Seattle would be a big change for you. It is getting extremely expensive to live here. What kind of job would you be looking for? The tech industry now dominates this town. People with typical middle class jobs like teachers or firefighters are getting priced out of the real estate market, but since you're youngish - you could probably find a group-living situation that would bring down rental costs (plus living in a group house is a great way to expand your social circle when you are new in town.- There IS truth to the Seattle Freeze reputation.)
"Exercise physiology" makes me think you might be interested in being a personal trainer. I know two personal trainers who have done well for themselves, but they both had to hustle really hard, and they had to work weekends, early mornings, and evenings for the first couple of years. Now they've built up their own clientele and are pretty set. There are hordes of young young tech geeks with tons of disposable income, who want to get in shape but aren't athletically inclined.
There are also a lot of affluent baby boomers here, so once you're established you can get a lot of money per hour. Seattle is often ranked as the most physically fit city in the US. If you like to be physically active, this is a great place to live. The temperate climate is great for runners. People don't let the gray drizzle (10 months of the year) slow them down & in the winter a lot of people take advantage of the mountains close to us for skiing/snowboarding/snowshoeing.
There are a lot of military people living south of Seattle (Tacoma region) and further north (Everett.) These cities are much more affordable, but don't offer much of a night life. And they are pretty far from Seattle. Going into Seattle is doable once in awhile, but you'd probably get tired of doing it weekly. The burbs and satellite cities tend to get more conservative the further out you go (BIG exceptions are Olympia and Bellingham)
I personally prefer the neighborhood of Ballard's nightlife to downtown's. Capitol Hill and DT have the dance clubs. Ballard has more of the best live music venues. All three have lots of good restaurants & some excellent breweries. I do think night life has slowed down considerably since the early 90s when this was a grunge mecca - and that's despite the ever growing population. This is also a HUGE brewery town. Discussions about speciality beers often dominate social conversations at parties. I swear. People are more into specialized beer- the brewery scene-- than the music scene. Also, there is an increasing trend of shows starting earlier - like at 8:00. I think this is due to the fact that a lot of 40 & 50 somethings who came here in the 90s still want to hear live music but can't manage staying up late & they have some deep pockets that help struggling clubs stay alive. Artists are taking a huge hit financially - clubs/galleries/theaters struggle to keep up with their sky-rocketing rents. Seattlites are also crazy about movies. There are all types of film festivals and some well-supported indie film houses. Although movie theaters here keep closing, like they are across the US, Seattle probably has more per capita than most cities.
As for politics, yes, the city tends to go liberal on most issues but if you don't talk politics, people will leave you alone. And if anyone treats you rudely because of your more conservative views, then they are not worth befriending anyway.
Things to consider seriously about Seattle:
Could you put up with 10 months of mostly gray drizzly weather, and in the winter, very short daylight hours? (We do get a few days of sun during the those 10 months - enough to remind everyone why we live here because it's so dang beautiful.)
Could you manage the cost of living here?
Could you deal with the fact that most (or at least a LOT of) young guys here are somehow involved in the tech industry?
Are you good at building friendships - because it's very likely people won't go out of their way to welcome you. Of course you can find good people anywhere, but I do think it takes longer to build social circles here than other places. Introverts do fine here.
Are there jobs available in the field(s) you are interested in?
Also, if you really want to move here for the scenery and outdoor rec opportunities, then don't rule out neighboring but smaller cities/towns. More affordable suburbs: Renton, Kent, Lynnwood, Federal Way-- not the slickest of places but close enough to Seattle to take advantage of Seattle's night life. Work commutes though would be huge headache.
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