Stevenson Ranch, CA

Stevenson Ranch is a planned hillside suburb west of Interstate 5, unincorporated and governed by Los Angeles County, facing the city of Santa Clarita across the freeway. It was drawn up as a single community in the 1980s, so the whole place has a consistent look, and it feels a little more tucked away than the neighborhoods on the valley floor. The Old Road and Pico Canyon Road act as the main streets. The lower streets near The Old Road hold townhomes and apartments, while the higher ground to the west is all two-story stucco houses with views over the valley. Open land wraps around the community. Santa Clarita Woodlands Park takes in the foothills south and west of the tract, with trails up Towsley Canyon and a walk up Pico Canyon to the old oil camp where drillers struck oil in the 1870s. Closer to home, small county parks tucked into the tracts handle playgrounds and ball games. Dinner usually means a shopping center. Supermarkets on both main roads cover groceries, and the county library shares The Old Road with the busiest centers. Nearly all of the housing comes from the same few decades and the same design vocabulary, and that is the tradeoff. Anyone hoping for an older cottage, a flat lot or a big mix of architecture will find little of it here, and commutes south all depend on the 5 through the Newhall Pass. The payoff shows up on foot. From most front doors in Stevenson Ranch, a trail into the oaks and grassland is a short walk or a quick drive.