Hi thrums and welcome soon to Oregon! Where are you coming from in TN? I have family in East TN. You're going from one beautiful state to another. I live in Beaverton which lies directly between Hillsboro and Portland. I've been here 17 years and am very familiar with the "Westside". You're correct that most of the farm country lies to the west of Hillsboro. Very beautiful area to be in. Here are some suggestions for places to look:
Forest Grove, Cornelius, Banks, North Plains
Personally, I'd check out North Plains first. It's a bit more rural, but has great highway access. It's smaller than the other towns and I find it has a nice peacefulness about it. There are places out there with amazing views and I'd love to live out there myself.
You ought to PM "2 Doods". She lives out that area and could tell you more or give you other recommendations of where to look.
Also, there are quite a few of us around here who get together on a regular basis, about every other month or so. We may have an open house hosted by a Board member or meet up at a quilt show, and last October several of us took a weekend quilting retreat at the beach. Let us know when you're on your way here because we'd love to have you join us!