I've never been to Davis and was wondering how the town is the what the sterotypical person who goes to Davis is like. Personally I'm pretty liberal and and environmentalist so would I "fit in" at Davis?
Yes, The town Davis is very liberal, and the school is one of the more liberal UCs. That said you probably don't want to major in Manageral Economics The students in most majors are similar to the students at the other UCs. The only UC that is overwhelmingly liberal is UC Santa Cruz.
Nah, I think business students can be very liberal. Sure, there's a method to the madness of business, but each individual takes a different approach to the economy. Liberal thinkers may be able to manipulate the economy to come up w/ the "next big thing" with regards to our capitalist society. If I attend UC Davis, I'll be majoring in Managerial Economics, and I'm no conservative lol. Just wanted to get that out there...
You would probably fit in fine at Davis. The atmosphere seems just to the left of midline to me. It's very mellow. Doesn't seem as 'environmental' as UCSC. The town of Davis seems like a nice little middle class college town.
Very geared toward the students.
Yes, there are cows in the Sacramento/Davis rural areas...but UC Davis is no cow town! Without UC Davis, the city of Davis would cease to exist; the town is dependent upon/run by the students of UCD. So the atmosphere of the entire city is completely set by the people of UCD! Davis is one of the last true college towns in all the land. UC Davis = awesome all around college experience, environment, etc.!!!
Hahaha, Davis is a wonderful college town aka. Cal Poly and Chico. Every year they host the Earth Day Festival, a very well attended and popular event. I think the deciding factor for many students is the availability of so many sports. Davis is very sports focused with D1 teams and football. If you are not in at UCLA or CAL and you love sports, then Davis is an excellent match for you. Biking is hugely popular and most of the students enjoy being outdoors. Davis is a charming place and there is plenty to do. Sacramento is only 20 minutes away and you are very close to Tahoe for great skiing. San Francisco/Berkeley is a little over an hour away. My D recently visited UCSD, UCSB, UCLA, CAL POLY, and UCD. She felt that CAL POLY and UCD were by far the friendliest and most fun of them all, and both are true college towns. I think many So Cal people are not very well informed about the schools here in Nor Cal.
I like the cow part, it's one of the reasons I'm thinking of going there. Anyone who grew up in a densley populated area in California should understand, driving 20 miles on the 5 can easily take 30+ minutes for me in San Diego.
I like the idea of having a laid back experince where I don't have to see Soccer moms in Suburbans.
Most of the farms in the surrounding countryside don't have any cows! But there are walnut and almond orchards, the almonds are beautiful when they bloom in February.
Atmosphere 
The students in most majors are similar to the students at the other UCs. The only UC that is overwhelmingly liberal is UC Santa Cruz.
