Tempo, Livermore, CA

Tempo is a west-Livermore neighborhood built by Hoffman between 1968 and 1976, sitting right alongside Sunset West and within easy reach of downtown. The homes are practical three- and four-bedroom plans, generally 1,300 to 1,800 square feet on good-sized 7,000-to-9,000 square-foot lots, which gives the tract roomier yards than its modest footprints suggest. Streets are calm and residential, the landscaping has matured over fifty-plus years, and upkeep is steady block to block. The neighborhood is unusually well set up for green space. Seven-acre Pleasure Island Park brings a large play area, shade trees, and picnic spots, and six-acre Ida Holm Park adds more open lawn nearby, so this is one of the more park-rich pockets on the west side. Downtown's First Street, about two miles off, handles the restaurants, tasting rooms, and weekend events. As with most of Livermore, daily errands mean a short drive rather than a walk. But the combination of two neighborhood parks, generous lots, and a quick line to both downtown and the freeways makes Tempo a solid, sensibly priced west-side option.