In defense of my beloved home state, in my view, you have to take the good with the bad. There's something very unique in the northwest, particularly in Oregon, where you have a generally liberal sentiment west of the mountains and in the population centers contrast by a fairly conservative agricultural/ranching presence east of the mountains and in the significant rural areas in the west. Now, if you plunge yourself into downtown PDX or the U of O campus, sure, you're going to find the hardcore fringe - same holds true if you trompse through Klamath Falls or Ontario. I used to decry the ridiculousness of the fringe left when I was younger, but as I've lived outside Oregon for nearly 20 years, I'm able to see how those two groups kind of take the edge off each other. Oregon has this really unique and amazing friendly vibe with lots of "salt of the earth" people - interesting people from all walks of life. 20 years ago, I would never have considered a return to Oregon to retire. Now I eagerly look forward to it.
Brett