Orange Heights, Pasadena, CA

Orange Heights was the first neighborhood in Pasadena to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, an honor it earned on the strength of the houses that replaced its orange groves around the turn of the last century. The homes date to the early 20th century, with a strong Craftsman thread and an impressive list of designers for so few blocks. Renton put up 17 houses in the district. Lots are city-sized rather than estate-sized, so the streets read as one steady run of porches, gables and mature trees. There's no park inside the boundaries, but Washington Park is just across El Molino in Washington Square. It began as a municipal dump that horticulturist Theodore Payne turned into parkland in 1922. For most people, though, the daily walk is simply a loop of these short, quiet streets. Lake Avenue is the nearest place to eat, a few blocks east. Mely's Pupuseria makes Salvadoran pupusas to order, and the corridor also has taquerias, bakeries and a Food 4 Less for everyday groceries. Old Pasadena and the Playhouse District are a short drive south when you want a bigger night out. Getting around is mostly by car for larger errands, with the 210 Freeway close by. Longfellow Elementary, Eliot Middle and John Muir High are the public schools that serve the area. The downside is that the neighborhood has almost no commercial life of its own. Even a cup of coffee means leaving the district. Scale is what sets Orange Heights apart. You can cross it end to end in a few minutes, and on that short walk you pass houses by several of the architects who defined early Pasadena.