Acton, CA

Perched on the grade between Los Angeles County's two northern valleys, Acton looks downhill toward Santa Clarita to the south and over the pass toward Palmdale. The feel shifts with the terrain. Up on the hills, houses sit apart on their own slopes with long views. Nowhere in town do the streets follow a subdivision plan, just county roads that bend with the land. Riding is an ordinary way to spend a Saturday, and the open ground between properties does much of the work a city park would. Soledad Canyon Road traces the river south of town, and the San Gabriel foothills climb right behind the houses on the east side. Food is a short list, and most of it lines Sierra Highway. Mornings belong to Perkin' Up Coffee House on Santiago Road, which does breakfast burritos and apple cider donuts and locks up early in the afternoon. Errands depend on which way you are headed. Basic groceries and the county library are in town, but most people fold bigger shopping into a run to Palmdale or Santa Clarita on State Route 14. The Vincent Grade/Acton station puts Metrolink's Antelope Valley Line within reach for anyone commuting toward the city. The thing to accept is that Acton winds down early. Dinner choices are few, the coffee shop is dark by mid afternoon, and a night out usually means a freeway drive. In return, most mornings start with horses in the next field and mountains in both directions.