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NewHome frompage1 enjoyingeachone's distinctcharacter amenitiesrangingfrom shopping,diningand communityparksto schoolsandthriving artsvenues. Southofdowntown LasVegas,discoverthe SloanCanyonNational ConservationAreaand BlackMountainfor hikingwithtremendous mountainvalleyvistas. Andonly40minutes east,you'llhappen uponHooverDamand LakeMead,bothonthe Arizonastateline.Allof thislessthananhour's drivefromexquisitely appointednewhomes. Anddon'tforgetthe LasVegasRaidersand theGoldenKnights, whohaveturnedLas Vegasintoayear-round meccaforprosports. Wine,terrain andrespite BackinCalifor- nia,ournextroadtrip bringsyouthrough someofNorthernCali- fornia'smostbeauti- fulterrain,including unexpectedgems. Comealongforthe ride.Learnwhichbuilt- inhighlightsofeach regionlenddistinct charactertonew-home communitiesandthe geographyaround them. California'sWine Countryisaslegend- aryasitsmountains, valleysandoceans.And winemakingitselfhas createdcommunities thatarebothfamously wide-spanningor quaintandquiet. Wecan'tgivecredit onlytogenerationsof winemaking,however. Thenaturaltopogra- phyofSonomaCounty, SacramentoCounty andPlacerCountylend themselvestopromis- inglifestyles. Headingintoupper SonomaCountyfrom theBayArea,you're boundtorelaxon discoveringthewelcom- ingvalleysflankedby stateparkswithmoun- tainsreaching2,500 feetinelevation. Residentspride themselvesonthe smaller-townfeelof placessuchasSanta Rosaand,abitnorth, Healdsburg.Bothcities tracetheirrootsback throughgenerations ofSonomaCounty winemaking.Andboth arewelcomingnew neighborsintowell- plannednew-home communities. Healdsburg's patiolife ChelseaHock, whorelocatedfrom SanFranciscoupto Healdsburgsevenyears ago,hasthoroughly embracedthelifestyle. Year-round,Hock explains,lifeuphere seemstotakeplace outdoorsandonpatios, whetheratpeople's homes,atwineriesor atrestaurantsindown- townHealdsburg. "Thecentralfocus herehasbeenbuilding outthedowntown,"says Hock,whoistheart directorforVanguard Properties."Wehavea darlingdowntownplaza thatevenhasseveral Michelinstarrestau- rants.Itisabeautiful, scenicplace." Regularevents inHealdsburgallow communitymembersto gathersafelyandgetto knowoneanother.The AprilthroughDecem- berfarmersmarket,the summertimeTuesday ConcertsinthePlaza series,withanarts festival,aJazzVillage andmoviesinthepark roundoutlifeintown. "There'ssomuchto dorightinHealdsburg," shesays."Onanydayof theweek,youcandrive throughtheredwoods tothecoastinminutes orvisitthewineries orheaddowntothe RussianRiver." Inadditiontothe stateparksandmoun- tainswithhundredsof milesofhikingtrails, bothSantaRosaand Healdsburgsitamere half-hourdrivefrom California'sPacific Coast.Ashortroadtrip fromyournewhome canleadyoutosome ofthemosttranquil beachesCaliforniahas tooffer. BecauseHealdsburg iscentraltothreemajor AmericanViticultural Areas—DryCreek Valley,theRussian RiverValleyandAlex- anderValley—the townholdsontoits laid-back,ag-lifevibe whileatthesametime offeringbeautifulnew- constructionhomes. Backontheroad andonthewayeastof SonomaCounty,notice howcloseyouareto pointsofinterestsuch asLakeBerryessain NapaCounty.Miles andmilesoftrailsbring youto3,500feetin elevationoverlooking thefreshwaterlakeor downontothebeachfor swimmingandwater- craftactivities. Then,duringatwo- hourbeautifuldrive onHighway128,you'll reachgreaterSacra- mento.Ontheway, besuretonoticethe winerieseastofDavis. Navigating NorthNatomas Ournextregionof new-homeofferings surroundedbyopportu- nitiestolivelifetothe fullest,isNorthNato- mas,insidethenorth- ernedgeofthecityof Sacramento.InNorth Natomas,notonlyare youlessthan10miles fromdowntownSacra- mentoanditsthriving arts,diningandcultural scenes,butyou'rean easydrivetoFolsom LakeandtheEldorado NationalForest. "Natomasitselfisa great,family-oriented communitywithin Sacramento,"saysDrew Kusnick,aseniorvice presidentofIntegral Communitieswhois overseeingIntegral's developmentofthe Northlakemaster- plannedcommunity. Here,findablend ofeveryconvenience ofsuburbanamenities withcloseproxim- itytothetwomajor riversanddowntown Sacramento. Ontopofthat,the SacramentoRegional TransitDistrictisin theplanningstagesto expandthecity'slight railsystem.Atcomple- tion,anextensionofthe GreenLinewillconnect Natomasbothtodown- townSacramentojust southandtoSacra- mentoInternational Airporttothenorth. Evenbeforethelight railextension,theNato- masareaoffersmuch todoforfamilyadven- turesoroutings. "WithinNatomas thereisagreat,large regionalcommunity parkjusteastofthe Northlakesitewitha water-playarea,sports fields,playgrounds," Kusnicksays. Photo courtesy Ron Nabity, Lincoln Sheep are used for vegetation control in the open spaces in Lincoln. Photo courtesy Ron Nabity, Lincoln Hidden Falls Regional Park is in the gorgeous oak woodlands near Auburn. Photo courtesy Adam Potts Healdsburg's vibrant downtown scene is just 65 miles north of San Francisco. See NEW HOME Pg 4 S2 BAYAREANEWSGROUP 001 Advertising Section FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021