Just noticed this thread. One more place to look would be in the Woodburn area. It is between Portland and Salem with easy access to both (also means cheaper housing), about an hour and a half to the coast one way, and an hour and a half to the mountains the other way. Woodburn itself has a large retirement community and a Walmart, but might be a little larger than you are looking for. Places like Aurora and Mount Angel are in the same area, but a little quieter.
Oh, and it almost never snows (sadly for some of us
).
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