Replying to Life After High School

Alright NS I am in need of some help. I am very picky and it has been very hard for me to choose what to do with my life. I know i will for sure be going to college but i do not know where. I currently live in Wisconsin and I absolutely hate it here. I would love to move somewhere out west. No I am not the typical NS kid that wants to be mainstream and move to Colorado to ski. I am planning to go somewhere with Ecology and I would love to have an outdoor job.

I am strongly considering moving and gaining residency somewhere in order to afford going to school somewhere else.

Things I consider important about the location
- not TOO difficult to gain residency
- thick forests and places i can hike to
- ski resort within ~2hours (must have a solid park )
- easy enough to get a job
- not too experience to live
- not crappy weather 24/7

Preferably this would be somewhere close to a college I would want to go to. I always dream of being able to look out and see snowy mountains.

As for the college I am looking for
- variety of courses in ecology
- not too small (10,000 plus students) so probably public
- hopefully somewhere i can take my car
- solid party life ( I would like to go out and have fun occasionally but not be overwhelmed )
- not in a big city ( not a fan of them )

I know this is a lot to ask NS but please help me out!?

+k for helpful ideas