Having the reader like you is probably the best kept secret of college essay writing. No, you are not expected to be able to write as well as the Better Version, most professors can't do that, but remembering to directly quote the key people in your essay will put you on the right path. A. I live in a suburb outside a big city where half the property is conservation land, and the other half is large plot houses. B. I live in Lincoln, Massachusetts, a town 15 miles west of Boston, where half the property is conservation land, and the other half is large plot houses. Both sentences are OK, but B is better.
Readers are nosy, they want to know the name of the town.
Of course, there's always the possibility of too much detail.