There's tons of land around the Jarls towns that is not being used, so why not give you a plot of land just out side of town?

The reson being is the jarls know were the trouble areas are in there hold's, so they give you a plot of land right in the middle of it because you are the Dragonborn. and they know you can get rid of all the monsters , Dragons and Bandits which means the Jarls don't have to pay for guards to patrol the area.

So you end up doing the Jarls dirty work for free, those Jarls must be laughing there heads off

In addition to this, say that the Dragonborn has a house in your city. As a result, the town will flood with dragons, hired thugs and other scum looking to settle their personal vendetta with the Dragonborn. By putting you out in the wild, the Jarl saves him/herself a lot of trouble.

Welcome to the realm of Kings, Lords, and Nobles.
This was classically how a lord would set someone's "fief" up when installing a new noble.

I would say they're being practical, not sneaky. You've got a bandit/giant/whatever problem? Send in your most efficient killing machine.

You want safe? Go with Honeyside or Breezehome.

I don't think it's because of that. I think it's because the locations chosen actually give you great views. I have all three of houses, and the view from the house is great.

To be honest, the Necromancers/Nordic Tombs/Giant Camps kinda ruin it a bit.

I rather like ancient Nordic Architecture, so I don't mind that. I do wish I could get rid of that necromancer alter though.

As for the OP, not all the Jarls are sneaky about this. The one in Dawnstar pretty much says as much. Don't remember the exact line, but its something like "I'll sleep better knowing you're defending the southern border."