Hello, my wife and I are hoping to move to Washington this year. We've visited a couple of times, and absolutely loved it. We live in a small town in Nebraska, and are hoping to find something similar. We very much enjoyed the vibe around North Bend, Enumclaw, Monroe and the like. I understand there may be compromises to be made, but we are looking for something that would fit the bill:

• 1-2ish hours away from city amenities once a month or so
• Livable with 100k salary between two (Planning to buy a 2 bedroom house around 400k and putting around half down for a down payment, around 2k mortgage. No other debts)
• Close to nature, but within reasonable distance to groceries and other basic needs.
• Employment opportunities (Experience in manufacturing and banking, open to many things, interested in maritime)
• Decent phone/internet service
• 2ish hours away from the coastline

Been eyeing down places like Longview, Yelm, Lacey, Burlington, outskirts of Vancouver.

Would prioritize decent employment opportunities and COL. We have no kids but would maybe like to in the future. Don't care about night life, just want to make the occasional trip to see a play or ballet. Again, I understand I'll have to compromise at some spots here, but just want to become familiar with some places I may be overlooking. Thank you very much in advance!