i love austin, but the heat just kills me. i need more moderate temps in order to retain MY will to live. i'm in Eugene, OR at the moment and it is lovely. the first year was difficult in terms of getting used to the rain (i came from oklahoma/texas), but after that it's been VERY smooth sailing ever since. great public transpo up in portland, which is a delightful city. i'd vote for portland over austin only because it's more moderate of temp and close to so much wonderfulness... seattle, san francisco, canada. all big plusses for me. my partner is about to graduate from law school and i'm pushing for portland. :)