Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, CA

Big rock outcroppings, rolling hills and canyon views set the tone in Rancho Bernardo, a planned community on San Diego's northern edge about 20 miles from downtown. The City annexed the land in the 1960s, and AVCO Community Developers built it out over the next two decades around the Rancho Bernardo Inn, which opened in 1963. Escondido lies to the north, Poway to the southeast and 4S Ranch to the west. Homes are mostly single-story, and Spanish-style tile roofs show up on block after block. Detached houses sit on quiet cul-de-sacs, townhomes and gated condo complexes such as Vista Del Lago add pools and clubhouses, and Bernardo Heights, Oaks North and Seven Oaks are among the named communities inside its lines. The Witch Creek Fire burned through in 2007, and neighborhoods including Westwood, The Trails and Montelena rebuilt afterward, so newer houses mix with the originals there. Lake Hodges is the big outdoor draw on the western side. The San Dieguito River Park's Piedras Pintadas Trail follows the shore past interpretive signs and a seasonal waterfall, the Bernardo Mountain Summit Trail climbs to a 360-degree view, and the David Kreitzer Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge, a stressed-ribbon span, carries walkers and riders across the lake. Closer to home, Webb Lake Park gives the interior its own small lake, and Rancho Bernardo Community Park on West Bernardo Drive has ball fields. To the east, the trails open into the farmland of the San Pasqual Valley. Edelweiss Bakery on Duenda Road bakes Viennese pastries, European tortes and butter cookies, and its fresh breads come out by late morning. Compa Coffee Roasters on Rancho Bernardo Road does its own small-batch roasting and makes most of what it serves in-house, down to the jams and biscuits. Across the city line in Poway, Bernardo Winery has been making wine since 1889 and hosts a certified farmers market. Errands are spread across neighborhood centers. Vons anchors the plaza on Bernardo Plaza Drive, Sprouts sits on Bernardo Heights Parkway, and the Rancho Bernardo Library is on Bernardo Center Drive. Interstate 15 cuts through the middle, lined with office parks that include Petco's headquarters. The area is large and spread out, and nearly everything starts with a drive. Life here gets measured in trails and tee times rather than city blocks, and the rocky hills are never far from a back window.