I lived in Chicago area for 37 years and the suburbs are very nice and livable. Fantastic golf courses (Cog Hill #4 where the pro’s play a tournament every year is my all time favorite golf course, along with Tiger Woods), huge number of excellent restaurants with every ethnic flavor imaginable. The entire Lake Michigan lake front of the city has parks & golf courses and is several miles long. Lake Shore drive separates the parks and the city buildings for the entire length of lake front. Rush street rocks with trendy bars and Michigan ave has world class shopping. Only reason I left Chicago was weather.
Weather is horrible..I lived there from 59 to 93. Albuquerque now.... Much better weather.... Political climate about the same as Crook County. That might be changing somewhat in November.
I can throw a rock from my home and it'd land on one of #4's fairways. I've seen Tiger, Vijay Singh and a host of others play #4 over the years but personally I've never golfed the course as I'm just not a golfer.
Looking out over the course is beautiful though!