Source: Flickr user heacphotos
Founded in 1869 Santa Ana is a historic city with a modern heart, located within the warm climes of Southern California, just 10 miles from the coast. Santa Ana is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area but has its very own distinct charm and appeal with plenty of places of interest for residents and visitors along with fabulous dining and shopping opportunities. Walk Score gives Santa Ana a score of 62 meaning that this city is “somewhat walkable” though if you’re living in Downtown you can do just about everything on foot, making this the best neighborhood in Santa Ana.
Downtown
Downtown Santa Ana is a “very walkable” neighborhood filled with vibrant coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and businesses. It’s the commercial heart of the city so although it’s only home to around 2,000 residents it fills during the day with office workers. Landmarks include Birch Park where you can enjoy some greenery among the urban environment, and downtown is also home to the Santa Ana Historic Downtown District where there are well preserved historic homes and other buildings. Artist’s Village is a lovely part of downtown with independent restaurants and stores. This is a great neighborhood for young adults but not so good for families as there’s a lack of schools. The Walk Score is 84.
Lacy
Just east of downtown is Lacy, and this neighborhood ranks equally as high for walkability with its Walk Score of 84. Lacy is a better neighborhood for families as there are schools here, and the proximity to many shops, services, entertainment, and more makes this a good place to live. The downside of Lacy is a high crime index – 42 percent higher than the Santa Ana average, and there are only a few neighborhoods in the city that are classed as being safer.
French Park
East and a little north of Downtown Santa Ana is the historic French Park neighborhood. This neighborhood also benefits from being close to the city’s major amenities and it also has a number of schools and a mixture of housing types. French Park itself is a very small park so there’s not much green space in this neighborhood. Still, it’s very walkable with a Walk Score of 82 but crime rates are again high – the crime index is 47 percent higher than the Santa Ana average.
French Court
The French Court neighborhood is set to the north of French Park. This neighborhood benefits from easy access to the interstate while still being close to downtown and numerous grocery stores, restaurants and shops. There are a couple of schools here too, but a lack of open space for kids to play in. The crime index is a little lower than the aforementioned neighborhoods so French Court is a slightly safer neighborhood to live in. The Walk Score here is 75.
Meredith Parkwood
Meredith Parkwood is rated the fifth most walkable neighborhood (with a Walk Score of 75) in Santa Ana and overall it’s one of the nicest neighborhoods to live in. It’s right in the eastern reaches of the city, close to Tustin, and includes all the shops, restaurants, grocery stores, schools and services you’d need, plus there are more parks and open spaces here to enjoy. The crime index is 28 percent lower than the Santa Ana average so it’s a safe neighborhood too, but housing is more expensive.
