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Hate to tell you, but for the price of house you want, with good schools, you are going to have to move to the plains or midwest, which have the worst weather in the country, cold cloudy windy snowy icy winters AND hot muggy humid summers.
That's not true at all. Many cities in the Northeast have much worse weather. It's probably colder in the Midwest, but you'll have to shovel snow more frequently in New England.
I lived in Iowa for a while. We had warm summers, some days were even pretty dang hot. Spring and fall were nice. Winter could be brutal at times, but most days were 15-35 degrees. Snow occured once every few weeks, sometimes more. If you want to see more snow, head to Buffalo.
Well, certainly Albuquerque fits in the LCOL, scenery, weather, city size and feel, and outdoor activities. There are plenty of private schools. Food is unique and one reason why some people visit - New Mexican is not Mexican - but there will be less seafood and more chiles. Air quality is generally very good though we have some pesky pollen issues. Weather is high desert...meaning not at all like Phoenix. Humidity is often in single digits. Hottest temp on record is 107 some years ago but we might get a couple 100 degree days in June. Days are warm, nights are cool. Winter days in the 40-50 range usually with sub-freezing nights. We get a little snow. It will all vary based on where you live (valley, heights, west side, foothills). We have a monsoon season...meaning there will be rain in the area for about six weeks in late July and August. Many people (like me) use evaporative coolers rather than air conditioning and it does the job at a fraction of the cost of AC. Being at 5000 feet elevation with clear skies means you will almost always need a hat and sunscreen. Crime is average for a city this size and varies based on where you are and who you associate with. Ethnicity and cultural diversity is a positive thing in Albuquerque and we pretty much celebrate that diversity. There are no beaches but if you want sand you can find that pretty easy. Outdoor activity is what people do here...hiking, mountain bike, walking trails...pretty much outdoor friendly.
Santa Fe (state capital) is an hour away and has much the same characteristics but is a little more pricey and more artsy and a smaller town. There's a commuter train between Albuquerque and Santa Fe so people live and work in both places. I live about halfway (time-wise) between the two but physically closer to Albuquerque.
Somewhere in the Pittsburgh area might meet your criteria, depending on what field you are looking for work in. The eds and meds sector is fairly strong here. Housing for $200,000 or less gets you a decent house in all but the most pricey suburbs. There is some crime, but it largely is isolated to certain areas of the city and is very non-random in nature. We have scenery with the hills and rivers. Weather...well that's probably going to be a bit of a compromise for you. It does get pretty hot and sticky here in the summer.
Norfolk/Virginia Beach, maybe. You're either going to have to buzz on those high temperatures or the low temperatures. The range you're looking for is pretty much only found in California. Virginia will give you more comfortable lows, but you're gonna have to deal with some real heat.
I think people on this site tend to undersell Colorado's winters
Colorado gets a lot of sunshine, so even when the air temperatures are cold, it's not as uncomfortable as one may expect.
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