I was stationed at Fort Lewis from 89 to 91. Loved the area but wouldn't move there now. WAAAY too expensive. Home prices make Denver look cheap. Horrible, horrible traffic. Crowded. Expensive.

Beautiful area though.

We are 2+ years away from me retiring for good. Right now my 85 year old mother keeps us here for sure, and the grandkids too. If not for them I think we'd consider New Mexico or AZ. Texas is too hot and there's virtually no public land for recreation. Arkansas or eastern OK might be on the list but I'm not crazy about humidity (heat I'm OK with.) I spent 5 years in Wyoming, and as nice as it is, you couldn't pay me enough to live through another Laramie winter. South Dakota is an outlier for us but has the same severe winter weather as WY. UT is nice but too expensive. Nevada is another place we'd consider but I'm not sure how viable it'd be long term.

No way would we live in LV but Pahrump isn't bad (we camped there last year in October, it was gorgeous.)

If proximity to grandkids wasn't an issue I'd pick Sierra Vista, AZ. I did a lot of my military training there and it's pretty nice. Low cost of living, most of the population is military or works for the military. It's in Southern AZ but it's also at 4,000' elevation so it doesn't get too hot in the summer and it rarely snows in Winter. Close proximity to military medical treatment (since that's a thing I have to consider.) As a military retiree it would be my first choice.