Stonehouse, Napa, CA

Stonehouse is a river-backed neighborhood on Napa's northeast side, tucked between Soscol Avenue and the Napa River below Trancas Street. Its defining feature is the water: the meandering river backs up to many of the homes, and the Napa River Trail runs along the eastern border, giving residents a walking and biking path right at the edge of the neighborhood. That riverfront orientation makes Stonehouse quietly appealing. You get a natural green edge and trail access without leaving the city, while Soscol Avenue on the west keeps shopping and the route downtown close at hand. It's a settled residential pocket that trades on its location along the river more than on any single landmark. The tradeoffs are the familiar Napa ones. Soscol Avenue is a busy commercial artery, so the western blocks carry more traffic and noise than the river side, and homes backing onto the water sit with the city's flood history and the engineering that manages it. For buyers who want river frontage and a trail out the back without a downtown price tag, Stonehouse is an easy neighborhood to like.