As an academic scientist married to another academic scientist, where I now live has been highly constrained by where we could both get faculty positions at a decent university. Since my Ph.D. I have lived in six different cities in five different states including sabbatical years. I now live right in the center of California, in a small city in the central valley.
Like most places, it has its plusses and minuses. On the plus side, the cost of living is low by California standards, and we live in a big house on 1.15 acres just three miles from campus. Traffic is negligible and you can drive anywhere you want at any time of the day. There are lots of quiet roads nearby for running and cycling. There's excellent hiking and backpacking in the Sierras within a 1.5-2.5 hour drive. When I really need a beach fix I can drive to the ocean within about 3 hours, although traffic becomes a big hassle. My small city has a decent gym and most of the other necessities of life, and almost anything I can't find here I can find in the bay area within a 2-3 hour drive, again traffic dependent. It doesn't snow here, but in the winter I can easily drive to elevations where it does.
The down sides? There are very few educated people in my area except those associated with the university, who tend to be a pretty homogeneous lot whose world views are limited to their echo chamber. There's not much "culture" here, although honestly I don't give a darn about most forms of "culture". The summers here are hot as blazes. The worst thing about my current location, which is becoming an issue as we get older, is the lack of decent health care here. Most of the local physicians are pretty hopeless, and having to travel 3 hours each way to the bay area for medical care is a major problem.
We are looking for possible places to move to upon retirement, but we're doing so very carefully. I know lots of people who have retired to what they thought was the perfect place and greatly regretted that decision!