Middle Rincon, Santa Rosa, CA

Middle Rincon is the workhorse of northeast Santa Rosa, the largest and most varied of the Rincon Valley neighborhoods. The housing runs the full range here, from condo and townhome communities like the 1970s Spanish-style Brush Creek Villas to single-family streets and mobile home parks, which makes it one of the more accessible ways onto this desirable side of the city. The location is the draw. You are right along the Highway 12 corridor with its shopping and the well-regarded Rincon Valley schools that pull families to the northeast, and the trails and open space of the eastern hills are close at hand. Oliver's Market and the Rincon Valley retail just to the south handle the errands and the craft-beer-and-taqueria evenings. The honest part is that with that range of housing comes a range of upkeep and feel, so Middle Rincon is less uniform than the pricier hillside enclaves around it, and the Highway 12 edge carries real traffic. For buyers who want into Rincon Valley schools and trail access without the hillside price tag, this is the practical entry point.