Downtown Fairfield, Fairfield, CA

Downtown Fairfield is organized around Texas Street, where the Solano County courthouse, two theaters and a run of independent restaurants share the blocks near the Civic Center. The courthouse building is more than a century old and gives the district its sense of age. Homes in Downtown Fairfield sit on an older residential grid wrapped around the commercial core, and this is the part of Fairfield the city keeps returning to for redevelopment plans. Armijo borders it to the northeast and Woodcreek lies to the north. Open space is modest. McNaughton Park sits inside the boundary, and the County Green at 600 Texas Street fills with the Fairfield Farmers Market on Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m., May through September. Lee Bell Park is just over the line in Armijo. Eating downtown means a walk along Texas Street. Rustwater Kitchen and Taproom, at number 800, keeps about 30 beers on tap in a restored historic building with patio seating. Casa Agave, at 731, pairs Mexican cooking with cocktails. Saffron Indian Cuisine, at 739, serves curries and fresh naan, and Evelyn's Big Italian Pizzeria, at 704, is known for oversized pizzas. Baja Ice Cream, at 948, handles dessert with ice cream, milkshakes and crepes, Famous Creations, at 837, bakes cakes and cupcakes, and Aunt Bill's Soul Food Cafe is on Madison Street. The Downtown Theatre seats 360 and fills its calendar with local events all year, while the Missouri Street Theatre and Fairfield Arts add more to the calendar. FoodMaxx and Target sit inside the district, so most errands do not require leaving it. Older homes carry the usual cost of age, with upkeep and updating that newer parts of Fairfield skip. On market Thursdays the County Green fills up and the restaurants on both sides of Texas Street share the crowd.