I grew up on the East Coast. I can deal with harsh winters. Plus, I'm only happy when it rains.

The winters in the Pacific Northwest aren't "harsh", just long, bleak and gray. After a few winters in Innsbruck, Austria, I actually learned that I don't mind the snow and intense cold. However, it rarely snows in Portland, it just rains, and drizzles, and drips, and mists and then starts the cycle anew.

I guess if you like the rain, though, that's the right place for you (surpassed only by Washington's Olympic Peninsula). As a native Oregonian, though, I think you're crazy to like the rain - you can't do much of anything outdoors without getting really miserably wet.

I can see getting out of the bay area, on the other hand - Portland is certainly more livable. Good luck!