Thought exercise! House hack in the next great outdoor city/town?

[Robert Durden]

Hi all, recently settling into my first property (a house hack in Washington, DC proper - got a steal of a deal!) and am toying with a thought exercise. I am setting my sites on my next primary residence house hack when I am eligible next April. In my next property, I am looking to strike out West to house hack a -plex (open to 2-4, anything that makes sense numbers wise) in a good market that will offer some vibrancy in terms of city/town life with access to the great outdoors, primarily skiing. With my DITI, I have about $400-500K to play with.

I am looking at all the usual suspects (Denver, SLC, Boise) but fear they are beyond reason/price at this point. I am doing my due diligence on these markets but figured I'd throw it out to the community and hear thoughts, thanks so much!

(I am not sure if these types of posts are cool so appreciate the feedback!)