I'm a little biased, but the okanagan valley in B.C. is pretty nice. do a search on the cities of penticton and kelowna. lots of good roads with little traffic, a big lake for watersports, lots of skihills for winter, booming economy, spectacular local wine industry. downside, housing prices are getting up there. but you gotta figure there's a reason for that. it's a nice place to live.
http://www.penticton.ca/gallery/default.asp
some good categorized pics here
http://www.tourismkelowna.com/visitors/photogallery/activities.php
general pics from a photo contest
http://www.rdos.bc.ca/index.php?id=455
I also have a couple of friends who work in the local fish hatchery if you wanted to talk to someone about job opps in that area. B.C. has the country's most progressive gov't fisheries. B.C. is second only to california in environmental regulations/enforcement. something more in line with your current career.
http://www.gofishbc.com/
regards, Don.