Too much rain in the Washington, Oregon area. Colorado is to full of Californians for my comfort level. I am very happy here in a northern Arizona town a little over a mile high. Idaho and Montana also sound nice except for the winters,
I guess I lived my life backwards in that I lived in Payson Arizona when the town only had a mom and pop supermarket, population of 1,500, no traffic lights and I lived as an artist 15 miles on a dirt road leading out of town. Had a range in my back yard and an indoor range then 5 or 6 years later we got neighbors. Sometimes the river fords almost washed me and wife away but I loved it. The town started growing and after 13 years lost what made it great. Bears, turkeys, bobcats, mountain lions all made a walk in the woods exciting and the primal forest was eventually cut down by the saw mill in town. One cool thing about being an artist and having to find other ways of surviving was the census job i took where I got to go on old homesteads, and not always welcomed. I remember people with 30-30's behind the doors and staying there.
When my first daughter was born we left for Friday Harbor, Washington and i went back to school to change for feast or famine to a more consistent job as a psychologist.
Good luck with your move, I certainly understand what you are looking for. Just do it before you get too old.