The Yahoo! Local site is the best spot to start general local searches for just about anything. It's rich in local detail, too, aggregating all sorts of content such as your neighborhood's upcoming events, weather, businesses, RSS feeds, users' favorite restaurants, and hot spots. The Web app plots search results automatically on a map with color-coded and numbered tags. Some of this ability is due to Yahoo!'s acquisition of and integration with upcoming.org (a social-event calendar site) last year.

We aren't too thrilled with Yahoo! Local's integration with Yahoo! Local Maps, though. The two services are linked but act like two separate sites. Searches in Yahoo! Local generate a smallish map that is relegated to the sidebar, with your results listed on the main section of the page. Google Local, A9.com Maps, and Windows Live Local all do a better job of integrating maps with your search results.

This content and the accompanying map dominate the topmost part of the main Local page, and several other subcategories populate the remainder. These include "People are asking about…," "Browse All Categories" (automotive, computers & electronics, and so on); and "Recent History," which tracks the pages you've viewed, things you've recently searched on, and suggestions on other things you might be interested in.

Yahoo! Local may have some mapping integration issues, but without question, it gives broader, deeper, and more tailored results for your area than any of the other services we've reviewed. The site, which is no longer in beta, has a great deal of potential locked up inside. It's a great place to explore your neighborhood in even more depth.