I live in an unincorporated area two blocks from the border of Chicago. By getting the whole "municipality" thing out of the way and falling under county juris

I live in an unincorporated area two blocks from the border of Chicago. By getting the whole "municipality" thing out of the way and falling under county jurisdiction, property taxes are reasonable (and we pay for emergency services from adjacent municipalities), lot sizes are bigger, more choice over who delivers our services (like, say, trash), and we have the benefits of both Chicago and the surrounding areas. Granted, Cook County and the State of Illinois all have their problems with unfunded pensions, but removing one layer definitely helps.