For this play through I decided I would try and make settlements that used things that they would have reasonable access to. It's not an exact or perfect science. More feel and flavor.
Vehicles were used to make a barricade on the side adjacent the road. On the opposite side its more stakes and spikes.
I tend to use Starlight as a trader hub and have many settlement caravanners traveling to and from this NW central location.  I set up a specific area for the npc caravans to congregate. There's also a mini-high street feeling set of stores to assign settler vendors to.  These areas are both on the southern side of the build area in line with the main entrance.
To the northern side there is a walled off settlement area with access from the west, south and east. This area I wanted it to feel like it was a mini town. The buildings are close. Not perfectly lined up. I wanted it to look different from different angles. I wanted to create that sense of what's around the next corner?

This is my first time uploading anything to the Nexus. Hopefully I get it right. Blame my girlfriend for this. She liked what I had built in my game and through this amazing Transfer Settlements mod I discovered that I could share it with her. Watching her wander around my creation in her game was really cool. Sharing it with others will hopefully feel even cooler. 

There will be many mods listed in the required section. The ones that relate to structures I'd say are obviously essential.  The ones that are more for decoration perhaps not so much.  I do love all the mods that are listed. They really give the variety of choices needed to make something like this. I don't have issues or conflicts with them. But I do manually override Loot's load order by making sure that all Workshop Rearranged related entries are below all other workshop mods.

Steps to get the full effect of this Settlement.
1) Get the mods needed
2) If the area hasn't been cleared of the original assets - then clear all the cars, the light posts, the mole rats and their tunnels (if they're still there). You don't have to clear the speakers, although you may have to move a couple after the transfer.
The reason this pre-work needs to be done is because I picked up the original vehicles and used them to form part of the barricade. If you don't move them they'll still be there when you do the transfer, even if you use the nuke option.  
Also depending on what environment mod you are running you may need to be a bit of an arborist and move a tree or two. I use Seasons and there was a tree by the laundry room that I had to manually move just to make the flow better around that part of town. 
3) Important: When you use the Transfer Settlement Holotape import function make sure that you check the box for Import Original Items (not built by player). If you don't do this then half the barricade will be missing because of what I said in #2 above.
4) You may want to also select the import option to import marker-based items. This will allow the creation of the markers I put down for each of the caravans and their guards.
5) You will find a couple of things duplicated after the transfer such as the knocked over green trash can and the knocked over bollard. No big deal just delete the original ones or put them somewhere else. 
6) Note that my taste in "artwork" is personal choice. You certainly don't need the related mod. The ones you may see in the images are replacers so without the same mod setup the same way you'll just have whatever your equivalent pictures are.

Absolutely Necessary Mods

F4SE (This is an off-site link)
Transfer Settlements
HUDFr

I personally use the SKE framework for several of the mods below that support it. Sorry but I am no expert in helping setting these up. 

Necessary Structure Mods

Alternate Settlements  Grab both versions 1.1 + 1.2
Buildable Barricades and Guard Posts
Buildable Burning Campfires and Fireplaces
Office and Store Buildings
Passive Water Resources I think the water generation I used here was from Water Sources Expanded below but it might involve this one....
Place Everywhere
Scrap Everything
Settlement Objects Expansion I used this one to add some fog/mist effects to the pool in the middle of the settlement. I think you'll only get those if you do the transfer settlements import with the import marker-based items checked. If it doesn't work and you want to add them yourself after then as a tip, don't place the Fx makers from this mod too deep in the water or you won't be able to select them if you want to move them.
Settlement Supplies Expanded
Snap'n Build
Snappy HouseKit I'd recommend grabbing the DLC stuff for this one. Awesome mod. Takes a bit to figure out how to use some of it but worth it!
Starlight Drive-In And Diner - Lighting - Original v2.0
The Kuro Tab The Structure pieces in this mod are Epic! Be careful with some of the decoration pieces. I have a hard time deleting a few of them (no problem ones were used in the settlement)
Thematic and Practical
Water Sources Expanded (not 100% needed but the water generating objects used really fit the settlement well)
Workshop Rearranged Make sure that you also grab the Workshop Rearranged Patch Pack

Decorative Mods

Adult magazine billboard and posters (personal taste)
Advanced Workshop Food Harvesting
Armor and Weapons Keywords Community Resource
Atom Bomb Pinups Paintings (personal taste)
Better Ammo Boxes
BetterStores GER (I have the German version cos the English one was under review - now I see the German one is too so if you don't have this already you'll loose a couple of posters) NBD
CREAtive Clutter
Crimsomrider's Unique Furniture DLC Edition (read mod to see which if any patch you might need)
CWSS Redux v2 Craftable Working Showers Sinks Baths Toilets
Dino's Decorations
Do It Yourshelf
Eow Pre-War Books Retexture
Gruffydd's Signs and Posters
Gruffydd's Signs of the Times
Illuminated Billboards - Lighting - z All In One
Immersive Vendors300-EN
Just some Curtains and Rods v2 & v2a
OCDecorator - Static Loot
Pictures Of Remembrance
Radio Model Replacer
Retextured Chems
Retextured First Aid Kits
Robot Model Kit 2k Retextures and Collectible Boxes (This mod will make the Robotics store look its best - Totally love this little mod.)
Settlement Markers
Signs of the Times - Posters - SotTP 1.3
Vending Machines -Lighting - Main
Videos of the Wasteland Be sure to get the Starlight Drive In addon pack if you want the screen to be fixed
Workshop Decorations Pack

Finally I just want to say a huge thank you to all of the authors of the mods I'm using. Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for providing new and inspiring ways to extend the life of a great game.  Your creativity inspires me.  I'm running around 180 mods - many of course not needed for this - and love what each of them brings to the experience.