Nice places to live in Cali?

Me and my boyfriend want to go to a college in Cali and live there in an apartment. Where is a nice place perhaps like Philadelphia (Northeast) with a nice college nearby? He wants to be a graphic designer and I want to be a hair dresser. We want somewhere in the city that has warm summers and snowy winters. Where's a nice, fun, city in Cali with good colleges pretty much? (: