Lower Peters Canyon - Irvine, CA

Lower Peters Canyon is the southern end of a long canyon that's home to San Diego Creek, which drains into Newport Beach's Back Bay. The Irvine Company has owned the land since the 1800s, establishing the area's first golf course there at the turn of the last century. The company dammed the creek in the 1930s to create two reservoirs, the existence of which allowed orange groves to pop up throughout the area. A World War II Army training camp was replaced with a Boy Scout camp, which was in turn replaced with residential development in the 1960s.

In nearby Tustin, the Marconi Automotive Museum features exotic Italian race cars to make any automobile lover drool. The Tustin Area Historical Society and Museum provides self-guided tours of historical buildings dating to the 1800s. Each December, locals head into the wilderness of Santiago Canyon for the OC Brew Ha Ha Craft Beer Festival.

Lower Peters Canyon residents have plenty of well-known restaurants chains to choose from, especially casual burger bar and grills and high-end fast food, many of them clustered around the Irvine Marketplace. Enjoy a satisfying meal at Islands, Veggie Grill, Pieology, or BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, or check out some of the unique restaurants that make their home in this neighborhood.

G Burger wants everyone to know that the "G" stands for gourmet, and the restaurant works hard to live up to that moniker. Try the white truffle burger that also includes Asiago cheese, sweet red peppers and grilled portobello mushrooms. If you like things spicy, choose the G fire burger with its blend of onions, peppers and chiles, along with spicy aioli and pepper jack cheese. You can also build your own burger from gourmet ingredients, and don't forget to order fries or sweet potato fries with the addictive chipotle aioli dipping sauce.

When you need a quick Asian treat, stop in at Thuan Kieu Noodle & Grill, a Vietnamese place with savory pho and great service. Locals head to TK's for its rice dishes, so check out the broken rice plate or the rice combo dinners. Order a Vietnamese iced coffee for extra refreshment.

Start your relaxing meal at the Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar with a white peach sangria, then look over the ample menu. You may find it hard to choose between the chicken pot pie, the pot roast sandwich with its kicky horseradish sauce, the lemon-herb chicken, or the flatiron steak with garlic butter. Make sure to add some sweet potato tots, and point your kids in the direction of the huge, meaty chicken tenders.

After-hours entertainment in Lower Peters Canyon trends toward the laid-back, with many locals heading to the bars at Islands, BJ's or Lazy Dog to watch the game on big screen TVs and toss back a couple of beers. The Backstreet Brewery, just south of Lower Peters Canyon, keeps beer lovers happy by changing its microbrews on tap weekly and featuring its mug club, which gives you upgrades on your beer. Live music in the area consists mainly of cool jazz at the sumptuous Sunday brunches at the Tustin Ranch Golf Club's restaurant.

While most people in Lower Peters Canyon rely on their cars for all transportation, the Orange County Transportation Authority runs bus lines to connect the neighborhood to Tustin, UC Irvine and Newport Beach. Taxis, Uber and airport shuttles are available on an on-call basis only.

If you choose to drive, you'll find parking to be plentiful and free throughout the area. State Route 261 connects you to Yorba Linda and the rest of Irvine, while Interstate 5, also known as the Santa Ana Freeway, runs along the south end of the neighborhood to give you easy access to North Orange County, Los Angeles and San Diego.

The city of Irvine supports commuting by bicycle in a big way, with bike lanes and bike racks all over the city. However, the distances involved make it difficult for cyclists and pedestrians to bike or walk more than on a recreational basis.

Just outside Lower Peters Canyon, the Tustin Sports Park provides tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, as well as fields for soccer and lacrosse, a running track and plenty of playground equipment for the kids. Every summer brings tennis camp to the park to help your kids improve their game.

A little closer to home, Homestead Park sports a saltwater pool, a kiddie pool and a hot tub, in addition to well-maintained tennis courts. Because this free park is intended for the community, only residents of the neighborhood can use it.

The Hicks Canyon Regional Trail climbs very gently through the east end of Lower Peters Canyon, with paved and unpaved options depending on whether you want to ride your bike, take a stroll with your dog or go for a run. Locals love this trail for its safety, copious shade and natural beauty.

Renters living in Lower Peters Canyon pay an average of $2,900 for one bedroom, $3,500 for two bedrooms, and $4,000 for 3 bedrooms to rent an apartment, compared to the Irvine average of $3,100. Houses for rent in Lower Peters Canyon cost around $4,000. For those wanting to buy, the average price for a house in Lower Peters Canyon is $1,300,000, compared to the city average of $1,400,000.

Just outside Lower Peters Canyon sits the Irvine Marketplace. Featuring major warehouse stores, such as Home Depot, Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, and REI, the marketplace is the big-box center to end all such centers. Locals head here to pick up pet supplies at PetSmart, find clothing bargains at Old Navy and decorate their homes with the help of Bed Bath & Beyond.

Northpark Plaza is a well-maintained and practical shopping center that lets you do your grocery shopping, drop off the dry cleaning, get your taxes done, gas up the car and fill a prescription all in one place.

While shops with recognizable names dominate the area, you can also find some unique shops worth checking out. Check out Daiso Japan for trinkets, stickers, and candies that please your sense of whimsy as well as your pocketbook. Give your kids just a few dollars to spend here and watch them squeal with delight.

Locals in Lower Peters Canyon tend to do their grocery shopping at Albertsons, Ralphs, or Trader Joe's. The nearby Zion Market sells Asian specialty foods, with a Korean bakery and deli on site, and the Garden Patch Farmers Market covers all your needs for Indian foods and ingredients. Head to the Tustin Certified Farmers Market on Wednesday mornings for locally sourced farm-to-table produce.