Imperial Estates, Long Beach, CA

Imperial Estates is a small pocket of early-1960s homes on the far east edge of Long Beach, California, out past the 605 near the Orange County line, where the city's grid runs out against its neighbors. It has its own little shopping corner at Wardlow Road and Norwalk Boulevard, which is more than many tracts this size get. The houses came up quickly as one development in the early 1960s, and the streets still show it: mostly single-story ranch homes, sidewalks along the streets and lots on the snug side, so neighbors sit fairly close together and private yards are modest. The Wardlow Road center covers a lot of the week. Grocery Outlet handles the discount grocery run. Around the corner on Norwalk Boulevard, Taco Factory and Panaderia La Corona sit side by side for tacos and pan dulce. Green space is a short drive or bike ride west. El Dorado East Regional Park has fishing lakes, open lawns, an archery range and trails, and the park also takes in the El Dorado Nature Center. The San Gabriel River bike path is close for longer rides. The tradeoff is distance from the rest of Long Beach. Downtown, the beaches and the city's busier dining streets are a real drive, and for many errands the closer options are in neighboring cities. The 605 is right there, which helps with commutes up and down the county. Most weeks in Imperial Estates circle back to that one corner, with bread from Twice Baked, a pizza night at Mooney's and groceries from the same parking lot.