Aromas, Aromas, CA

Aromas straddles the line where Monterey and San Benito counties meet, with Santa Cruz County just a short way northwest, in a farm and vineyard valley along the Pajaro River. The village itself is only a few streets, Blohm Avenue and Carpenteria Road among them, ringed by open land. Homes are spread thin, a few hundred houses across a wide stretch of countryside, with the densest streets near the village center. Rural homes on larger parcels turn up more often than subdivisions, and the ground underfoot is gentle and mostly flat. Aromas Community Park at 278 Aromas Road is the public gathering place, run by a community foundation. It has a loop trail, a multipurpose field, restrooms, a disc golf course and a fenced dog park that keeps big and small dogs apart. Beyond the park, the valley's flat roads and field edges give people room for a long walk or a bike ride. Aromas Grill at 304 Carpenteria Road is the breakfast-through-dinner spot, known for its chorizo skillet and chilaquiles and for a patio that welcomes pets. It stays open until 8 on weekends. Old Firehouse Market at 387 Blohm Avenue handles quick groceries and a short menu, and it stays open until 9 at night. River Run Vintners is the nearby tasting stop a little north of the village. The grill, the market and the library cluster close together along a few blocks, so most daily errands happen in the village. The freeway skirts the southeast side, and larger shopping trips head up Highway 101 to Gilroy, so a car is how almost everything gets done. Two counties share the community, so county services and permits depend on which half of town a home falls in. The line is a fact of daily life here. What the village keeps is its own market, its own grill and a small main street you can cross without hurrying.