Boulder, Colorado, USA, is a small city of just over 100,000 denizens with a university of about 25,000 students. It sits on the plains next to the Rocky Mountains. We actually have a couple of 8,000' mountain peaks right inside the city limits, because due to the great foresight of the citizens of Boulder over the past 25 years, the city is surrounded by open space areas. The original plan was to limit growth and provide breathing room, plus a place to run your dog. And dogs do seem to outnumber people here.
Boulder is also a good-sized county.
The weather here is mild compared to the nearby mountains. We get a lot of sun, and a fair amount of snow. Sun worship is the local pastime. Boulder has several nom de plumes. Students here are very civics-minded.