CLIPBOARD

If most people move next to a golf course for its country-club atmosphere and high-priced homes, the Meadowlark neighborhood is the antithesis of this movement. In this quiet housing tract in west Huntington Beach, residents find prestige in pursuit of the simple life.

“My home is by no means a castle,” said James Rodden, a 30-year resident of the area and native of Orange County. “I moved here from Anaheim because of the location.”

Situated a half-mile from Pacific Coast Highway, Meadowlark is an ideal family neighborhood. Bolsa Chica State Beach is within bicycling distance, and Meadowlark Golf Course is little more than a chip shot away.

The tree-lined streets, sporting names such as Birdie Lane and Par Circle, hum with the sound of lawn mowers as the sweet alfalfa smell of freshly cut grass fills the air. For Rodden, the scent evokes memories of a time when his house was one of only four in a newly developing neighborhood.

“When we moved here, there was a bean field at one end of the street and a tomato field at the other end,” he said. “When they’d mow down the fields, it smelled green like a mowed lawn. Thirty years ago, this area was out in the sticks.”

Living far from the madding crowd was one of Rodden’s main reasons for moving to the Meadowlark area. While freeway interchanges are nearby, no freeway traffic drones in the background. And, although hundreds of homes have been built in the neighborhood over the last three decades, a quiet ambience is retained in the modest neighborhood.

“When I moved here, Huntington Beach had a population of only 9,000,” he said. “There were no fences. Well, I had no neighbors. The area has grown, but we still have a small-town feeling.”

Neighbors watch each other’s homes, picking up the mail or newspapers while others are on vacation. Unlike many areas undergoing rejuvenation, Meadowlark is still closely knit, despite the fact that most of the original homeowners have moved away.

“I saw one fellow at the golf course the other morning who has lived here for 38 years,” said Rodden, who has golfed twice weekly at the course for nearly 50 years. “We’re among the few to stay put in one place. Everyone else moves out and trades up, but I never could find a good enough reason to leave.”

Meadowlark Golf Course is among the neighborhoods most attractive qualities. The golf course, originally built in 1923 as the Long Beach Country Club, was renamed in the 1930s when it was sold to a private company.

The name meadowlark refers to the bird whose distinctive song was often heard on the golf course. While the bird has been displaced due to development and the loss of habitat, the 96-acre city-owned course has escaped developers’ backhoes.

In 1973, the golf course went up for sale. Builders were eager to get hold of the land to develop new homes and condominiums. However, the city of Huntington Beach managed to stall until 1975, when it acquired cash from county and city federal revenue-sharing funds to put a third of the total asking price of $3.2 million as a down payment on the golf course. The residual amount owed on the course will be paid off in 1995. The city purchase ensures that Meadowlark will always be a mainstay in the schedules of many Orange County golfers.

“About half of the people who play here are locals,” said Meadowlark Golf Course manager Jack Henry. “The other 50% are either tourists or old-timers who have played here for years and years and years. The old-timers always come back to play after they’ve moved.”

Henry is no exception to his own “old-timers” rule. In 1954, when he first started working there, the south side of the course was covered with corn, the east with tomatoes, the west with strawberries and homes were being built on the north side. Over the next three decades, Henry moved inland to manage other courses in the county but returned to Meadowlark in 1988.

“I wanted my family to live in Huntington Beach,” he said. “There’s no air pollution here. Every afternoon a salty breeze blows off the ocean that cools us down. This is my little bit of heaven.”

Rodden shares similar sentiments about the Meadowlark neighborhood.

“The area is great,” he said. “We’ve got a nice shopping center on the corner, good schools within walking distance and beautiful weather. I’ve traveled throughout the state and could live anywhere. For me, Meadowlark is the best place to live.”

Population Total: (1990 est.) 2,635 1980-90 change: +2.6% Median Age: 35.6

Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino): 80% Latino: 8% Other: 12% Black: less than 1%

By sex and age: MALES Median age: 34.8 years FEMALES Median age: 36.4 years

Income Per capita: $19,548 Median household: $59,094 Average household: $58,733

Income Distribution: Less than $25,000: 10% $25,000-49,999: 25% $50,000-74,999: 41% $75,000-$99,999: 14% $100,000 and more: 10%