Claremont, Claremont, CA

Claremont sits at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains with two things running the show, its seven Claremont Colleges and a city-managed forest big enough to earn the City of Trees label. Around the Village and the Colleges, older homes sit on shaded streets close enough to walk to dinner. North Claremont, much of it former citrus groves, carries larger homes toward the foothills with mountain views and trailheads, and the interior tracts in between have a quieter suburban feel. The Wilderness Park in the hills above town is the local workout. Its roughly five-mile loop climbs into the foothills with views out to downtown Los Angeles and, on clear days, Catalina, and spring brings wildflowers. Memorial Park sits on Indian Hill Boulevard a few blocks north of the Village. Some Crust Bakery has been baking is known for its mocha cookies and artisan breads. Village Grille nearby plays the 1950s diner role, and in the Packing House, Packing House Wines has collected several Wine Spectator awards. On the north side of town, Claremont Craft Ales and Ironbark Ciderworks share an address. Daily life is split between walking and driving. The Sunday Farmers and Artisans Market sets up on Harvard Avenue every week, Trader Joe's, Sprouts and Stater Bros. sit along Foothill Boulevard, and a small market on Second Street handles quick trips downtown. The tradeoff is distance. Downtown Los Angeles is about 35 miles west, so car commutes on the 10 or the 210 are long, and Metrolink runs on a commuter schedule. On a school-year evening, though, the Village sidewalks fill with people heading to the same handful of cafes.