California best towns?

So Im determined to go to college in California because that state is AMAZING!!! My first question is what are some good colleges out there and Im smart and I volunteer and stuff so I don't want a school that's easy to get into. My next question is where are nice towns in California? I want a town that is an hour or less away from the beach and I want it to be well put together, warm, low crime rates, low pollution and overall a great place to raise a family when im ready. I know that where ever you go in Cali there are earthquakes but is there a town that has all these qualities but doesn't get that effected by earthquakes and also wildfires? Those things scare me but they are part of life I know :(