Salida, Salida, CA

Salida is a densely built, family-oriented community at the northern edge of Stanislaus County, pressed up against Modesto along Highway 99. Its old main street is Broadway, where a median of oak trees and a walking path give the place a spine that most of the surrounding subdivisions lack. Housing is dense, and county parks are tucked among the residential streets. Wincanton, Segesta, Countrystone, Murphy and Salida Park are the names to know, and most come with a ball field, a basketball court or a picnic shelter. Salida Park, about four acres, has a baseball and softball diamond, restrooms, a concession stand and play equipment. Segesta Park is roughly nine acres with a court and a shelter, Countrystone Park adds a lighted court and a field, and Wincanton Park has a playground and a drinking fountain. Murphy Park has volleyball and basketball courts under shade. For a longer stretch of walking, the path down Broadway's median does the job. Breakfast and lunch run through Salida's Country Kitchen on Broadway Avenue, an old-school diner, and Huckleberry's on Kiernan Avenue, a Southern-style spot right off Highway 99. Tequileros Taqueria on Sisk Road is the taco order people come back to, and Solid Beer Works pours from the pilot brewhouse of the Solid Brewing Company. The Salida Public Library and La Familia Market are inside the community. Target and Save Mart anchor the Pelandale shopping area just over the line in Modesto, which is where larger errands go. The Salida Union district runs the local elementary and middle schools, and older students attend Gregori High School, next door. The trade is simple. You get parks close by and a recognizable main street, and the big shopping is a drive across the boundary. The oaks down the middle of Broadway are the picture people carry of the place.