If it isn't enough to be near one of the world's most vibrant cities (San Francisco), then consider living just a short drive from California's wine country and a hop away from the Pacific Ocean. Berkeley has nurtured the landmark restaurant Chez Panisse--mother of the eat-local movement--and launched the 1960s Free Speech Movement. The University of California-Berkeley has employed 20 Nobel Prize-winning professors to date. Today, Berkeley is home to a 34-acre, University of California-run botanical garden.