<p>Nice will often be in the mind of the beholder, but anecdotally folks in the South (with their excellent manners) and folks in the Midwest (with their lack of pretense) often are recognized for highest concentrations of “nice” people. </p>
<p>As for ten highly regarded colleges that IMO might be appealing, take a look at William & Mary, Wake Forest, U North Carolina, Davidson, Vanderbilt, Rice, Wash U, Notre Dame, U Illinois and U Wisconsin. High concentrations of nice people at all, generally leading balanced lives as students.</p>