For its residents, Suffolk has a lot to offer when it comes to good food, fun entertainment and beautiful scenery. But, as with many things in life, much of what makes Suffolk great comes down to three simple things: location, location, location.

We spend a lot of time in this space encouraging Suffolkians to take advantage of all that Suffolk has to offer. And while that’s still incredibly important, it cannot be ignored that Suffolk’s location puts it in a thriving region of individual communities that each have their own things to offer. And just as I — and my fellow staff columnists — often suggest supporting Suffolk’s businesses, I think it’s also important to show some love to our surrounding communities.

Isle of Wight County and Smithfield, Suffolk’s next-door neighbors, will be offering just such a chance in a couple weeks. The Smithfield & Isle of Wight Convention & Visitors Bureau will host its first annual Restaurant Week, a type of event that has seen biannual success in Suffolk.

For the week of Feb. 1-8, eateries in Smithfield, Carrollton, Rescue and Windsor will be offering $10 lunch menus or $20 dinner menus, or both. For more information on the participating restaurants, visit www.visitsmithfieldisleofwight.com/RestaurantWeek.php.

What makes its event special is an “Order Healthy” initiative, which will promote healthy choice menu selections as part of the larger Smithfield On The Move project.

With much being reported about the poor health of the area, any projects that help encourage healthy living are worth supporting, regardless of where they take place.

Suffolk residents are often linked with those living elsewhere in Hampton Roads, either through relationships with loved ones, friends, coworkers or church families. Suffolk isn’t alone and supporting other Hampton Roads communities can make the region stronger. And that’s good for everyone, Suffolk included.