Terra Nova, Chula Vista, CA

Terra Nova is a compact neighborhood in Chula Vista, just east of Interstate 805 along East H Street, with townhome circles and single-family streets wrapped around a large park. It is small enough that most residents share the same shopping center, the same park and the same freeway on-ramp. Housing comes in two flavors. Townhome communities on circles like Windjammer and Sanibelle have attached garages, patios and shared pools, and some upstairs bedrooms catch partial views of the ocean and downtown San Diego. On streets like Parkside Drive and Hidden Vista Drive, two-story single-family homes have vaulted ceilings, bonus rooms and room for a backyard. Terra Nova Park on Hidden Vista Drive is the centerpiece, with 17 acres of soccer and ball fields, tennis and basketball courts, picnic shelters and a playground. The Rice Canyon trail in neighboring Rancho del Rey is close for a longer walk, and Rohr Park in the Sweetwater Valley is a short drive north. Terra Nova Plaza on East H Street covers most of the eating out. Caffe Tazza is the neighborhood's coffeehouse, serving espresso and pastries by day and beer and wine later on, with plenty of seating. D'Lish turns out homemade Italian, including wood-fired pizza, handmade pasta and eggplant parm, plus weekend pancakes and French toast, and it stays open late on weekends with a DJ. Smart and Final at the plaza handles groceries, and the rest of the center has a bagel shop, a juice bar and quick lunch spots. Costco is farther east on East H Street. I-805 is right at the neighborhood's western edge, with an interchange at East H Street. East H Street is a wide, busy arterial, and the blocks closest to the plaza and the freeway hear it. Terra Nova works because everything is in one tight loop, a park, a coffeehouse and a supermarket within a few minutes of every front door, without the sprawl of the larger communities farther east.