I've been doing this with my car forum for nearly 20 years.
A custom profile page plus the member search handles the locations and additional fields. posts and pm author information shows additional details. member spotlight is customized. user editor in the CP can handle the additional fields. plenty of minor updates all around.
it takes time and lots of knowledge on what you want and dont want.
It's a great small project to learn how to write code if you are just starting and have the desire to progress.
