Why don't you consider Portland in that list? It seems far more what you're looking for than Denver does. Lots of little independent restaurants and boutiques. Lots of people with annoying bicycle bumper stickers that say "One less car on the road..."
(Yes, I found that horribly obnoxious, though I did enjoy a bike path here and there.
)
The prices of homes in Portland are waaaay less than Seattle and far, far less than in San Francisco and the Bay Area. You're much, much closer to outdoor activities than you are in Denver, where you're still quite a hike from the Rockies, despite seeing them off in the distance.
On top of that, it seems like it has more of the hippy/liberal atmosphere you seem to be after. Denver definitely has a more conservative, suburban vibe to the place than you're going to see in the enclaves along the Pac NW.
Gorgeous city. Right on the water with lots of boating and the like.
Yes, it rains. But you get used to it. And the winters are never cold. Not much more than SF, anyway. And not nearly as cold as Denver.
If you have kids, the schools are a lot better in Portland than in Denver. Granted, partially because the city is less diverse, but so it goes.
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