I think you can find smart kids anywhere but if you want academics and merit, in addition to others listed by @Techno13 you might try U of SC and the Honors College (tops in the country), Florida State Honors (inexpensive to begin with)and U of Alabama if you were to do the Blount Scholars or Randall Research. Bama has the most NMFs in the country. So smart people abound. UMD and W&M would be great to your interests but not cost wise. UGA would be an awesome get for your major - it’s highly ranked in IR. and while it’s not coastal but IU would be a great get through Hamilton Lugar School. Also not coastal but Miami Ohio has great merit and is known for teaching quality. No matter the perception you may have of a school, you will not be the only one like yourself and you will find your people.
I mentioned it earlier but College of Charleston is on the coast. While you would be a rock star Vs the average student, you’d likely earn the Charleston Fellows and International Scholars program with a great scholarship. My daughter gets paid to go…ie the scholarship is more than tuition and she has access to diplomats, a personalized mentor for international politics (a career person) and a lot of small group cool stuff. It’d be a smart safety in my opinion. And they do get smart kids - my daughters bff got into Rice, Penn and Vandy. People don’t always just go for the biggest names.