Keyes, Keyes, CA

Keyes began as a farm shipping point, back when irrigation made melons and sweet potatoes pay and a depot knocked together from boxcars sent them to market. Today it is a compact Stanislaus County community just south of Ceres, and Seventh Street is where its daily business still happens. One short block explains the food scene. Diana's Bakery sits at 5465 Seventh Street, with Tacos El Hidalguense 21 next door at 5467, so a morning pastry and a lunchtime burrito can share the same parking spot. Tacos El Hidalguense is known for its burritos, and the spicy asada gets the most mentions. Tacos El Granero and Carmelita's Taqueria add more taqueria choices, and Diana's handles baked goods and panaderia treats. Open space comes mostly as two county parks. Hatch Park, around four acres, has a community center, a ball field for baseball and softball and open grass for informal games. Bonita Ranch Park, at Lucinda Avenue and Tenth Street on the east side, is bigger at about seven acres, with picnic tables, a basketball court, a soccer field and paved paths where people walk laps. Groceries are handled in town by State Foods Supermarket and Tower Super Market, and the Keyes Public Library, part of the county system, is here as well. The ground is flat and the community is small, so a bike or a walk covers most short trips. For chain food, East Ceres lies just over a mile north, with Starbucks, In-N-Out and the paleteria La Monarca, all reached by driving. About fifty-six hundred people live in the area, and the pace matches a place that size. Hospitals, big stores and most jobs sit in Ceres or Modesto, which is the usual cost of choosing somewhere small. Keyes feels like a town that still runs on its own main street.