where to put tarball

[Robert Storey]

I'm wondering where is the proper location to put a tarball (containing source code) that I've downloaded and want to untar and compile. In Linux, you generally would put it in /usr/src. I know all the FreeBSD documentation says /usr/local is where all your personalized software should go, but I see that there is no /usr/local/src directory. Of course, I can make a /usr/local/src directory, but my question is: Is that a good idea? Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question, but I thought it would be wise to develop good habits and not install things where they don't belong.

TIA,
Robert