I had to go back and look at your major choices…If you could get into a school like Texas, the business school is first-rate and Austin would surprise you in terms of being a city in which you would be comfortable. The problem there is more about whether you would even be admitted and they do not provide much in the way of money. UT-Dallas is a rapidly rising school that awards a lot more money. Downtown Dallas is much like the downtown areas in many major cities. Lots of art and culture and trendy shops.
I implore you to do yourself a favor and not judge a city based on the opinion of others or what you may have heard in France. Visit the central US and I think you will be surprised at how cosmopolitan the downtown areas of many US cities can be.