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15 Top neighborhoods

Where's your home sweet home?

Ana Cotham and Matt Larson

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There’s a reason the phrase isn’t ‘house sweet house,’ but ‘home sweet home.’ A roof over one’s head is one of the most important financial and emotional investments one will ever make, but equally critical is the what, the where, and the why. After all, your heart will be there for a while. So what matters more? Being close to good schools, or to an urban center? Living where you can see the stars at night? Lightening your home’s impact on the Earth? Using five categories—none of which are mutually exclusive—to break down those critical considerations, we bring you some of our region’s top neighborhoods.

Family spaces

Local Little League draws a big crowd at Benicia Community Park.

Photo: Dan Fein

Solano: Waters End North and South, Benicia
Given its rather secluded waterfront location, people may not be aware of Benicia’s wide acclaim as an ideal location in which to raise a family by publications such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Money magazine and Nick Jr. Family Magazine. One source of city pride is that Benicia has more parks per capita than any other city in Solano County. One of the newer parks, kitted out with a basketball court, jungle gym area, and picnic and game tables, is in the brand-new Waters End subdivision.
Curving up into the hills of north Benicia, only a few miles from downtown, Waters End is a joint project of more than 417 sophisticated, spacious homes from Centex Homes (Waters End South) and Shea Homes (Waters End North). The lots are large and the streets wide, well-lined with sidewalks and quiet. While Centex Homes, which began construction a year earlier than Shea, has completed its side of the project, Shea Homes will commence construction of its remaining homes in spring 2008.
The Benicia schools are top-notch, ranked among the top 10 percent in the state by the California Department of Education.

A serene Browns Valley street.

Photo: Willie B. Howard

Napa: Browns Valley, Napa
The words “rolling hills” might not immediately evoke images of Napa, but head west past the Napa Premium Outlets, and there they are. Within them, covering about 2 square miles, is the region known as Browns Valley. The area’s architectural styles range from World War II-era to custom-designed domiciles on private streets. Furthermore, its status is secure for the future. “It’s an area of the county which cannot be subdivided or developed unless the people vote to allow a change from agriculture to residential—which is highly unlikely,” says Susan Archer, a Realtor with Windermere Napa Valley Properties.
    Because of the variety in architecture, age and size, homes vary in price, from $500,000 to a couple of million dollars, Archer says. Browns Valley, she adds, frequently offers larger lot sizes than the usual 6,000-square-foot city lot, and homes with three to four bedrooms.
    Browns Valley Elementary School, one of Napa Valley Unified School District’s highest rated elementary schools, is there. But, outside is just as important as inside. Within the vicinity are several parks, the Carolyn Parr Nature Museum and a small retail center that includes the popular Browns Valley Market. “Kids can walk to the creek, to the park,” Archer says. “There are no gates to anything.”

Paddleboats on the 17-acre Stonegate Lake.
Photo: Garrett Cotham
Yolo: Stonegate Country Club, Davis
A good visual marker of a family-friendly neighborhood is a ball field that doubles as an off-leash dog park. On any given day, any number of two- or four-legged critters could be running amok on Stonegate Country Club’s soccer field.
    Comprised of 970 homes and 110 apartments, the West Davis country club’s required monthly fee of $38 allows access to numerous amenities: the clubhouse itself, which may be rented out for private events; athletic options such as pools, tennis courts and a gym; and 17-acre Stonegate Lake that hosts sailing lessons and paddleboats during the summer.
    Resident David Suder lived in Stonegate as a graduate student at the University of California, Davis. “When [my family] decided to move back to Davis 12 years ago,” he says, “this was the area we wanted to be in.” His 13-year-old daughter, Ellen, joins in many club activities, but enjoys sailing most. “It’s really fun,” she says. “I started in the program when I was about 8.”
    Regarding education, Claire Black Slotton, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Doug Arnold Real Estate says, “Davis’ test scores are phenomenal, from grade school through university.” When house-hunting, she recommends neighborhoods that are within easy distance of both an elementary and a junior high school. Stonegate Country Club fits that bill, feeding into the highly ranked Patwin Elementary School and Emerson Junior High.