Mt. Pleasant North, San Jose, CA

In San Jose, Mt. Pleasant North is the quieter, higher extension of the Mt. Pleasant area, where the East Side neighborhoods keep climbing toward the foothills. The houses are older single-family homes on rising ground, with some lots stepping up the grade and a few catching a view out over the valley. The streets are residential through and through, with no commercial strip cutting through the middle. The Alum Rock Village Farmers Market on White Road mixes seasonal fruit and vegetables with cooked food and musicians playing. Weekly groceries mean the Cardenas Market at White Road and Story Road, in a plaza that also has a Starbucks and Rica Panaderia for pastries. Eating out starts at the bottom of the hill. Tacos Monarca on Alum Rock Avenue handles the quick taco run. Antipasto's by DeRose, the Italian deli on McKee Road, is known for its house-made ravioli and a long beer list, and The Drying Shed on Toyon Avenue is where people book prime rib dinners and big celebrations in its banquet rooms. Alum Rock Park is the big outdoor draw, a short drive north on Penitencia Creek Road, with miles of trails through a canyon along and above Penitencia Creek, plus picnic lawns and a playground partway up. Lake Cunningham Regional Park is the flat alternative to the south, with a loop trail around its lake. Light rail riders board VTA's Orange Line where it starts on South Capitol Avenue, and the I-680 on-ramps are a quick drive west. For a buyer who wants a peaceful, foothill-adjacent position and does not mind driving for everything, Mt. Pleasant North is a modest but pleasant option on the city's eastern edge.