Like some other posters, it depends on how far from home I am. If it's at the supermarket, it's "on the north side of Winnecunnet Pond." In the local area, "Norton." In the northeast U.S., "a small town south of Boston." Elsewhere, usually "the Boston area," unless it's in another country and the person is probably not familiar with different accents in English. In that case, it's "the United States."

Sometimes these answers lead to requests for more information. If the person is pleasant enough and I'm in the mood for conversation, fine.