Azusa unincorporated, CA

The flat grid of county streets known as unincorporated Azusa runs between three cities at once, with Azusa to the north, Covina to the south and Glendora to the east. The two main pieces feel a little different. The Vincent side, west toward Azusa Avenue, is a dense stretch of single-story homes on regular lots, crossed by Arrow Highway and a few busy north-south roads. The Citrus side, over toward Glendora, is smaller and a touch quieter, with ranch houses from the postwar tract years. For a bigger outing, Heritage Plaza Park in downtown Covina, a few minutes south, hosts a farmers market every Friday evening, and Wingate Park in eastern Covina adds a short nature trail and a skate park. Food here comes from small, local kitchens. Avolio's Italian Restaurant on San Bernardino Road is the sit-down choice for pasta and pizza, and Prik Kee Noo Thai Kitchen on Gladstone Street makes Thai dishes for pickup. Taco stands, bakeries and a Nicaraguan spot fill in the rest, and bigger dining choices sit a short drive away in downtown Azusa or Covina. Almost every trip starts with a car. The 210 runs just north, the Metro A Line stations in Azusa are a few minutes away, and supermarkets line the larger boulevards in both neighboring cities. Very little lies within the area itself. In exchange, residents get quiet residential blocks where the traffic stays on the boulevards and the mountains stay in view on the drive home.