Twin Oaks Valley, San Marcos, CA

Horses, open hillsides and a red barn set the tone in Twin Oaks Valley, the rural north end of San Marcos along North Twin Oaks Valley Road. This is where the city's settled history starts. Gustavus French Merriam homesteaded the north valley in the 1800s, long before the suburbs spread below, and the valley still carries more of that farm past than the newer neighborhoods to the south. Walnut Grove Park on Sycamore Drive holds that history. The Williams Barn, built in 1952 and known around town as the Red Barn, stands on the grounds, and Heritage Park inside the grounds keeps the Bidwell and Cox homes from the late 1800s, open for docent tours run by the San Marcos Historical Society. Its horse arena is the one public riding ring in the northern half of the county, and each fall a Horse Heritage Festival opens with a costumed trail ride. Homes spread out. Ranch-style and Spanish-style houses sit on lots from roughly an acre to several acres, some fenced for horses and chickens, and Twin Oaks Valley Farms adds hilltop country estates with long views. Vacant parcels still turn up for sale. Twin Oaks Golf Course, with a pond guarding one of its par 3 greens, sits along the main road. Eating out in Twin Oaks Valley is a short list. Twin Oaks Market & Deli on North Twin Oaks Valley Road makes sandwiches and stocks the basics. Up Deer Springs Road, just outside the city, the Golden Door spa runs a farm stand, the TERI Campus of Life has the Common Grounds cafe, and Sunshine Mountain Vineyard pours wine Thursday through Sunday from a hilltop patio. Everyday shopping means heading south. The markets and restaurants of Richmar and the shopping along Mission Road are the closest, and Highway 78 is the main freeway link. A car is a must. Distance is the cost of the space. Every grocery run and school trip starts with a drive down the valley road. What it gives back is quiet, with mornings here more likely to start with a horse at the fence than a leaf blower.