Harmony Grove, Elfin Forest-Harmony Grove, CA

Two kinds of home share Harmony Grove, a small valley at the southwest edge of Escondido. It is the eastern half of the Elfin Forest-Harmony Grove area, with Escondido Creek running through it toward the wilder country downstream. The older side of Harmony Grove is rural. Houses sit on lots of every size along Harmony Grove Road and the lanes off it, many with citrus or avocado trees, corrals and room for a horse or two. Some roads are well kept and some are rough, and a few properties still rely on septic tanks and propane. Harmony Grove Village, on old mining and farm ground in the north part of the valley, is the newer side, a planned community of roughly 780 homes in Cottage, Farmhouse and Hill Country styles, with a pool club and smaller yards. Outdoor space comes built in. The Village has eight parks and about two miles of shared paths for walkers and riders that head toward Elfin Forest. Harmony Grove Village 4th of July Park on Starry Night Drive is one of them. The Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve sits just outside the valley on Harmony Grove Road, where the creek flows past the staging area and trails climb to overlooks above Olivenhain Reservoir. Dinner out means heading into Escondido. Vintana Wine + Dine occupies the penthouse level of The Centre on Auto Park Way and runs a summer series of cabaret-style concerts on its outdoor terrace. Grand Avenue in old downtown Escondido has the deepest run of restaurants and bars, and Twin Oaks Valley Road in San Marcos is the other nearby choice. Daily errands point north toward West Valley Parkway, where an Albertsons handles the weekly shop. Palomar Medical Center is close by, and Highway 78 and Interstate 15 put the rest of the county within reach. Public transit is thin, so a car is part of the plan. Getting in and out takes patience. Harmony Grove Road is still a two-lane country road, and it now carries the Village's daily traffic along with ranch trucks and horse trailers. At dusk the lights of the new streets come on across the valley from corrals and orange trees that were here long before them.