Seeking sunny, dry area in Oregon near water (kayaking, etc.) (Portland: good schools, moving to)

[ThanksABunch]

I'm probably asking for too much but here goes!!

My husband has multiple sclerosis and he really needs to be in a drier, sunnier climate than Portland offers.

We also love kayaking and want easy access to water (ocean or river).

And to make it a bit more challenging, we also have a 10-year-old and 6-month-old, so good schools are crucial.

Any place exist in Oregon like this besides Bend? Bend didn't appeal to us very much.

I'm wondering if there are any towns in southern or eastern oregon that might work..or perhaps are up and coming for families/culture?

Truthfully, we really don't want to give up on Oregon just yet!! We don't want to have to resort to moving to the desert SW and cannot afford southern Cal.

Thanks!!

[mdvaden]

Why not do some searching about climates near Grants Pass. 20 miles one side of it or the other, can really change the rainfall totals.

Grants Pass gets 31 inches per year, but the dry season is quite a bit longer.

You've got the Rogue River right there, and then the Smith River between there and the redwoods.

[RogueRiverRat]

I second your looking from GP to Medford.