New Encinitas, Encinitas, CA

Over the coastal ridge and east of Interstate 5, New Encinitas is the planned, suburban half of Encinitas, built out in stages as the city grew inland. El Camino Real runs down its middle, and the neighborhoods on either side trade the beach-cottage look of the coast for cul-de-sacs, sidewalks and homeowner association pools. Most homes date from the late 1980s into the 2000s. Village Park, mostly a 1980s build that fills the land from Encinitas Boulevard up to Garden View Road on the east side of El Camino Real, has sidewalks on most streets and HOA greenbelts between the tracts. Encinitas Estates holds older single-family homes near the commercial strip, and townhomes and condos line El Camino Real itself. Architecture stays fairly consistent within each tract, and common areas tend to be kept up by the associations. Open space is closer than the shopping centers suggest. Sun Vista Park and Scott Valley Park serve the residential streets, and Manchester Preserve, owned by a land conservancy and maintained by the City, has dirt trails for hikers only, with no horses or bikes allowed. At the south end, Lux Art Institute sits on five acres overlooking San Elijo Lagoon, and visitors can watch a resident artist build a commissioned piece from start to finish. Two local favorites hide in strip malls. Kaito Sushi on North El Camino Real is a family-run counter whose fish mostly arrives by air from Tokyo's Toyosu Market, and regulars book a week or two out for the nigiri and chirashi bowls. Isabelle Briens French Pastry Cafe has been turning out croissants and celebration cakes in Encinitas for about two decades. Errands are the easy part of living in New Encinitas. Ralphs, Vons, Sprouts, Aldi and Stater Bros. all sit along El Camino Real or Encinitas Boulevard, and the Encinitas Ranch center at the north end adds more stores. Most trips happen by car, and Encinitas Boulevard carries you west over the ridge to the Coaster station and the 101 in a few minutes. The coast is close but not walkable from most of these streets, so beach days start in the car. What New Encinitas gives back is a quieter street, a newer house and a grocery store on the way home.