What is decent pay mean? AZ should have higher pay I'd imagine than the other states. Utah 2nd. More rural less pay. You are single, ever want to get married? Dating scene important? Alaska, that's very different than the other states. I like watching all the Alaska reality shows, but would never want too live there, too cold, no Rocky Mountain Elk or Mule deer, and crazies in the cities it seems. If you want higher pay and opportunity to meet women and aren't mormon, I'd say Arizona. Second is Utah. That's me, though. I'm married ready to retire and Northeast Montana is on my short list for a second home. Winters too cold for me.
Some of the villages have incentives that may entice you to spend some time up there...but it's not like anything else in America and not for most people.....but lucrative and potentially some incredible sporting opportunities. Anchorage is such a shithole that I don't even like to land there anymore.
Cda is still awesome but in the last decade has lost most of its old sawmill town feel and is basically a mini Bozeman ...overpriced with snooty folks driving cars that cost as much as a cda home used to.....but it's beautiful and offers a lot of sporting and recreational opportunities very close.
Pretty much all of the western cities that have a Walmart and red Robin are turning into what Portland was 20 years ago.
Get a van or camper and go the PRN/Travel nurse route. Take jobs in areas that interest you and spend some time in several locations before committing.
NM has pretty solid outdoor opportunities for residents with a very reasonable cost of living. Plenty of healthcare job opportunities, but the politics are admittedly blue.
I've always thought living somewhere around the 4 corners area seemed about the best option you could get for hunting the west. Would give you 4 states to apply for and essentially be located close enough to specific areas that would allow you to scout any and all of them. But I also cannot think of a town in that vicinity that I would care to live in.
Or further north, Grand Junction has always caught my eye, easy access to good hunting in Colorado, close to Utah, and for better proximity to Wyoming and Montana.
If single, get set up as a traveler. Good pay, good incentives, pick your locations, can take some time off to hunt when your contract is up. The travelers I know love it.
What kind of nursing? As others have mentioned PRN/Locums makes bank and provides interesting experiences... Some friends of mine travel 1-3mo the. Back to their home base for a couple months and love it. Otherwise regional pay scales (at least average if not per specialty) should be fairly easy to find and a good place to start?