I'm a web developer with about 5 years of experience. My wife and I would like to move from rural Western Washington (I work for local government) to Eastern Tennessee to be closer to my wife's family. I have a mild preference for office or hybrid jobs, but the prospect of looking for jobs in Knoxville or Chattanooga while living hundreds of miles away seems daunting, especially considering that I'm new to job searching (my current job was a referral). I also have no idea how bad the job market is for someone with my level of experience.
Would it be smarter to look for a remote job instead to ease the job search and relocating process? Or should I look for office jobs in Tennessee where the pool of candidates is much smaller than full remote?
I know I'm probably overthinking this, but any advice is greatly appreciated. Have a wonderful weekend!