Looking for descriptions of Academies/advice on choosing

Sites about "best regions to live in France" don't really seem helpful. What I need are descriptions like "Grenoble is crunchy" or "the rural areas in __ are beautiful but people can be unwelcoming to anyone different" or "don't even try for __ because everyone wants that one."

If anyone's willing to give in-depth advice, here's my considerations:

• I don't mind living somewhere small & rural as long as there's public transit (I can drive but how am I supposed to get a car in France??)
• I like nature, history, crafting, reading, and theater. Nightlife isn't my thing, but it would be nice to have other young people around. I'm also lesbian and know that cities tend to be more queer-friendly.
• I'm Jewish. I'm not Zionist and only attend synagogue on holidays, but my dad is very concerned about my safety with antisemitism in France.
• I'd love to be able to travel around Europe a little during breaks. One of my friends will be in Ireland and I'd love to get to Copenhagen and Italy.
• Cost of living, obviously

Thank you in advance to anyone who replies, and best of luck to everyone else applying!