Granite Hills, Granite Hills, CA

Granite Hills spreads over rolling ground on the eastern fringe of El Cajon, where the land climbs toward a ridge of chaparral and bare granite outcrops. This is the unincorporated community, not the El Cajon neighborhood that shares its name, and a narrow finger of city land along Madison Avenue splits it into a northern half reached by Greenfield Drive and a southern half reached by Dehesa Road. Most homes sit on lots of about an acre, built as farmland gave way to houses, and a few small agricultural operations still hang on. The northern half runs a bit denser. The county roads go without curbs and sidewalks, so the look stays semi-rural, and names such as Balanced Rock Lane, Stony Knoll Road and Lipizzan Way describe the place well. Horses are common, and the quiet lanes double as walking and riding routes. There is no park inside the lines yet, though the county's plan calls for one along with trail links. Until then, John F. Kennedy Park, just over the boundary in El Cajon, covers ball fields and has a community center. The nearest meals are a few minutes west. Janet's Cafe on Greenfield Drive has been serving breakfast all day since 1994, with biscuits and gravy, huevos rancheros and homemade pies. Mamma Rosa on East Main Street, family-owned since 1982, makes its Italian dishes fresh every day and closes Sundays and Mondays. Errands lead into El Cajon. An Albertsons on Broadway and a Smart & Final on Camino Canada sit near the northern edge, and Interstate 8 is close by way of the Greenfield Drive or Los Coches Road interchanges. A car handles almost everything, and with no sidewalks on the county roads, walking beside the busier streets takes some care. From the backyards on the east side, the boulders and brush rise straight up the ridge, and that wall of granite is what makes Granite Hills feel separate from the city just below it.