Well , thanks everybody who answered me !!
I'm looking for a city with good universties to study science(physics and maths)or universities where I can study something connected with computers.And I'm looking for a city without violence,good for leisure , with good weather(cool is perfect for me )
My hobbies are : go to the cinema , listen music , play volleyball and tennis , study maths , play with the computer and play guitar !

Boston!

Vinicius:

As I'm sure you already know, you can do many of the things you listed just about anywhere, so I think your criteria are really these: access to universities with good science/engineering programs, low crime, good (cool) weather. The two areas that immediately come to mind (though there are others) are Boston and San Francisco.

I live in the Boston area, so that's what I'll talk about. The universities in Boston - in your area(s) of interest led by MIT - are unequalled. There are many good schools elsewhere, of course, but you won't find as dense a concentration of internationally recognized universities anywhere else. The city is currently among the lowest in overall crime rate with particularly large drops over the last few years in violent crimes. "Good" weather is hard to define - the climate is cool for the most part though we can have brief stretches of very hot (mid-90s) and humid weather each summer. Thankfully, these are usually brief and punctuated by cooler/drier periods.

Although you didn't ask, one of the major attractions of the area for me is the wide variety of outdoor opportunities within a relatively small area - oceans to mountains and everything in-between within a two-hour drive of downtown.

Downsides? Sure - it's expensive (most major metropolitan areas are), busy (ditto), and New Englanders are by nature somewhat xenophobic and reserved with strangers and newcomers. Overall, though, I think it's pretty much what you seem to be looking for.

Seattle and San Francisco immediately came to mind when I read your post. I also agree with the Boston recommendation.

I agree that Boston would be a good choice. It's a very charming, European-style city. It has excellent universities and public transportation. But it's a bit cold for my tastes.

There are good universities all over the States. And most of your hobbies can be done anywhere. A city without violence is not easy to find here. You may want to try a smaller city if you're concerned about safety.

My favorite small city is Cincinnati, Ohio. I lived there for 17 years. It's very beautiful, for an inland city. It's relatively safe, people are very polite. They have a good arts scene, major sports, great cost of living. But, Cincinnati is not a mecca for foriegners. It's bus system is okay, not great, no subway. And it is very conservative.

California is gorgeous, but extremely expensive, and virtually no public transportation.

I advise you to stear clear of the south. It's very hot in summer and not the most open-minded place about immigrants.

Maybe Seattle? If you don't mind clouds and rain, Seattle is an incredible city.

If I may ask, where are you coming from? Would you like to go somewhere that has a community of your nationality?

Based on what you've said, I would say Seattle too. I'm moving there myself for the very same reason in a few months.

Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA has a relatively new engineering program (just graduated their first class this year). It is good, the university has lots of international students, there is an emphasis on biomedical engineering. also the campus is wired & fairly advanced in internet use for classes. In July and august it does get to 95 with 95% humidity. Cost of living is MUCH less than northeast,& city bus system is reliable tho not extensive. I know students / staff at VCU from Australia, Thailand, Britain, China, Haiti, India, & lots of other places. go to www.vcu.edu for more info.

The first thought that came to mind was Boston. Nice spring/summer/fall season but you will have to put up with some cold days from Dec-March. Great schools, hospitals, high-tech area. As with any good sized city you will see and hear about violence. I wish we could change that in all our cities.
Let us know what you decide.

Vinicius:

There is still some difficulty. College tuition in this country varies widely. One can get into a state-supported engineering school for a fraction of the cost of MIT or Stanford (or Cal Tech, etc.) Boston came to mind immediately, but the housing costs are high and there are two problems associated with MIT: (1) getting accepted; (2) paying for it. On the other hand, one of my coworkers went to the University of Massachusettes, and he's a good engineer. And that part of the state is somewhat less expensive than Boston, as is the tuition--the trade-off being the school's academic reputation.

I guess what I'm saying is that the question remains too broad.

Austin, home not only to the University of Texas, but Dell Computer and a host of other tech companies.

Yes it's hot in the summer but pleasant the remainder of the year and the Hill Country with its lakes is beautiful with plenty of recreational opportunities. Tennis and volleyball are year round activities. Another plus for you--Austin's great music scene!

The crime rate is low, and contrary to the very negative generalization earlier, all of the south most certainly is not close-minded about "immigrants"!!! good grief.... I'm yankee by birth and we've lived all over, but this is the friendliest area we've ever lived in.

The only drawback now is the fact that after being ranked as the best small city in the US to live, it's becoming too popular. What had been a very low cost of living is rapidly becoming more costly....though nothing approaching the crown holder, Taxachusetts.

Everyone's mentioning Boston, but Boston is hardly cool in the summertime! Tuition questions may be entirely different for a froeign resident.

I would recommend the San Francisco Bay Area, with the caveat the rents are very high. But San Francisco and Berkeley/Oakland have the weather you're looking for, the recreation you want, decent public transportation, and a variety of university and college opportunities, both public and private.

What about the quality of the school? Shouldn't that be the #1 criterion? Of course you can have your cake and it eat it too (good city with top schools) in Boston and Berkeley (San Francisco) but don't forget about the college and university towns spread across the country (for engineering/math: Ann Arbor,MI; Champaign, IL; Penn State U; West Lafayette, IN; Madison, WI) along with places like Northwestern U and U. Chicago, U. Washington in Seattle, Pittsburgh's schools, etc.

Boston, defiitely. Something like 80 universities and colleges, and a wonderful city to live in.

Expensive though, for that reason...

Columbus, Ohio! Low crime rate, lots of corporate offices, The Limited, Bank One, Bordon, Worthington Industries. Several universities, Capital, Otterbein, Franklin University, Columbus State and the Ohio State University! And a great sports town. Softball and golf are very big! Jack Nicklaus was born here and hosts the Memorial Tournament every year over Memorial Day. AND in the fall Columbus will have NHL hockey with a beautiful new arena and revitalization of downtown thanks to Nationwide Insurance also headquartered here. Ohio State has a new arena too, so there are plenty of concerts, ice shows etc. The weather is warm in the summer and not too bad in the winter. We don't get much in the way of snow. We have a nice airport that is affordable to fly out of! Great for families, old people and young alike. What can I say? It's a great place and a hidden gem in the Midwest!

Forgot to mention Columbus has more restaurants per capita than any other city it's size! Wendy's started here and is hq'd here. Also, very affordable!!! I have friends that move here from the East Coast and are amazed at how affordable housing etc. is.

Contrary to an earlier post about the South, we are not all closed minded. You will find diverse populations at any college/university town in the South.

Definitely second Austin, TX. Still not as expensive as Boston or Seattle.

Born and raised in the South and have friends of all races and nationalities. The Mississippi Gulf Coast, where I grew up, has a large Asian and Yugoslavian population. I now live in New Orleans which also has a significant Asian population. Southern Florida and Texas have large Hispanic populations.

Vinicius - Athens, Georgia and Austin, Texas are both great college towns. New Orleans isn't bad either, but it does get VERY hot here - but we do have air conditioning and indoor plumbing these days.

I thought San Francisco had a great public transportation system... am I getting my cities mixed up? San Francisco and Seattle would also be great choices.

Meg, Veruca's statement regarding attitudes in the south toward immigration is a perfect example of why all BB info has to be taken with a large grain of (kosher?) salt!

There are a fair number of clueless people on any board spouting fiction as fact, and though entitled her opinions, they should be couched as just that. I think she was well intentioned, out in left field perhaps, but done without malice...IMHO.

Not to offend, but I agree with the previous poster who said your first criteria should be school/education and then everything else. Why post on a travel board about education? Also shouldn't you have a better idea about what you want to study in a foreign county than the generic "science" and "something connected with computers"