[jyl]

Check out Forest Grove, Scott. This is a small town about 30 minutes west of Portland by car. Right on the suburban/rural boundary - go 1 mile west from Forest Grove and you're on logging roads in the Coast Range. The town itself is cute, a bit of commercial, a movie theatre, few shops, all the basic services, a community college (to take courses in retirement), during the summer there is a really quite decent concours d'elegance. Next town to the east is Hillsboro, affluent bedroom community with a really good air show every summer, and the MAX light rail starts there, so in Forest Grove you are only 5-10 minutes from MAX. Further to the east is Beaverton, lots of shops and resources, including good Asian food. Then Portland with the "big city" - err, well, "barely medium city" - attractions. Forest Grove to Portland is 30 min by car if no traffic, or about 40 min by car+MAX and traffic doesn't matter. And going the other direction, you are about 45? min drive from the coast. Housing looks in your price range. I'd consider retiring there.

By the way, with housing prices going up, and mortgage rates low, I would consider whether to buy a place now and rent/AirBnB it out for a couple years.