I was born and raised in Belleville. College in Bloomington and Edwardsville. Single professional years in Wicker Park. My kids were born in Naperville. I raised my children in Palatine/Inverness - Pleasant Hill, to Plum Grove to Fremd. Spent 18 months in Waukesha then 28 months in Old Irving Park.
I CHOSE to move back to Southern Illinois - first a temporary place in Smithton with goats, cows and a donkey in my neighbor's backyard. My permanent home is in Sauget - a fine village, Exit 1 across the Poplar Street Bridge.
Maybe you just have not experienced much.