This is pretty much it. I haven't lived in Chicago, but have a lot of friends from there and did some research while on my last jobs search. Putting affordability next to availability of public transportation, Chicago is probably the best mix I found. Unfortunately, as others had mentioned, the job market couldn't make it worth it for me.

I used to live in Milwaukee without a car.

It wasn't as easy as it is in Chicago, but it's also not so much harder that I'd call someone crazy if they thought it was worth getting to pay half as much in rent.