Starlite - Green Bay, WI

In the 1800s, German settlers chose this region for their New World farms. Known then as the village of Preble, dairy farms dotted the landscape. In the early 1920s, Green Bay expanded and ultimately annexed little Preble. Postwar housing filled in the farmland and schoolchildren became the dominant crop in these rows of simple homes, designed largely to accommodate the Baby Boom.

1950s architecture and lifestyles still dominate the area, and the neighborhood takes its name from an iconic 50s pastime. From the day it opened in 1950 to the late 1980s, when changing entertainment habits spelled its doom, the Starlite Drive-in movie theater drew Green Bay residents to the Starlite neighborhood for double features and date nights. The name lives on even though the theater is gone.

An annual neighborhood garage sale every September brings the community together to buy and sell. The storied Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame beckons Packer faithful from just 5 miles to the west, and Lambeau Field offers several cultural and sports-related events in its massive atrium throughout the year.

Clustered mainly along East Mason Street, Starlite's food scene tends to be cozy, casual and neighborly. In this tiny community, all of the local eateries are within walking distance of the residential blocks. Comfort food and corner bars dominate the scene, and most restaurants here are proudly independent and family-owned, which contributes to the warm and friendly vibe of Starlite. It's entirely possible to frequent a place here where everyone knows your name.

Green Bay-style pizza tends to have a thin, crispy cracker-style crust, and several local pizza joints do it just right. Cranky Pat's Pizzeria & Pub bakes a locally beloved pie with homemade sausage and other carefully prepared toppings. A family-owned business that goes back to the 1950s, Pat's was started by a pair of Chicago brothers, and their grandchildren now run the place. Cheap pints of beer, a special kids' menu and a comfortable dining room make eating here fun, but Pat's also sells frozen pizzas to cook at home.

El Sarape brings a little spice to Green Bay in the form of authentic Mexican cooking. This festive restaurant attracts birthday and anniversary celebrations, and an extensive menu of beautifully blended margaritas makes ordinary days here celebratory too. The day begins with huevos racheros or chilaquilas for breakfast and house specialties include barbacoa simmered in Corona beer and Coke, and a traditional horchata rice-and-spice beverage.

Kroll's East opened in 1935, and in 2010, the city of Green Bay officially recognized it as a historical site. Although this plain, low-slung building doesn't possess an ounce of fanciness, clearly there's magic in the kitchen of this beloved local institution, and it takes the form of cheese curds, angus beef burgers and zippy bowls of chili - in other words, food to watch football by. Cheap tap beers, including the regional favorite microbrew, New Glarus, and screens showing the game make this a top nightlife destination. Claim to fame: President Obama sampled Kroll's onion rings on the campaign trail.

Sports bars rule Starlite's nightlife scene - and there's only one sport in Green Bay, and that's Packers football - but Julie's Cafe offers something a little more sedate and even ladylike. Country breakfasts, wraps, broasted chicken and fish platters show off Julie's home cooking in a pretty dining room. In the summer, diners can sit on the patio and admire a pretty bubbling brook running through the backyard.

Walking from one end of Starlite to the other takes just 20 minutes, and sidewalks make this a very pedestrian-friendly area, but you'll need a car to accomplish most of your errands. Bikers do okay here too, even without designated trails. Green Bay transit offers bus service at $1.50 a ride, and on Saturdays everyone rides free. Cars, however, largely dominate the transit scene. Five minutes away, drivers can access the highways that encircle Green Bay or I-43, which leads south to Milwaukee. Taxis and Uber serve the area, although cabs must be called rather than hailed.

In the middle of the Starlite neighborhood, Eisenhower park provide ball fields, play areas and room to run for neighborhood children. To the west, East River Park follows the winding East River, a tributary of the larger and more scenic Fox River. The scenic East River Trail, an 8-mile paved biking and pedestrian trail, runs from Green Bay to Ledgeview, south of the city, and covers terrain that includes quiet forests, city parkland, wetlands and attractive neighborhoods.

The De Pere Dog Park, 10 miles southwest of Starlite, offers off-leash, fenced recreation for dogs and their two-legged friends.

The low cost of living, combined with unique recreation opportunities, makes Green Bay an appealing area for young people, singles and retirees. The housing styles in this older neighborhood lack frills but the solid, well-built one-levels in this safe area enable residents to easily access more fashionable parts of the city nearby while enjoying lower rents. A one-bedroom apartment runs about $500 a month.

Prices for dining out follow suit. A beer runs from $1 to $3 a pint, making it affordable to become a regular. The price of a gallon of gas in Starlight averages a little over 2 percent less than the national average.

Starlite offers very little retail, due to the neighborhood's small size and residential character, but just outside of the neighborhood, residents can access most amenities. While the neighborhood itself does not have a farmers market, downtown Green Bay features the Farmers' Market on Broadway, which runs on Saturdays from May through October.

On the east end of the neighborhood, a cluster of chain stores, including a Kohl's department store, Hobby Lobby and Shopko, provide affordable basics. Gnome Games stocks popular board and card games and serves as an entertainment venue as well. Magic, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh tournaments as well as family game nights, draw all-age crowds for friendly competition.

East Town Emporium gathers independent artisans and sellers of unique crafts, gifts and collectibles. Antiques, home decor, collectible toys and video game machines, fashions and jewelry are among the ever-changing array of wares.

JP Glitz focuses on fashion accessories, including scarves, purses and jewelry. The selection extends beyond the typical mall fashion to include truly unique and eye-catching gifts.