Warmer, mid COL, less populated, and more friendly than Seattle?

Hey folks,

Wife and I are doing what we do every so often and talking about leaving Seattle area.

We have been here about 7 year and in our home for about 5.

We wrote a pros and cons list, I think after learning about ourselves more and becoming parents we are wondering if Seattle is really for us.

Extreme HCOL, bad traffic and a large amount of people are a few things that are driving us away (lines at trailheads, constantly booked for every little thing we might do as a family, etc). We also both need more sun I think.

We have lived in Phoenix, Flagstaff, and California before.

We have been poking at the idea of Colorado, but we’re unsure.

We’d love a place with some natural beauty (but know to temper our expectations as we have lived in such a beautiful place for so long), lower cost of living, more sun, and someplace potentially family friendly as we have a 3 year old. Bonus points if there isn’t a line out the door at every single business.

Nurse and Teacher so the job options should be there (sort of)

Any input appreciated!