I grew up in Orange County, then lived in L.A., and later San Francisco, Marin, and Sacramento. I've been in Portland for 13 years now and am not going anywhere. The people are the nicest, the city has a great vibe, its easy living here, it's got culture, books, movies, food, glorious summers, cozy winters, etc. Nothing beats Portland.
Don't really wanna move back. No job opps for me there or potential schools that I could go back to. And I hate the rain. Only redeeming aspects of POR for me now are the fact that my folks live there and the Blazers play there.
