Most people have some notion of an area they would like to live. To test this notion, you should go back to your list of desirable locality features. Try and list features of areas you are considering living in, both good and bad, and compare them to your desirable features list. These two lists could become the basis of a good family discussion. 

Visit these potential neighborhoods and use them as you would if you lived there. Walk the local parks, shop the corner stores. What is the neighborhood atmosphere? How does it fit you? Drive from your workplace to each potential neighborhood, timing how long this takes. If it is a consideration, visit schools and ask around about their reputation. Considerable reading is needed to get to the hard facts of neighborhoods.

A good place to start is with real estate publications. Look for periodicals which deal in local residential investment advice, and consider subscribing to them. Thoroughly read the residential property sections of newspapers. Look at reams of advertisements, noting particularly house prices and how they relate to different areas. 

The big picture is to look at what area is going to be hot in the future, and avoid those areas where house prices have peaked. This is the single most pragmatic consideration in which house you should buy.