Howard, Riverbank, CA

Howard sits on the busy end of Riverbank, where Patterson Road's chain restaurants and drive-throughs meet established residential streets. Homes.com describes it as an established residential community, and the side streets back up to a handful of neighborhood parks rather than a single big one. Safreno Park, Ray Safreno Park and Jackson Park all fall inside the boundary, with a trail park alongside. The housing is the usual single-family mix, with Craftsman and ranch-style homes alongside stucco builds, and the blocks tend to feel older than the new subdivisions on the other side of town. For a coffee fix the neighborhood has a Dutch Bros and a Starbucks, both handy drive-throughs. Trader Joe's, a few minutes away in Crossroads West, covers the specialty grocery run. Palo Santo Cafe, over the line at 6333 Oakdale Road, is the local alternative, a family-run place making Mexico City-style food with specialty coffee and gelato. For a steak dinner, Cool Hand Luke's on Patterson Road is a short drive, and Panaderia Velasco is just as near for pastries. Grocery Outlet is the neighborhood's main supermarket, and the rest of the commercial row, with Burger King, KFC and A&W among the names, covers fast food and quick errands. You will be driving, but nothing is far. Highway connections and the road to Modesto run off the same arterials. The parks give the neighborhood its quieter side, though they are modest in scale compared with the river park on the other side of town. With a few small greens spread across the blocks, there is usually a place to take a short walk without leaving home. The honest drawback is the commercial edge. Anything that fronts Patterson Road is loud and busy at peak hours, so the further you are from it, the more residential Howard feels.