Rationally? No.
For my entertainment purposes? Absolutely.
P.S.: Wth is wrong with the Appalachian Trails for hiking?
I've been hundreds of miles from any actual mountains for the past three years. It is driving me insane. Never been to Appalachia, but I probably wouldn't be able to find good-paying federal work out there, and I don't want to have to drive more than an hour to get into the wilderness. I also hate how the foliage of the East dies in the winter.
The Adirondacks would be good for hiking and mountains, and Albany would probably have plenty of work. If lack of foliage is an issue though then anything that far north wouldn't work for you.