East coast to West coast

Me and my wife want to eventually leave SC. We've looked all over the country scouring zillow and researching certain areas, but haven't been able to pin point exactly where we want to end up. We both absolutely loved California but don't believe we could comfortably raise a family there. Washington and Oregon would be a dream but again, no idea if we could afford living there. We have been interested in areas up north on the East Coast, but as we both are from the southeast we have no clue if we would enjoy a long cold winter. What I do know is we are tired of the extreme heat and rapid development here in central SC, and the southeast in general. She is a RN, and I'm personally looking into some sort of law enforcement/park warden type of position. Not looking for answers, just some suggestions from others who have made similar moves, any concerns, regrets, certain areas to check out etc. Thanks!