Without getting into specifics, I think your particular choice of city to live in may have a lot to do with your feelings about the state. If I lived where you do, I wouldn't be nearly so enthusiastic about living here, either.
I live in a city of nearly 200k and I can walk to the foothills from my house.
That said, if your standard of access to wild land is Alaska, nothing else comes close! But ask a New York City dweller how long it takes them to get to a campground that's more than arms reach from civilization and they'll be talking about a full day's drive.
It's all relative, I guess.