I agree with you, Chicago is brutal. I'm actually moving out west in a few months for the exact reasons you listed! But, as I said, I grew up in the rural midwe

I agree with you, Chicago is brutal. I'm actually moving out west in a few months for the exact reasons you listed! But, as I said, I grew up in the rural midwest. I would caution people against considering it a cheap-land utopia. Also, I would not equate moving to a small city in the midwest to moving to a small city in the Bay Area. You have at least a proximity to larger cities, and there is beautiful nature and weather to enjoy, along with better culture in general.