Best Neighborhoods in Vacaville, CA

Browns Valley in Vacaville is the part of the city that meets the hills, and instead of a main street it has a trailhead. The Browns Valley Open Space Preserve, on the north side near Wrentham Drive and Vaca Valley Parkway, is a wide spread of oak and grass hills with hiking trails of different lengths, and parking is available along both roads. ... See Full Page

The Farm at Alamo Creek sits on the northeast side of the Leisure Town Road and Elmira Road crossing in Vacaville, on land that used to be farmland. The name nods to that history, and the first thing you notice is that a big park, not a shopping center, anchors the area. ... See Full Page

Vanden Meadows is a newer residential area at the southeast edge of Vacaville, framed by Nut Tree Road on one side and Leisure Town Road on the other, south of Cogburn Circle. It feels like the quiet end of town, with houses new enough that some yards are still bare. ... See Full Page

Parkside takes its name from the parks around it. Within Vacaville, it sits close to Meadowlands Park and Nelson Park, and those two are the reference points for describing where it is. ... See Full Page

Southtown in Vacaville is a small, mostly residential pocket, and its main public feature is Magnolia Park, six acres at 215 Cogburn Circle. Oak woodland and open grass cover the grounds, along with woodland trails, a softball field, a full-size basketball court and three picnic shelters that can be rented. Bird-watchers do well among the oaks, a splash pad runs in warm months, and the big playground has spray features worked in. ... See Full Page

Creekside is the stretch of Vacaville where Alamo Drive does most of the talking. The neighborhood is organized around a long run of everyday businesses, with single-family streets set behind them, and almost nothing about it is meant to be scenic. ... See Full Page

Downtown Vacaville is the city's old center, and the blocks around Main and Merchant Streets carry more history than anywhere else in town. The early Town Hall still stands here, joined by a museum and an art gallery set in a restored Victorian. ... See Full Page

In Vacaville, Foxboro is the part of town where the parks are the landmarks. Arlington Park sits at Foxboro Parkway and Peabody Road, Al Patch Park has softball fields, a football field and an all-purpose track, and Pheasant Country Park, Madison Park and Cannon Station Park fill in the gaps. Cannon Station, where Nut Tree Drive meets Opal Drive, is mostly open grass with a tennis court, a quick loop for anyone with a leashed dog. ... See Full Page

Monte Vista in Vacaville is where the houses and the old commercial blocks meet, right beside downtown. Victorian and craftsman homes turn up here, mixed in with storefronts along Merchant Street and Alamo Drive. ... See Full Page

Travelers have been pulling off here for a century, which is why the Nut Tree name still carries weight in Vacaville. It began in 1921 as a roadside fruit stand beside what became Interstate 80 and grew into a restaurant that pulled drivers off the highway. The original business is long gone and Nut Tree Plaza now fills the site, but a miniature train and a carousel keep a bit of the old roadside spirit alive. ... See Full Page

Roberts' Ranch is the biggest of the newer villages along Leisure Town Road in Vacaville, set northeast of the Fry Road intersection. Walk the streets and you can tell construction came in waves, because some blocks look settled and others are still being framed. ... See Full Page

Woodridge is a small residential piece of Vacaville centered on Meadowlands Park, and the park is what gives the neighborhood a middle. On a map you see rows of single-family streets wrapped around a green space that works as the shared yard. ... See Full Page

Brighton Landing is one of the newest communities on Vacaville's east side, and the landscaping gives that away. Sidewalks are crisp, front yards are young, and the trees have not yet reached the rooflines. ... See Full Page

Greentree in Vacaville is the stretch of the city where shopping and restaurants gather around Interstate 80. Clay Oven Grill and Bar serves modern Indian dishes with plenty of vegetarian choices, The Brass Tap has a long list of craft beer, and Kings Buffet is the big-table option. The chains are all present, from Jack in the Box to Carl's Jr. And Popeyes, and Jersey Mike's covers sandwiches. ... See Full Page

Lagoon Valley is a park-dominated piece of Vacaville, and most of what is here is open land built around a lake. This page is closer to a guide to the park than to a typical neighborhood, because the public land is the main attraction. ... See Full Page

Leisure Town in Vacaville takes its name from the road that runs through its busiest shopping stretch, and the area works as two places at once. Behind the retail corridor sit quiet streets of single-story ranch homes, along with condominiums and manufactured homes. A community center in the older core has pools, fitness rooms and bocce courts. ... See Full Page

North Village sits on the north side of Vacaville and is one of the city's newer pockets, with modern suburban homes, many built in the 2000s. Corderos Park is the green space inside the area, and the bigger draw is the hill country beyond it. The hiking preserve in Browns Valley sits up the road, with hiking trails and trailhead parking along Vaca Valley Parkway. Centennial Park, a 265-acre spread on Browns Valley Parkway with ballfields, tennis courts and a network of dirt trails, is a short drive away as well. ... See Full Page

Alamo in Vacaville borrows its name from the creek and the drive, and it is where daily errands cluster along one long corridor. WinCo Foods and a Walmart Neighborhood Market handle groceries, Yoli's Produce and Meat Market is the specialty stop, and the fast-food lineup from McDonald's to Sonic sits along the same stretch. ... See Full Page

Southwood is one of the busier corners of Vacaville for everyday errands, and the neighborhood mixes its homes with a working shopping center. Lucky Supermarkets, a bakery, several takeout counters and Southwood Park all sit inside the boundary. ... See Full Page

Fairmont is where Vacaville does its heavy shopping. Costco and Safeway anchor the grocery side, with Desi Outlet and County Square Market for specialty stocking, and the dining list reads like a catalog of sit-down chains plus a few local picks. BJ's Restaurants, Chili's and University of Beer cover the big-table meals. ... See Full Page