I think a city's assets are in the eyes of the beholder.
I really like it here in Portland-- cosmopolitan enough to have some big city amenities without having as much crime and grime. There is a real 'neighborhood' feeling, neighborhood organizations and projects, community gardens... it really depends on the neighborhood one falls into. Our library and transit systems are wonderful, yes, we do have a large homeless population however, I think you will find that no matter which city you go to. Ours has more resources and we've had less violent crime than other cities in recent years. The schools? It depends on the neighborhoods as well as how much the parent is willing to invest themselves in their kid's education. We have decent schools (testing/drop-out rates very typical for a larger city, and the schools are addressing this-- my son's school is excellent and one of the best rated in state) and plenty of good childcare here. Because of OHSU, we also have lots of health care resources. And be prepared-- we have beautiful spring/summer/fall, but through mid-fall to mid-spring, it's mostly a puddle. Many of us drink tea or coffee to deal with our seasonal depression... but for those not afflicted and who like rain, it's a treat. What I love, too, about Oregon, is that we have nearly every sort of climate here: from Portland you are about 1.5 hours away from the beach, 2 hours away from the mountains, 3 or more hours away from high desert destinations, great skiing in Bend, etc. I still am not done exploring all I want from this state and I've been in Oregon most of my life.
My sister, on the other hand, lives in Richland WA. She loves it there, way upstream on the Columbia from us. Nice small town sort of community, situated in the high desert and very pretty being by the river. That said, it's near Hanford, and the jury is still out on that. My parents liked it so much that they've moved there to be with sis and her family; my dad is hoping to be self-employed there (he's a mechanic/diesel mechanic) and there is the feeling that the town is still growing and offers opportunity. There is growth in that tri-cities area, Idaho skiing nearby, and Washington also offers some geological diversity.
I'm a Pacific Northwesterner at heart. Have lived in Florida, Hawaii and southern California and would still pick our little upper left corner of the US every time.