California is the world's fifth largest economy and the nation's most populous state. As you might expect, there are more types of college styles and lifestyles to choose from than perhaps anywhere else. Here are a few key regional characteristics:

San Francisco Bay Area
From UC Berkeley to Stanford, there's a rich student scene here, with plenty of excuses to put down your books. One is the views. Steep hills overlook a sparkling bay and rugged coast. Loads of parkland and strict land use control have made home prices...

California is the world's fifth largest economy and the nation's most populous state. As you might expect, there are more types of college styles and lifestyles to choose from than perhaps anywhere else. Here are a few key regional characteristics:

San Francisco Bay Area
From UC Berkeley to Stanford, there's a rich student scene here, with plenty of excuses to put down your books. One is the views. Steep hills overlook a sparkling bay and rugged coast. Loads of parkland and strict land use control have made home prices stratospheric and getaway hikes a snap to find. Another reason to come here is cultural, with an incredibly diverse population and a fascinating museum, theatre and music scene to explore.

Sacramento
400,000 people live in California's capitol, but the eyes of the world seem to fall on one: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Reports are he's done wonders for Sacramento tourism. Area college students would probably rather check out the opera, ballet, and theatre company, at least 9 museums, the California State Fair, a couple zoos, and the place where gold was discovered in 1849 (the year Sacramento was founded). There are also abundant golf courses. The Sacramento River Delta is a good place for house boating, jet and water skiing. San Francisco and Lake Tahoe are a couple hours away.

Los Angeles
There are over 176 colleges and universities in the greater Los Angeles Area, and many reasons to go off campus. Some of them are the 81 miles of coastline to explore in LA County alone, with many different and interesting beach scenes. There are countless museums, symphonies, galleries and an opera. Over 3.8 million people speak a total of more than 90 languages. With the TV, film and aerospace industries based in LA, among others, it's also a great place to launch an internship or career.

San Diego
San Diego has one of the most temperate climates in the US. That helps attract millions of visitors, 1.3 million city residents, and more than 2.8 million residents countywide. Seventy miles of beaches are home to surfing, boating, sailing and swimming, but also important scientific research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Other interesting places include the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, SeaWorld San Diego and a large LEGOLAND. Downtown is home to the historic Gaslamp Quarter, known for its restaurants and nightlife.