Mike and I live in very similar climates. He is a little higher and a little drier. I live amongst the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine in the world! I do the majority of my cutting above 8000 feet elevation and less than half an hour from home. Our summers get a little hot, I think we were 90 degrees Farenheit yesterday. We can also have 70 degree days on Thanksgiving or we can get snow every month of the year. On the opposite extreme we get at or below zero weather every winter. It doesn't usually last, but it can be downright cold for a few days especially if the wind is blowing. The one constant we have is wind, it dries the firewood out great!
The one point of your post that's true is paying to cut wood. To cut on MY Forest Service land requires a permit. It's a little PITA but not expensive or time consuming. Access is becoming more and more of an issue. In town is just like anywhere else.