South of Hamilton, Huntington Beach

South of Hamilton is the corner of southeast Huntington Beach that runs from Hamilton Avenue down to Pacific Coast Highway, east of Magnolia Street. It is the kind of neighborhood Huntington Beach does best: a traditional street with a yard, a driveway and a two-car garage, a few minutes from the ocean.

Most of the homes here were built in the 1960s and 1970s, on lots of around 6,000 square feet. West of Bushard Street you will find more single-level homes; east of Bushard, around La Cuesta and Franciscan Fountains by the Sea, the floor plans tend to be larger and two-story. Plenty of the original homes have been remodeled or rebuilt over the years, so two houses on the same street can look nothing alike inside.

Neighborhood parks are part of daily life here, including Banning Park, Eader Park next to John H. Eader Elementary, and Seeley Park. The beach, the bike path and Pacific Coast Highway are close by.

One thing I always mention: no freeway runs through Huntington Beach, so getting to the 405 takes some time from this part of town. For most people who choose South of Hamilton, being this close to the coast is the reason, and the drive is the trade-off. Schools are in the Huntington Beach Union High School District; I always recommend verifying the assigned schools for a specific address.