I agree with the poster on the previous page that Williams and Amherst are more similar than different, and, certainly, Williams is “in the middle of nowhere”, although its a pretty nowhere to be. Amherst, actually, is less isolated since it shares the town of Amherst with UMass and is a free bus ride away from Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke, and Smith. Its also a lot more diverse than its traditional reputation suggests. Also, neither Amherst or Williams give merit aid because they consider all their students worthy of it.
A more productive place to look might be the website of the “colleges that change lives” (CTCL), which relates to a book that may be available in the public library. Some, such as Ohio Wesleyan and Denison, have already been suggested. Those typically are less well-known schools that often are fairly generous with merit aid because they’re trying to raise their academic profiles. Students generally (and I am generalizing) seem to love them, although some are in more isolated areas of Ohio, Indiana, and Pennsylvania (at least the ones I’m familiar with).