East Palmdale, Palmdale, CA

East Palmdale is the city's largest stretch of everyday life, running from the Palmdale Boulevard strip out past 47th Street East toward the open desert, and it holds the city's water park and some of its biggest neighborhood parks. Housing covers a wide range. Single-family tract homes make up most of the streets, and East Palmdale also has a number of manufactured-home communities, among them Thousand Elms on 47th Street East and Grecian Isle on Avenue R. Domenic Massari Park on 55th Street East spreads over 40 acres with a skate park, sports fields and paths for a loop on foot. On 30th Street East, McAdam Park keeps the historic Old Palmdale Schoolhouse next to a pool and horseshoe courts, and Sam Yellen Park on Avenue S has the city's first dog park. The food scene leans local along East Palmdale Boulevard. Ay Papa Que Rico serves Cuban plates, Shandra Thai Cuisine handles Thai cooking, and Meechy's Cheesecakes turns out homemade pies and cheesecakes. Don Chato on 30th Street East sticks to classic Mexican plates, and Armani's Mediterranean Bakery holds down a corner of the 47th Street East shopping center. Errands are easy. Stater Bros. and Vallarta Supermarkets each have more than one store here, with Food 4 Less and Superior Grocers filling the gaps, and Kaiser Permanente runs medical offices on Avenue S. The layout is built for driving, with long blocks and wide arterials, and walking to the store is rarely practical. The tradeoff is the sheer spread. East Palmdale is big enough that a neighbor on 20th Street East and one near 55th Street East live in very different places. Summer evenings belong to the water park crowds heading home down Avenue S.