There are a lot great options for you. An important item to consider is local support for a shop. Mountain bikes potentially can need a lot more routine maintenance as compared to a road bike and having a trusted mechanic and shop near by can make a big difference especially if you are relatively new to the sport. I’m lucky to have a great mechanic near to me in Columbus, OH and he’s saved me a few times including finding a hairline crack in my rear triangle.
Depending on your budget, there are many options. This time of year you can often score a great deal on a 2018 model. I’ve gotten many bikes in the fall at significant discounts. The Yeti SB100 is going to be harder to find cheap but is a fantastic money is no object modern XC/Trail bike. If I was starting from scratch, that would likely be my choice today, especially if I could only own one mtb bike. Others have mentioned the Specialized Epic and Santa Cruz options, which are all really, really good bikes.
I’m in the midwest and my go to “daily driver” is a Niner RKT with a Fox 34 SC 120 mm fork. It’s light, fast, and handles everything around here. It’s not as slack as an SB100 but is amazing at places like Mohican and Brown County. Here the slightly steeper head angle works navigating some of the tighter terrain but I wouldn’t hesitate to take it to places like Aspen or Eagle, CO to ride. I do have a prior generation Niner Rip 9 RDO (125mm rear, 140mm Pike on the front), and its a good all-around bike but does feel sluggish compared to the RKT.
One other suggestion, whatever your budget is, get a really good set of wheels. I’m partial to Enve and the M525’s are amazing and make such a difference. There are some other good less expensive options, but a good wheelset is really worth the dollars.