I up and moved to Boulder, Colorado almost 5 years ago from Cincinnati. Grew up in New Jersey, went to college just outside Cincy, stayed there for a few years. Then did something silimar to what you are doing. I was done with Ohio, went to visit a couple of friends in Boulder for a few days. While I was visiting, I fell in love with boulder, signed a lease that started in 2 months with no job, and the rest is history. Sometimes when life gets in a rut, you've got to shake it up a bit!
Anyway, I love this part of the country, it's kind of like an outdoor playland. It's sunny all the time (300+ days a year), great mountain biking, road biking, backpacking (my favorite), skiing, any other snow sports. You're close enough to Utah to hit up Moab. Then you start to look at the beer scene within a 45 Minute drive from Boulder and it just gets ridiculous. Just to name a few of the big ones: Avery, Odell, New Belgium, Great Divide, Lefthand, Oskar Blues, the list really just goes on and on......and on.
My brother and I are the only ones in our family to leave NJ; he lives in Munich and I live in CO. Bought a house a couple years ago and don't plan on leaving Colorado any time soon. I've never been to the PNW, although I have always wanted to go. People seem to love that much the same as here, so I think you're on the right track with the things you like to do and the places you are looking at.
Good luck!