Stratford Gardens - Sunnyvale, CA

Local-history comes alive at the Sunnyvale Heritage Park Museum, which features rotating exhibits in a replica home of the area's founding family, the Murphy's. Martin Murphy, Jr. settled the land of Sunnyvale and founded the town. He also brought the railroad through his property and helped establish the first institutions of higher learning in the area, Convent of Notre Dame and Santa Clara College. The museum also features vintage harvest equipment, paying homage to the area's former fruit industry, which brought in immigrants from China, Italy, Portugal and Japan, among other places.

World War II forever changed the economics of the Santa Clara Valley. Fruit vineyards and farms were quickly replaced with large-scale technology, aerospace and defense companies. Ever since the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed moved its headquarters to Sunnyvale in 1956, a number of other high-tech companies have set up shop in Sunnyvale.

Many of the neighborhood's best restaurants sit along El Camino. The unassuming food truck, Mahalo Bowl, serves up some of the best acai bowls in the Bay Area. A cool mix of a variety of berries, including the Brazilian acai berry, these fruit bowls have a smoothie-like consistency that goes perfectly with the granola and shredded coconut toppings. Nothing tastes better on a hot summer afternoon.

Just south of the neighborhood sits one of the best bars in the whole city, The Local 102 Lounge. Whether coming for bar trivia on Wednesday nights, karaoke on Thursday night, or on game day to cheer on your favorite team, the vibe here feels welcoming and friendly. The beer selection ranks as the best in town, and there's always something to do with the dart board, pool table and shuffleboard.

Driving serves as the main mode of transportation in Stratford Gardens. Although a decent public transportation system links the neighborhood to the greater Bay Area, the vast majority of residents remain car-dependent. Ample parking in the neighborhood promotes this decision as every home has its own driveway, street parking comes easy, and not many commercial shops bring in outsiders. El Camino Real provides convenient access to the surrounding area, as does Interstate 280 to the south and Highway 101 to the north.

Those who rely on public transportation ride the VTA buses and Caltrain. Buses stop at multiple places within the neighborhood, while the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station sits 1.5 miles to the north. The 55 bus route connect the neighborhood to the train station. Caltrains run all throughout the Bay Area.

Providing another option, Uber services the Bay Area.

Biking and walking prove safe in this neighborhood, but don't serve as viable transportation options. A number of bike lanes exist along the north/south and east/west running roads, but driving still remains the most common option.

Within the Sunnyvale Community Center Park, the cultural arts center and community center host great community events. Productions of Godspell, Urinetown and Sweeney Todd provide just a few of the plays seen here in the past.

One block to the west, Las Palmas Park remains undeniably one of the best parks in the whole Bay Area. The 24-acre tiki-themed park features a playground, water features, a dog run, tennis courts and baseball fields. The large lake also makes for an ideal picnic spot.

Locals also head to the Japanese design-inspired Braly Park with its sand volleyball courts, horseshoes, shuffleboard and tennis courts.

All of these wonderful community parks remain free year-round and provide fun for the whole family.

The $1,300 average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Stratford Gardens comes in 16 percent lower than the Sunnyvale average of $1,539 per month. While locals benefit from a decent savings in rent, gas prices hit roughly 23 percent higher than national average.

Getting into the city center on public transportation costs $2 each way, but cheaper fares exist for Clipper Card holders. While rent prices remain low and gas prices soar, restaurant meals cost on par with any metropolitan area around the country. Expect to pay around $15 for a meal at a local restaurant and another $5 for a beer.

Within the neighborhood, Pavlina Plaza Shopping Center has some basic-needs stores, such as CVS, FedEx and Dollar Tree, while a Toys R Us, 24 Hour Fitness and Safeway sit at the north end. On the other side of El Camino, Ross Dress for Less provides more shopping opportunities, as does the neighboring Sprouts Farmers Market. Open every day of the week, Sprouts sells a wide range of natural and organic groceries, especially fresh produce.

Just north of the neighborhood on South Murphy Avenue, a lot of locally owned boutique stores provide great customer service along with unique and hard-to-find items. Bookasaurus specializes in children's books and toys. They carry a lot of child-development helpers and the staff proves knowledgeable about all of them.

Just a few stores down, Isabella Boutique makes for the perfect place to find unique clothing, shoes and accessories that large department stores don't carry. Whether looking for a Venetian-style mask, shawl pins for a new sweater or beautiful scarves, talk to Rosemary at Isabella Boutique.