I've no reference for comparison since I've not lived in any of the cities you mentioned other than Portland. I will say that Portland is an excellent city to cycle in. It is also offers a proximity to mountains, ocean, desert that is hard to beat. This allows a person to quite easily engage in many other outdoor activities. Although I've considered moving for a variety of reasons, I am hard pressed to find a better alternative - so I remain.

And yes, it rains often. But I ride to work each day and it doesn't much bother me.