Recreation Park, Long Beach, CA

Recreation Park in Long Beach is a neighborhood wrapped around a 210-acre city park of the same name that holds two golf courses, a tennis center and a historic ballpark. Few neighborhoods in the city have that much green space at the end of the street, and the park sets the pace of daily life here. The park is packed with uses. There is an 18-hole and a 9-hole golf course, Blair Field for baseball, a casting pond, greens for lawn bowling, a dog park on 7th Street and the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. The Long Beach Greenbelt adds a walking path nearby. Homes around Recreation Park range from older bungalows and Spanish-style houses to mid-century ranches, on established streets with mature trees. The mix leans single-family, with small apartment buildings closer to the main roads. Belmont Heights is to the south and Zaferia to the north. To the north, East Anaheim Street is where people go to eat. On 7th Street, Jim's Burgers is the quick lunch. Errands run along 7th Street and Anaheim Street, and Armstrong Garden Centers on 10th Street is the go-to for plants. The Brewitt Neighborhood Library is on Anaheim. Belmont Shore's beach and Second Street are about ten minutes south, and the 405 is close via Lakewood Boulevard. 7th Street and Park Avenue carry heavy traffic, especially during Cal State Long Beach commutes and ballgames, and golf and tennis crowds fill the lots on weekends. In return, a morning walk here can mean fairways, lawn bowlers and the lagoon all before 8 a.m.