Rolling Hills, Fairfield, CA

Rolling Hills lives up to its name. Streets in this Fairfield neighborhood climb and curve through the slopes near Hillridge Drive and Glenwood Drive, so the layout feels more like a set of little loops than a grid. The housing is detached, tract-built and on the newer side of the city's stock, with attached garages and landscaped front yards. Many streets have a gentle grade, which keeps the blocks from feeling flat or repetitive. Three parks are inside the neighborhood. Dunnell Nature Park and Education Center, on Hillridge Drive, has walking trails, wildlife such as rabbits and squirrels, and a playground, and its education center focuses on the local plants and animals. Meadow Glen Park, on Parkview Terrace, has barbecues, picnic tables and open grass, and the neighborhood's namesake Rolling Hills Park, on Glenwood Drive, has a basketball court and a picnic area. Mankas Neighborhood Park, in the Woodcreek area, and Hillview Park, a short drive off, give more lawn to choose from. Texas Roadhouse is the sit-down option for a big family dinner. A few steps beyond the boundary are Sourdough and Co, a deli known for soups and sandwiches, and Totto Ramen and Sushi Bar. A Starbucks sits inside the neighborhood for the morning run. Raley's and Safeway are both a couple hundred yards past the edge, and Trader Joe's is under half a mile away, so groceries are easy by car and possible on foot from the lower streets. The interstate is a few minutes' drive, and the daily routine for most households is built around it. In Rolling Hills the stores sit just outside the boundary, which makes most of the hillside streets a drive away from anything useful. The compensation is quiet blocks and a nature park that people in flatter parts of town have to cross Fairfield to reach.