Anon,
I would focus on the facts. Funding is a fact, public transportation is a fact, closeness to your home city is a fact. But things like "it seems like people are not very happy there" are very subjective and not well-founded. I wound't use such things as criterias for deciding, because things like "happiness" and "good environment" depends on many factors that you can not control at all.
I would go for the first school you mention, and congratulations for been accepted!