> There's virtually no nature within a 2 hour drive (you can hardly get past the suburbs in 2 hours after work).

This is often brought up, often by very vocal people on r/chicago, but I've lived in Chicago for years and have never missed nature. The lake is good enough for me. I suspect there are a ton of people like me. I grew up in a big city and I'm energized by the energy of big cities. I like green spaces, but I don't actually feel a compelling need to be in wilderness.