Verdugo Woodlands, Glendale, CA

Verdugo Woodlands takes its name from its trees. Coast live oaks, sycamores and jacarandas shade this part of north Glendale, and that canopy is what separates it from the more open grid of Montrose to the west. Homes are mostly single-family, one and two stories, on lots that run larger than much of the city. Spanish cottages and Tudors from the 1920s and 1930s share streets with postwar ranch houses, nearly all built before the 1970s. Deukmejian Wilderness Park covers more than 700 acres of chaparral and canyon woodland at the top of the neighborhood, with the Stone Barn Nature Center, a ranger station and trails like Dunsmore Creek and the Le Mesnager Loop climbing toward views over the Crescenta Valley. Foothill Boulevard is the everyday strip. A Vons anchors one center with a Starbucks and ZENSHI Handcrafted Sushi, and farther along, Union Jack's Tea runs a proper tea room and Venice Classic Pastry and Deli handles cakes and sandwiches. For a bigger night out, the restaurants on Honolulu Avenue in Montrose are a few minutes away by car. Daily life in Verdugo Woodlands is car-based. Hills and long blocks turn most errands into a drive, and Canada Boulevard and the 2 Freeway carry the trip to downtown Glendale. The real tradeoff is fire. The city places the Woodlands in high fire hazard zones, which means brush clearance and a close eye on red flag days. Under those oaks the city noise fades fast, and the Verdugos fill the view from a lot of driveways.