DOG-FRIENDLY PARKS IN PALATINE, IL

Northwest suburbs of Chicago include this village of 68,000, where post-WWII housing booms transformed farmland into residential neighborhoods. The area's flat prairie terrain offers few natural features beyond retention ponds and planted parkland. Continental climate creates humid summers in the mid-80s and brutal winters averaging 38 inches of snow. Metra commuter rail connects to downtown Chicago, though O'Hare Airport's proximity 10 miles south influences regional traffic patterns. Palatine's mixed housing types and commercial corridors reflect typical suburban Chicagoland development. Lake Michigan lies 25 miles east, occasionally sending lake-effect snow across the suburbs.