Westwood, Napa, CA

Westwood is a west-side Napa neighborhood with a split personality, and both halves are useful. On one side it has Westwood Hills Park, a large, hilly park the city opened in 1976 with trails that climb for views over town; on the other, it backs up to Highway 29 and the Napa Premium Outlets, so outlet shopping is practically in the backyard. Many of the homes date to the 1950s and were built by the Devitas, a well-known local building family. That combination of a real hillside park and big-name retail close at hand is unusual for Napa and gives Westwood genuine day-to-day appeal. The streets are established and leafy, the Old Sonoma Road and First Street edges connect easily to the rest of the city, and you're a quick shot to either nature or a shopping run. The tradeoff is Highway 29. The eastern edge along the freeway and the outlets carries traffic and noise that the quieter interior and hillside streets don't, and the housing is largely mid-century original. For buyers who want trail access and shopping within minutes and don't mind being near the highway, Westwood is one of the better-rounded west-side choices.