city layout

The layout of the story's city is important. The landscape must fit the storyline. I like it when a book has a map at the front so you can get your barrings on where the characters are located or moving to. I'm working on a story that must have a college campus close enough to the oldest section of a town, yet still have restaurant row, a city park and golf course close enough but not cut off by the creek and a railroad. I can picture the city and university I attended as the perfect place, but getting the haunted house in the right spot is still haunting me.  Keep those street names lined up and straight.