I go to UCSD (University of California, San Diego)
Its enjoyable staying local and home and everything but then again, a 3rd year looking back, I would have done a LOT better academically if I were to go far away from home.
Most of my buds here with REALLY REALLY high GPA don't live here. They are in LA area and because they are just here to study, thats all they did and hence, good academics.
If you are a family person and wants to be around home, staying local is good because sometimes going off too far can hurt what you learn too because you will always be thingking of your home while you are here in college.
It all comes down to who YOU are in respect to what YOU want to get out of college
Best regards
Tommy