We really enjoy going to Bend. Mostly because there are lots of good motorcycling roads in the area and there is no sales tax in Oregon.
Nice airport, not too busy. City is about 3600 msl. Haven't been to the airport in a while, though. We would stop there occasionally for fuel.
Climate is typical high desert. Warm in the summer, snows in the winter. Can be windy. And yes, I imagine landscaping would be a ***** if you wanted a lush lawn and plants that required a lot of water and rich soil. But, there isn't a lack of lawns and such. You just have to work a little harder at it.
If you're into beer, Deschutes Brewery has got some yummy yummy stuff.
As far as the volcanos go, the only one in the area that has done anything in the past 20 years is Mt St Helens and that one is about 200 miles away.
Since they put in the Hwy 97 bypass, the traffic through the middle of town has gotten a whole lot better, but it still needs some work. Bend would be one of the places I would move to, if I were forced to leave the central WA paradise that I call home.