Westside Lancaster, Lancaster, CA

Westside Lancaster is where the city keeps its desert woodland. Prime Desert Woodland Preserve, off 35th Street West, protects a patch of native high-desert landscape with walking paths and a focus on environmental education, and it gives this side of Lancaster a quieter, more open feel than the blocks near downtown. Homes on the west side are mostly newer tract neighborhoods, the stucco-and-tile houses that spread across the valley in the building waves of the late 20th century and after. Streets curve into cul-de-sacs rather than running in a strict grid, and lots grow roomier the farther west you go toward 60th Street West. Outdoor time here goes beyond the preserve. Antelope Valley College, on Avenue K, anchors the middle of the area with its campus and a running course. The Lancaster Dog Park is off Avenue L-12, and Rawley Duntley Park on Yew Street is the neighborhood park for pickup games. Food clusters in shopping centers along Avenue K, Avenue L and 20th Street West. Amate Coffee on 20th Street West is the local coffee stop, a modern shop built around Mexican flavors. Vince's Pasta & Pizza on Avenue L turns out calzones, pasta and a house antipasto salad, with arcade games for waiting out a pickup order. Groceries are easy. Stater Bros. and Vons both sit on Avenue L, Albertsons is on 20th Street West, and Valley Central Way to the northeast adds Food 4 Less and Vallarta Supermarkets. Almost every one of those trips is a drive, since homes sit behind block walls a fair distance from the commercial corners. The tradeoff is spread. What you get instead is the preserve, where a short loop through native desert woodland reminds you the Mojave starts right at the edge of the subdivisions.