San Elijo Hills, San Marcos, CA

Double Peak rises over San Elijo Hills, the master-planned community on the southern ridges of San Marcos, and the mountain shapes nearly everything about living here. Planning began in the 1990s, the first schools and parks opened in 2004, and the hillsides filled with neighborhoods over the following decade. The name comes from San Alejo, which the Portola expedition gave the area in 1769. Homes are newer than in most of North County. Expect two-story houses on curving streets and cul-de-sacs, some with ocean or valley views from the higher lots, plus townhomes and a mixed-use block called MarketWalk near the town center. A homeowners association runs events through the year, from a golf outing to a holiday tree lighting. Outdoor space is where this side of town stands out. Double Peak Park, at the end of Double Peak Drive, has a terraced amphitheater for ranger talks, a playground and a picnic shelter, and the summit view takes in Catalina Island, downtown San Diego and the Santa Ana Mountains. San Elijo Park on Elfin Forest Road has ball diamonds, a sprayground and an enclosed dog park, and it doubles as the main trailhead for roughly 18 miles of community trails open to hikers, cyclists and riders. San Elijo Town Square, just west of this page's line, is where the neighborhood eats and meets. San Elijo Vine & Tap serves a rotating wine list from small producers and birria tacos on the first Tuesday of the month, and The Sanctuary by The Lost Abbey pours barrel-aged ales nearby. Albertsons, on the same stretch of San Elijo Road, covers the weekly shop. The community has its own schools, San Elijo Elementary, San Elijo Middle and Double Peak K-8, along with a fire station. For most other errands, San Elijo Road and Twin Oaks Valley Road wind down to Highway 78 and Cal State San Marcos, and that drive is part of every weekday. The hills that give San Elijo Hills its views also stretch out its trips, and few errands happen on foot. On a clear evening at the Double Peak summit, though, the ocean, the city lights and the trail you just walked are all in one frame.