Couple Seeking Affordable(ish) Living near Outdoors.

Hello!

My SO and I are looking for a new place. I've have been bouncing for a few years (mainly abroad). She has been living in NYC.

Here are a few priorities:

-Relatively sunny

-Proximity to outdoors

-Water, Mountains, or Forest. Ideally 2/3

-No ticks

-Winters that aren't brutal.

-Ideally has an international airport

We have a combined income of a little over 300k and would like somewhere where we can live well on that. Our income won't be affected by moving.

Bonus points if there is cheap rural land roughly an hour from a larger metro.

We're bouncing around Colorado, Montana, and possibly parts of Wyoming but obviously would love to hear other ideas.