The rain is about the same. The summers are not.

Grants Pass has a Mediterranean climate. July highs run around 90 degrees, and August usually sees about one day of rain. The rain comes in winter, snow on the valley floor is rare, and the sunshine runs from June into fall. Late summer can bring wildfire smoke, so plan an air purifier and a coast trip.

This is the question to answer before you fall in love with a house. Washington has no state income tax. Oregon does, with rates up to 9.9 percent, but it has no sales tax. Depending on your income, spending and where you work, you may come out ahead or behind, so run your own numbers with a tax professional. On property tax, Oregon's Measure 50 limits growth in a home's taxable value to 3 percent a year.

Traffic is a few cars at a light. Downtown Grants Pass fills up for First Friday. Most of the outdoor life Seattle people love is closer here: the Rogue runs through town, three mountain bike trail systems sit minutes from downtown, and Crater Lake is a day trip.

Seattle is Medford's busiest air route, with daily nonstops. Driving takes about seven hours up I-5.

For a walkable town with everything close, start with Grants Pass or Ashland. For the river as your backyard, look at Merlin. For trees and privacy, Wilderville and the Illinois Valley. The Find Your Town quiz narrows it down in five questions.