[Splines]

These days I use Google Maps scoped to my neighbourhood and do a search that way. Trying to do the same with web search is an exercise in frustration.

The one nice thing about the yellow pages is that it does provide a results filter, in that you're going to find local businesses willing to pay money to show up in a book.

Having a filter for "serious, local-only businesses" is a useful thing to have. IMO online yellow pages doesn't have that. Yelp and the like are sort of close but their UI and search-locality aren't as tight as they should be to serve this purpose.