Small town surrounded by farms are the best. Large cities and packed suburbs will fall apart quickly. Rural developments or isolated homes will be targets of crime and gangs. Small towns on the other hand are small enough so people are aware of events, and enough people will come to the aid of neighbors.
In my corner of the country there are little towns every 5 or 10 miles in every direction and they’re all interconnected through family and friendly ties. I grew up 30 miles from here and have ties in the 5 little towns in between plus other little towns spread across about 3 counties.