Downtown Livermore, Livermore, CA

Downtown Livermore is the one part of town where you can actually leave the car parked. The historic core runs roughly from College Avenue up to First Street, with South Livermore Avenue framing the west side, and it holds the widest mix of housing in the city: Victorian and early-1900s homes south of First Street (some old enough to wear a historic placard), bungalows, newer infill condos, and townhomes built atop the downtown revival of the last fifteen years. This is the walkable heart of Livermore. First Street is the real draw, with tasting rooms, restaurants, coffee, the Bankhead Theater, the farmers market, and a steady calendar of street events. The ACE station sits right here for Bay Area commuters. Living downtown means the city's social life is on your doorstep, which is exactly what some buyers are after. The flip side is the flip side of any downtown. Weekend foot traffic, event nights, and parking pressure are part of the deal, and the older homes south of First come with the upkeep and quirks of houses built a century ago. For walkability and character, though, nothing else in Livermore competes.