Seconding Sandra on this. you can't really talk about local singles without talking about whether there is anyone nearby.
In practice, local singles live or dies on the density problem.
What decided it for me with local singles were the conversion from match to conversation. Once I stopped worrying about how alive the pool is, local singles got a lot simpler. Once I stopped worrying about the local pool, local singles got a lot simpler.
How many accounts are active matters more for local singles than any feature list. What am I missing on local singles? That is what worked for me on how to meet local singles without registration; others here disagree.