Sprawl Not an Option for Rural Chicago Suburb

"Golf, a northern suburb many neighbors describe as a lifestyle, not only an address, quietly continues as it has for decades despite the unremitting changes that unfold around it."

"Leaders of Golf, now in its 80th year, are considering how best to move forward while preserving the foothold of town spirit and neighbor-to-neighbor government rooted in the past. Residents in the well-heeled suburb still collect their mail at the local post office and pin notices to bulletin boards around town, and most everyone rotates through the Village Board or civic association at some point."

"With 453 residents, 170 homes, seven roads and not a single business, Golf is the second-smallest town in Cook County. Only the western suburb of McCook, with 241 residents, is tinier."

"The village has gained a mere 19 residents during the last 48 years, and growth is not an option. Bordered by the Glen View Club golf course, a Cook County forest preserve and four-lane roads, the village cannot expand its half-square-mile footprint dotted with stately colonials, ranch homes and newer tear-downs. Nor would it want to, many say. Being small simply is part of being Golf."