New remote job requiring move to LA. Am I looking in the right places?

Hi all,

I just accepted a new job which is fully remote, but requires me to move and live in the general vicinity of LA (and somewhat close to an airport) as I will be visiting with clients who are located throughout the city. This gives me a lot more flexibility on where to live as I won't have a regular commute, but I am struggling to come up with a shortlist of spots to visit on my 4-day apartment hunting trip.

A little about me: I am late 20s and pretty introverted, I also don't drink so no real interest in nightlife. I am pretty active though, so would prefer a location with closer access to nature and good running or hiking trails. I've lived in cities most of my life so am not interested in living in DTLA. My current shortlist of locations are Pasadena, the South Bay beach towns, and Long Beach. I may look at Huntington and Newport as well, but it seems a bit far from LA County. I have no familiarity with the area outside of googling, so are there any other areas I am missing or should check out? Budget is roughly $3500/mo Thanks!