I've revised my vote since I now have IP. Sad that I can only pick three as some have tied and it was hard to decide which ones.
1) Moonlight Falls no problem in stating it is my first, reasons stay the same, feels a lot like home, hills, river, we have a lot of fog at certain times of the year and a lot of old houses.
I love the interesting characters and the various relationships they have. Naturally, I feel it needs more children in it, more sims expecting, but that can be fixed easily.
2) Dragon Valley Love the Celtic look, my heritage is Irish from all sides of my families, dad and moms. So I feel a connection to the town, love the medieval aspect of suspended in time yet combined modern aspect of tv, computers and cell phones.
3) Riverview and Monte Vista. These are the two that I see as tied. Riverview has a similarity of my home area, lots of hills, river that divides two towns, or in my home three states. Lots of room between some houses and yet an area that has to me the grid feel to it. And of course, plenty of free lots to build on and nice sizes for growth.
Monte Vista for the Italian feel, the old city that has an ancient past, not just been built around 100 years ago, but several hundreds of years ago and hidden secrets. The thing that I don't like about it and so kept it from beating out RV is the lack of decent lots to build on. The townies are very interesting and easy to play with, needs more kids, babies, but is normal in all of the towns.
One that I know would replace MV is Isla Paradiso; I love the vacation aspect of it. Take a family there and enjoy some fun in the sun. I do wish they would have had some of the smaller islands with lots on them, seem a waste of space to me.
The thing that keeps it off my list is the problems in playing it. I don't know if it would be called lagging or what. They just stop and start all of a sudden and this can go on for quite some time, which makes it too frustrating to enjoy the game.
Honorable Mention would be China. I love to visit that country for some reason. I enjoy Egypt for the tomb exploration but I can get that in China also. Perhaps it is the hills, the colors of the trees that make me feel at home yet the differences that says I am in another country that is the appeal.
Aurora Skies, sad to say I still can't enjoy myself there. Had to visit that town in a town jump story and again, I find it too depressing. Like the people, some of them are very interesting and I think if I keep the town I will move some of them to other towns.
Sunset Valley has gotten better with the addition of IP, the sail boating, windsurfing, snorkeling all add an aspect of enjoyment. Kids and even adults playing in the sand, splashing in water and just enjoying more than sitting around.
Edited: to correct a typing error and sentence that was messed up.