I definitely identify with "Active Rain" since Eugene, Oregon is known for it's rain. The Oregon Ducks have webfeet! The best weather here is between May and October. If I could just go to Arizona from Nov-April, that would be great!
Born and raised here in Lane County, I have seen Eugene grow from a quiet, mellow town to a bustling little city. We are second only to Metro Portland. I believe our population is over 160,000 now. The best thing about Eugene is it only takes 15-20 mins. to get anywhere around here. Our sister city, Springfield, is also growing with a new HUGE hospital and great companies like Symantec Software. This area has a lot of computer industry. Hynix computer chip manufacturer, dozens of software companies and PSC Scanners.
I lived in Alameda, Calif. for a few years in the 90's. I liked Alameda, Berkley and San Francisco. Eugene feels a lot like Berkley. A university town full of old hippies wearing tie-dye and Birkenstock sandals. The smell of patchouli oil and incense.
University of Oregon is the center of our city. This summer the Olympic trials will be held at Hayward Field. Steve Prefontaine and Nike are a few of the names attached to Hayward Field.
As far as weather, we usually get a few days of snow each year. Just enough for the kids to get out of school and build a snowman. "Snow days" are great family bonding times.
The new subdivision that I work at, Greenbrier Meadows, is really filling out. Our streets are often seen with kids and people walking their dogs. There is a bike path on the South edge that connects to the Eugene bike path that works it's way through the city, along the Willamette river and by Autzen Stadium.
Here is what our neighborhood looks like:

D'arcy: It is great that you are sharing information about Eugene. I have read a few posts about your city, but never had anyone compare it to Berkeley. So, it's a town of old hippies. Yikes, finally... a place where I might "fit in." LOL
I noticed you belong to the By Referral Only group. Have you attended the Main Event ? If so, when... and how did you like it ? Have you done very much with their different programs and strategies ? Take care... and thanks for sharing. Go Ducks !