Relocating, where to-

My GF and I are trying to relocate because she's stuck in a dead end job and there's a hiring freeze for public jobs (she's a teacher) and they don't expect to lift the freeze for over a year. I'm self-employed, so I can work anywhere provided it's a city around the size of Raleigh, NC.

So, my question is if there are any cities closer to good hills where the economy isn't in the crapper like in most places. We both want to be closer to better slopes than the stuff in NC where we're at now. Any suggestions? She's a teacher and I'll either continue the self-employment or I'll do IT where my degree is in.

By cross-referencing this list with snow, it looks like you'd probably want to stay where you're at until the economy recovers a bit more.  Although it looks like Olympia, WA is on the list as well, and somewhat close to Mt. Rainier.