purlieu
Familiar stomping ground
A purlieu is an outlying area or the outskirts of a place, often suggesting a neighborhood or district on the margins: the purlieus of the city, wandering the purlieus of academia.
The word is literary and somewhat old-fashioned, typically appearing in the plural.
It carries a slight sense of territory that borders something more central or important.
Outer edge or limit
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
- limitMaximum allowed extent
- frontierEdge of settlement
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
perimeter · confines · bounds · margin · threshold · periphery · fringe · verge
Residential area nearby
- vicinityNearby surrounding area
- surroundingsArea around something
- environsSurrounding districts or areas
- localityA particular geographic area
haunt · stamping ground · territory · domain · precinct · quarter · resort · habitat
Outlying residential district
- fringeOutermost edge or margin
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
- borderlandTerritory at a boundary
- peripheryBoundary or outer region
margins · environs · outer reaches · hinterland · exurb · satellite · remote areas · outer limits
border
Outer edge or limit
demarcation · perimeter · confines · bounds · margin · threshold · periphery · fringe · verge · borderland
neighborhood
Residential area nearby
- vicinityNearby surrounding area
- surroundingsArea around something
- environsSurrounding districts or areas
locality · haunt · stamping ground · territory · domain · precinct · quarter · resort · habitat · milieu
suburb
Outlying residential district
- fringeOutermost edge or margin
- edgeBoundary or sharpness
- borderlandTerritory at a boundary
periphery · margins · environs · outer reaches · hinterland · exurb · satellite · remote areas · outer limits · fringes
purlieucenter
Middle of anything
core · heart · downtown · midtown · inner city