San Diego area - but Encinitas is definitely the best of the lot. 2. Marin county near the San Rafael area (easy access to SF without SF's miserable weather) - Mill Valley, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Tiburon, Strawberry 3. Portland. Awesome city. Lousy miserable weather. I love visiting NYC, but I hated living there. Not a fan of LA. I like Vegas, but in moderate amounts. Seattle is OK - it has all the crappy weather that Portland has without the small-city charm. Most east-coast cities I do not care for. I enjoyed Charleston for a visit, but would never want to live there.
Another place I'd like to add: Rancho Santa Fe. It's basically the SoCal version of Paradise Valley, Arizona.
I'll add another vote for Austin TX, it is an oasis of awesomeness in a state of conservative crazy. I absolutly love this city, its culture, food, girls, music and adverntures. Im a big fan of San Francisco and Bend OR also.
Portland is the Oregon version of Austin. Austin is the Texas version of Portland. ATX <--> PDX Both "keep it weird", as they say.
Sort of yes, there is a reason I am obviously drawn to both cities. They both "keep it weird" but in much different ways. Austin is more like New Orleans/Memphis with a Portland attitude, IMO. Their food and music scene is far superior to Portlands and I prefer the weather except when its 110 and 110 humidity.
Before the crash Bend was having a nice little boom. A little Pearl District-esque. Hopefully those projects will pick up again.
The housing market in Bend went to shit. There's half-way started up sub-divisions everywhere. Downtown Bend is so quaint and the quality of life there is awesome. The California transplants suck of course, but its what made Bend boom into what it is. And of course it has became a haven for hot chicks. I see celebrities there all the time. Coolio has a place there, I saw Lyle Lovette kickin it at Pine Tavern last year, I've seen Kevin Costner there, Phil Knight, Drew Bledsoe's always around town. He owns a few coffee stands in town and coaches his kids football teams. Its the 'hip' place to be. My grandparents used to have a place in Bend. I'd go there every summer (still do, sometimes twice). I remember when it was clear as day to seperate the locals from the tourists/vacationers. Now they all blend in. Perfect weather, too. Mountains, desert, great golf courses, fishing, good restaurants and breweries. Nirvana!
I haven't been there enough to form an opinion one way or the other. Can you detail the weather during each season?
Bend's downtown is very nice - but it is too damn cold in the winters and quite frankly, not as much to do as I would like. A nice place to visit however.
I was going to say Aspen, but that works as well. High desert climate is weird though. I spent two days in Santa Fe, NM (high desert) and one day it was 75, the other it snowed.
