If you are open to living in an urban but very "neighborhood-ey" environment then Chicago is without a doubt one of the best. Most of the neighborhoods worth looking at are an easy bus ride to the blue line or along the blue line itself. Oddly, the suburbs around O'hare are not as easily connected to the airport. Go figure.

If you are looking at the total package and not just the ride to the airport, Chicago is, without a doubt, one of the easiest cities to get around via public transit. Cheap, reliable (yes, even in the snow), efficient and reasonably clean.