Real Estate

For 50 years, the Orange County community has fought to remain independent.

In keeping with the neighborhood's rural roots, there are plenty of residents with horses and even chickens and goats. Wild rabbits are also a common sight.

Luxury homes long ago replaced oil wells in this upscale, golf course-centered part of Huntington Beach.

Not much changes in Bluff Park, and that's the way residents of this historic district like it.

IF YOU'RE heading for SeaWorld and miss the offramp, there's no need to be bummed out. Just southwest of the attraction is Ocean Beach, with stretches of sand, a retro downtown and a laid-back attitude. This groovy spot, fondly known as the People's Republic of Ocean Beach, retains its '60s vibe and that era's strong emphasis on community.

The colorful history of this Santa Barbara neighborhood runs from bandits to the postwar housing boom.

APART of San Pedro deeply rooted in the past is enjoying new life thanks to its historic-district designation in 2001 by the city of Los Angeles. Vinegar Hill, once the enclave of San Pedro's elite and the site of some of its oldest homes, is the smallest of the 22 areas throughout Los Angeles known as Historic Preservation Overlay Zones.

The city's on a mission to change its image, including calling its revitalized downtown by its original name. Good fortune indeed.

Hollywood Dell residents savor their area of winding roads and shady paths.

The street names may sound like Olde England -- Marlborough, Canterbury -- but this San Diego neighborhood is more old California with an abundance of classic Spanish-style architecture. Its quiet, winding streets, beautiful homes and canyon views set Kensington apart from the surrounding city.

THE rumor persists that a scene from "The Wizard of Oz" was filmed on Shakespeare Bridge in Franklin Hills. Although by all accounts it was filmed at MGM's Culver City studios, this whisper of mystique seems a perfect fit for a place that most certainly would never be mistaken for Kansas.

Elbow room, splendid views and affordability are lures here. Not to mention the outdoors.

Community of view homes in hills of Culver City retains that 1950s feel.

The cozy community of Westwood Hills offers an antidote to the busy UCLA campus that adjoins it. Longtime residents, an active property owners association and a charming mix of well-priced traditional, ranch and Spanish-style homes along lushly landscaped streets characterize the area.

Roy Rogers and Trigger would be proud. Orange Park Acres is a horse lover's dream, where equestrians set the pace for this little bit of serenity amid Orange's busy boulevards and strip shopping malls. It just doesn't get much more incongruous -- or unique in Orange County -- than this.

Silver Lake has retained the bohemian flair that marked its rise as a residential neighborhood near downtown a century ago. Also unchanged are the views of the Silver Lake Reservoir and the hills that surround it.

La Habra Heights is about opulence: sprawling properties with orchards and canyon views, rolling hills with room for horses to roam, a golf course and trails for hiking and deep breathing.

It's an aberration in today's real estate market: a development of more than 100 homes and nary a "for sale" sign in sight. What makes this Malibu neighborhood so desirable that houses rarely come on the market and, when they do, they fly off in days? (Yes, days.)

When it comes to stepping back in time, the Los Rios Historic District in San Juan Capistrano can claim major bragging rights. It is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in California, with adobe homes built in the 1790s and 200-year-old pepper and olive trees.

This is one of those places where you suck in your breath, let out a low whistle and think,

There's Mar Vista -- the Westside community of pleasant postwar housing -- and then there's Mar Vista Hill, actually a gathering of hills that oversee their more modest mother community. Few locations in Los Angeles -- at any price -- can match the views.

For a community built on land that once virtually couldn't be given away, Corona del Mar has done pretty well for itself. The stretch of isolated oceanfront has blossomed into a quiet enclave of about 13,000 people.