Granada Hills, Los Angeles, CA

Granada Hills runs from the flat San Fernando Valley floor in Los Angeles up to the Santa Susana foothills, and its name comes from the Spanish word for pomegranate, a nod to the orchards that once covered it. The housing is a mid-century story. Postwar ranch houses fill most of the grid, and the neighborhood also has Balboa Highlands, a Joseph Eichler tract where glass walls and open beams face the hills. The Knollwood area wraps around the Knollwood Country Club golf course. Bee Canyon Park sits at its edge, and Aliso Canyon Park on Rinaldi Street is the easier canyon walk. Zelzah Park has a bridle path, and the Granada Hills Recreation Center on Chatsworth Street has sports fields, an auditorium and the branch library next door. Chatsworth Street is the closest thing to a main street. Furn Saj Bakery on Balboa Boulevard draws critics for its Lebanese shawarma, and Mercado Buenos Aires on Devonshire Street sells Argentine empanadas and groceries. Errands spread across Balboa Boulevard, where Trader Joe's and Island Pacific share a center, and Zelzah Avenue, which has a Sprouts. The 118 crosses the neighborhood and meets the 405 at its eastern edge. Granada Hills is large and the commercial strips are spread out, so most trips mean a drive. The payoff comes on the foothill streets, where an orange tree in the yard and O'Melveny's trails at the end of the block are ordinary parts of the week.