Advice Needed: Moving from Europe and looking for job prospects within ~2hrs of NYC or DC

Hey team, I'm currently looking to move from Europe back to the States, and I am hoping to have your advice on where to move to. All the immigration legalities are taken care of already. Literally anywhere is fair game at the moment, so long as it meets the following requirements:

• Solid job prospects for a mid-senior level network engineer (good pay, high job availability, not horrid commute if I have to go in, etc)
• An airport within ~2 hours drive that has cheap direct flights to Amsterdam (so I can visit family regularly)
• It has some really pretty nature around (I don't want to live directly in a big city)

I found that the best airports for cheap (sub $300) flights to Amsterdam are coming from Miami, DC, and NYC. I don't particularly care for Miami, so that leaves DC and NYC.

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So, the specifics:

1. Can anyone give any insight into the realistic job market around (probably not in) either of those two cities?
2. Are there any population hubs around there you can recommend to settle down in?
3. I'm currently an independent contractor since that is the best and most tax-advantaged way to work in the NL. Is there a big culture of independent network engineers in the states, or is it all salaried?

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I would really appreciate your help and responses. Thanks!