Voted a "nuclear free zone" in 1986, the rest of us can breathe a little easier while in Berkeley!
A top-ranked university with zany college students, aging hippies and anarchists, and everything/anyone else caught in the mix - combine to form a town that rarely fails to entertain.
College and Telegraph Avenues are centroids of shops and urban life. The sprawling campus makes a great walk - and hosts an ongoing stream of sporting and artistic events.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley,_California