Sunland, Los Angeles, CA

Sunland sits in a foothill valley at the northeast edge of Los Angeles, with the Verdugo Mountains on one side and the San Gabriels on the other. Tujunga shares the valley to the east and Shadow Hills lies to the west. Homes are a mix of older cottages, ranch houses and hillside homes on larger lots than the Valley floor usually offers. Some early houses were built from local river rock and boulders, and those stone walls and chimneys still turn up on side streets. The Verdugo Mountains and La Tuna Canyon have fire roads for hiking and mountain biking, and the Big Tujunga Wash runs along the north side. Sunland Park and Oro Vista Park give the neighborhood its playgrounds and ball fields, and the Theodore Payne Foundation on Tuxford Street runs a native plant nursery focused on California natives. Foothill Boulevard serves as the main street. Sweet Cherries Diner and Corsica Italian Delicatessen are nearby, and Angeles National Golf Club, a public course against the mountains, has a restaurant and a wine tasting room. Errands run along Foothill and Sunland boulevards, with Ralphs on Sunland Boulevard and La Vaquita market on Foothill. The 210 has exits at Sunland Boulevard and La Tuna Canyon Road, which makes Pasadena and the Valley reachable. Almost every trip is by car. Canyon country means wildfire risk, and the brush on the slopes requires yearly clearance. Summers run hotter than the coast, and some areas still lack sidewalks. On clear winter mornings, snow can show up on the San Gabriel peaks above Sunland while the valley floor stays sunny.