I love the summers in New England. And yes being into fishing, days by the water, and water sports is part of it for sure. Cook outs beach days cooler nights etc. and a trips to Vermont. But don’t ask me, ask the thousands of people from around the world who travel there and vote with their wallets.
And people with resources who can travel any where , including international travelers, who spend millions to buy summer homes from old Lyme to Newport to little Compton to the cape to Kennebunkport and bar harbor to be in New England during the summer. And the lakes of nh and hills of the Berkshire’s. It’s not perfect but try Florida or the Midwest in the dead of summer.
And comments are meant directionally not as universal acceptance. My personal experience is the students I’ve known who have been attracted to UCLA or Berkeley from out of state as the OP have fallen broadly into the categories.
But every school is diverse in its own way.