The metropolis of Chicago, Illinois is on the one hand a solid working-class town and on the other hand a city of high culture and gracious living. Like most major cities in the Midwest, it is a town of historical importance, but it is very technologically advanced. Residents of Chicago also take their sports very seriously, what with Bulls, Bears, and Cubs going at it with ferocity in their backyards.

Phoenix, Arizona, is the nation's seventh largest city, and home to five major professional sports teams: baseball's 2001 world-champion Diamondbacks, football's Cardinals, basketball's Suns, hockey's Coyotes, and the WNBA's Mercury. Spend your free time horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, rafting, camping, fishing, or golfing in nearby Avondale's 19,000-acre Estrella Mountain Regional Park.

There is always something happening in Los Angeles, from traveling art exhibits and live theatre to sporting events and festivals. Los Angeles is home to the professional sports teams of the NBA's Lakers, NHL's Kings, and MLB's Dodgers. Your obsession with cars may lead you to the championship events at Long Beach's Toyota Grand Prix Raceway.

The City of Sacramento, home to 400,018 people, is the cultural, educational, business and governmental center of a four-county metropolitan region. It's also the California state capital, the center stage for governmental policy for the entire state. Founded in 1849, Sacramento was the starting place of the California gold rush, the Pony Express and the first continental railroad.