Inglewood, CA

Just east of LAX, Inglewood is a Los Angeles County town of bungalow streets that now doubles as a major stage for games and concerts. SoFi Stadium, the YouTube Theater and the Clippers' Intuit Dome rose on the old Hollywood Park racetrack, and the Kia Forum has held shows on Manchester Boulevard since the 1960s. Downtown keeps Market Street as its old main street, with new apartments going up near the train. Fairview Heights, out toward the 405, lives under the airport approach, and Morningside Park lines Manchester and Crenshaw on the east side. Hollywood Park is the new piece, where apartments and townhomes are filling in around fresh parks. Most homes across the city are single-story, in stucco or wood siding, with driveways running back to garages, and many lots now hold a second unit out back. Small apartment buildings line the busier streets. Down south, paths loop around Rivers Lake and its waterfalls at Hollywood Park, where a farmers market sets up on Saturdays. Harriet's Cheesecakes Unlimited on Centinela is known for its sweet potato cheesecake, and Three Weavers Brewing on Manchester is the taproom for a West Coast IPA. Coni'Seafood on Imperial Highway has drawn critics for years with its aguachiles and whole snook. Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen, on La Brea, is the coffee stop for breakfast and lunch. Metro's K Line runs through town with stations downtown and on the western edge of town, and the C Line along the 105 catches the south end. Groceries spread across La Brea, Crenshaw and Century, so errands usually mean a quick drive. The tradeoff is event traffic. Game and concert days back up Century, Prairie and Manchester, and parking rules tighten on nearby streets. Living here means learning the calendar, and on the other days the arenas go quiet and Inglewood feels like the neighborhood town it was long before them.