Is Colorado or Washington State a better place to live for a film major?

I know you're super biased against California, but I strongly encourage you to consider San Francisco. It's nothing like the southern California in the movies - it really should be another state. Northern California doesn't get as hot (quite a bit of it gets snow in the winter) and it's super liberal and would be a great place for a communications major. It may not be Los Angeles, but it has a great cultural and artsy scene that rivals and in some way betters that of Hollywood.