Lincoln Glen, San Jose, CA

Lincoln Glen carries the leafy, settled character of southern Willow Glen and adds a green center of its own. The neighborhood park and the large Lincoln Glen church campus give it real civic anchors and a sense of place, and the whole area has the shaded, established feel that draws people to this part of San Jose in the first place. Most homes here are postwar ranch houses from the 1950s and 1960s, a different era from the Craftsman and Spanish Revival cottages closer to downtown Willow Glen. They sit on established lots along calm, purely residential streets, and the neighborhood's own park and church give it a center that many tracts this far south lack. Lincoln Glen Park has water play features, a tot lot, playgrounds, open fields and restrooms. Kirk Park on Foxworthy Avenue and River Glen Park, with tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, are both close, and the Three Creeks Trail and Los Gatos Creek Trail are within easy reach for longer walks and rides. Downtown Willow Glen, a short trip north up Lincoln Avenue, is where people eat out. Bertucelli's La Villa Delicatessen is the local pick for handmade ravioli, The Table does farm-to-table plates and a mimosa brunch, and Willow Street Pizza fires thin, crispy crusts in a wood oven. Peet's on Lincoln Avenue covers the morning coffee run on the way in. The Willow Glen Community Center on Lincoln Avenue runs fitness programs and classes, and the Willow Glen Branch Library is up on Minnesota Avenue. VTA's Route 26 stops at Curtner and Lincoln, Route 64A runs up Lincoln toward Diridon Station and its Caltrain service, and Tamien station is the other Caltrain option. The honest note is that it is primarily residential, so the shops and restaurants are a walk or quick drive up Lincoln rather than at your corner. For buyers who want Willow Glen's character centered on a park and a quieter street, Lincoln Glen fits neatly and costs a touch less than the blocks right off the avenue.