New England would be a good choice.

1) Portland, Maine: Mountains near-by. Good opera house and culture in town. Boston is 2+ hours away. Good rivers and lakes near-by. On the ocean... I doubt there is much of an MA scene there though.

2) Small town, Massachusetts: I live in a small town myself with nearly no crime. Boston is a 35 minute drive. My land up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire is a 1 hour 45 minute drive. There are ski areas within 30 minutes and great skiing in the white mountains. Great hiking up there as well as kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, etc. (White Mountain National Forrest is an 800,000 acre park) Plenty of parks within a good drive in Vermont and Maine as well. In Boston, there is plenty of kung fu. In Boston and surrounding areas there is plenty of good MA as well. It's obviously near the ocean.

As far as culture, you have great museums, theatre, restaurants, the works. The birthplace of the American Revolution... If you want to drive for 3 hours, you can take a trip to New York City. Not a bad spot.

I'd also imagine that a city like Seattle or Denver may hold some appeal.