Investigate Minneapolis. Winters are hard, but it is a great biking place, and has many cultural institutions that punch way above their weight. Its tech focus may be more in the direction of medical devices and commodity ag, but that's not bad. Cray Research grew up a stone's throw away, and the area still supports significant resources for the company.

Good food, too, and, despite being land-locked, lots of water activities, even within the cities (swimming beaches, boating, etc.)