DOG-FRIENDLY PARKS IN MOUNT PROSPECT, IL

Northwest of Chicago, this suburb of 55,000 residents developed in the post-WWII housing boom as farmland transformed into residential neighborhoods. The area's flat prairie terrain offers few natural features beyond planted street trees and retention ponds. Continental climate brings muggy summers with temperatures near 85°F and cold winters where January averages 25°F. Lake Michigan lies 15 miles east, occasionally sending lake-effect snow across the suburbs. Mount Prospect's grid layout and mixture of single-family homes and apartment complexes reflect typical suburban Chicagoland development patterns.