I am not sure if I am late to the chase but will throw in my two cents if you are still looking. I currently live in Charlestown SC. I am probably older than most here; a product of the 90's
.... My career has always been in the tech industry and I worked with a company that allowed me to relocate a number of times. So two of the cities on your list I have lived in and have family in, which is Seattle and Nashville.
I was in Seattle from 2011-2014 right before moving to Charlestown. I lived in Nashville (my sister still does) from 2000-2005, and I visit her at least twice a year. Nashville has grown a lot, and the housing has gotten a lot more expensive even though comparing it to Seattle pricing isn't even fair, it's not even in the same ballpark, Nashville is a lot cheaper. You say you enjoy a quiet life if you went to Nashville try the south end (Franklin and Nolensville) if you have children, there are some nice schools there, and it's a quick drive to the city.
You will get all four seasons in Nashville, and it does seem to get some harsh storms, not as bad as most of the south though like Atlanta. Seattle is like a different country, it's much bigger, much more expensive, and the pace of life is a lot faster. If you are a person who enjoys mild weather and dark days don't effect you Seattle or Portland are great. There is plenty to do in all of the cities, even Nashville now has a professional football team and I would compare it more to Portland in terms of size than I would Seattle, again it's bigger and feels it. I visited Portland quiet a few times and it just never felt like somewhere I wanted to live. I can't put my finger on it, maybe it was because I was already in Seattle but I didn't find the Portland charm a lot of people on the forum did. Again it could just be because that was the first time I lived in that region and I felt Seattle was a superior in comparison imho.
The best advice I can give you is go to were you can afford it. If money is tight don't move to Seattle or Portland as these places are very pricey. You will need to move 20 miles out towards Kent WA to buy a $425,000 home at around 1600 square feet which will include a hell of a commute. Whereas in Nashville you will be able to get a gorgeous huge home for that amount if you move as far out. Not to mention Washington and Nashville have no state income tax, after that the taxes in Nashville are lower in every way. There is no sales tax in Portland but when you add all the taxes together it is taxed more than Seattle and Nashville.
I was able to sell my home in Seattle when I moved to Charlestown and get a much nicer house and at the same time bank $150,000 off my Seattle home. Again I am in my early 40's so I was getting a little burnt on the city life and where I live was a nice change for me. I find the thing that made me the happiest was not having a mortgage., lol.
All the places you picked are nice, I might throw in Austin and Denver as well, maybe even Dallas and Asheville. I am not a political person and have np fitting in a liberal or conservative place, I could care less. One of the places I stayed a few weeks for work at and the people were just wonderful was Salt Lake City, and they are pretty conservative there but some of the nicest people I ever met.
Anyways good luck you picked some great cities, my parting advice go to were you can afford. If I was loaded to the hilt and money was no concern between the lot I would move to Bellevue, WA. That would be a much different Seattle experience than living in Everett driving 25 miles and sometimes a 1 and 1/2 hour commute to work, and don't even get me started with the nightmare of trying to park in downtown Seattle.
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