The Meadows, Livermore, CA

The Meadows is a long-running north Livermore neighborhood off Portola Avenue and North Livermore Avenue, built in stages from the mid-1960s through about 1990. That extended build window is the defining trait: home sizes swing widely, from compact 1,300-square-foot plans to homes topping 3,000, so floor plans, lot sizes, and architectural styles vary considerably depending on which phase a given block belongs to. The location is its practical advantage. Portola and North Livermore Avenue feed straight toward downtown, so you are reasonably central, with the restaurants and First Street scene a short drive away and freeway access close at hand. The streets are quiet and residential, and the older sections have the mature landscaping that comes with decades in place. For buyers, the variety is the opportunity. Because the neighborhood spans so many eras and sizes, there is a broad price range under one name, from smaller starter homes to substantially larger ones, all in a convenient, established part of north-central Livermore.