Minnesota

There is easy access to the highways, the airport, and the bus lines. There's an express bus that goes to the Mall of America/ light rail terminus, and that gets you to the airport and then to downtown Minneapolis.

It's a relatively new suburb so there are a good number of retail and dining chains there, but the roads are nice and wide, with plenty of sidewalks. There are some nice, family friendly parks there too.

If you want something a bit more rural there are small cities, such as Cambridge, Princeton, and North Branch around that are maybe 45 minutes away.