Goldenwest

The neighborhood is primarily a European group with a spice of Asian cultures that enjoy the busy Southern Californian lifestyle.

For good meal on a night out, take Goldenwest a couple miles to Edinger and check out King’s Fish House, the Cheesecake Factory, Macaroni Grill or Pei Wei.  All located at Bella Terra lifestyle center, these chain restaurants offer good food with theme decorating for accessible and casual dining.

One of the ways to enjoy the Goldenwest neighborhood and support local business is to visit one of the cafes that has opened along Warner Avenue.  A wide assortment of teas, light meals and desserts are served at the Sweet Elle Cafe and Grace, the owner is cultivating a casual place to relax, work on the Internet or gab with a friend.  The cafe is located on Warner heading toward Gothard.  Another great place to hang out is at the newly opened Despyro Coffee, perched right at the corner of Warner and Gothard.

Heading along Warner to Beach, going North about a mile is the Pavillon Center with many retail offerings.  This is the site of the Lazy Dog Cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating, a cozy fireplace, a friendly staff and tasty cuisine.   The bar has a television for viewing sports events with a brew in hand.

In this area, there are more houses and smaller apartments as part of the rental offerings if someone is looking for green grass to enjoy privately.  Huntington Beach also offers a good supply of units with well-maintained landscape for visual appeal and enjoyment.  Apartment complexes in this area often have amenities such as pools jacuzzis and fitness areas.  Some prices are in the upper ranges, such as a one bedroom one bath for $1,400, but the amenities are tangible, granite countertops in gourmet kitchens, laundry in the apartment, onsite storage to provide quality enhancements and ease of living.

The closest connecting corridor to use the public metro transit of Orange County is the 25 line that runs along Goldenwest Street.  Goldenwest heading north provides easy entrance to the ubiquitous connecting link to many communities in Orange County and Los Angeles, the congested 405 freeway.  As a major artery, too often it is clogged, so check the traffic before leaving home if you need to be on time.

Parking in the area is not a problem unless you have a whole fleet to shelter.

There are more smaller apartments and houses as part of the rental offerings if looking for a bit of green space to loll around outdoors and have barbecues.  Both condominium and apartment complexes often have amenities such as pools, jacuzzis and a fitness workout center.  Some houses and condo units have wood burning fireplaces to enjoy a crackling fire on a cool evening.

This area has a lot of apartment complexes on busy routes, such as Warner, including the Ocean Breeze Villa and Casa Monterrey, but there are also good offerings in larger complexes that sit back from the major thoroughfares such as the Regency Palms that provide more of a green expanse.  In this area, many rentals are well priced, but also provide good amenities, including some that have washer and dryer in the apartment. 

‘Pet friendly’ is a common designation to show that a rental site is open to be the new home for your cat and dog companions.  This town is a pet friendly designation for a populace who love their animal critters.  Plenty of places allow pets, and there is a local park for dog walking within the neighborhood.  If you’d like some primping and pampering for your pet pals, check out the mobile Aussie Pet Mobile for good grooming without the commute.

With a mix of national franchise shops and local businesses on about every corner, the major streets offer ample shopping.  As an example of an unusual local delight, on Warner Avenue, the Absolutely Fabulous Unique Treasures and Decor is a store full of visual delights that appeals to those looking for treasures that come in all price ranges.

Two places to catch theatre nearby include the Huntington Beach Playhouse and at Golden West Mainstage Theatre.  The Playhouse is located through Talbert as part of the wide range of offerings in the Central Park complex.  This theatre offers community plays and provides opportunities to be active in community theatre and learn about stagecraft as well.   Heading north on Goldenwest a few miles, at the Golden West College, the Mainstage Theatre provides a full schedule of theatre productions, and dance and music performances for fine entertainment.

Goldenwest Street is a major corridor and links the community to the college that is named after it, with many cultural and learning opportunities.  At the other end of Goldenwest is the renowned Huntington Beach Central Park.  Continuing on, Goldenwest goes to the PCH, that's local talk for the Pacific Coast Highway, where you can access the beach for marvelous views and downtown activities including restaurants, bars, and shops.

A main post office site is located on Warner Avenue.  A few doors down from the U.S. Post Office on Warner, the Juice Fix offers luncheon service, juice drinks, health food and supplements in the Goldenwest neighborhood.

The area of Warner that borders on Goldenwest has a number of banks for the choosing, including Wachovia, Downey Savings and First Savings.  A couple of miles north on Edinger another bank of banks includes Bank of America, Washington Mutual, Citi Bank and lots of ATM’s in the shopping area of Bella Terra.

Groceries can be had in the same area at Stater Brothers, a hometown, community oriented chain.  Closeby, the new chain, Fresh & Easy, has a store open on Beach Boulevard between Warner and Heil.  The Gothard St. corridor in this neighborhood is a business park that contains many local enterprises offering services to enhance the local lifestyle.  For those needing to keep the sunshine from becoming too intense while cruising around, Campbell Window Film on Warner at Gothard provides high quality window film treatments for cars to tone down the UV rays to a pleasurable bandwidth.

Another good example of the offerings on Gothard St. includes the keep-in-shape training offered at the Training Spot located close to the street next to Warner.  This is a private exercise studio that specializes in personal training and helps its clients to achieve their goals through nutrition.

To stay fit, there are a couple of other gym options in the area, Bally Total Fitness is nearby on Beach Boulevard.  An innovative fitness concept is offered at Curves, a center located on Beach Blvd. near Warner.

With its focus on family, Huntington Beach is known for its educational system including both public and private schools.  The community values education and it is a locale rich in educational offerings.  The public school system has been recognized for its excellence in education in many ways, including being accredited as a California Distinguished School and National Blue Ribbon School designation. 

The public school system has preschool options, known as the Preschool Academy, and the city has a large selection of private schools for families with young children.  There is a Montessori School on Aldrich Avenue, off of Beach Boulevard near Edinger.  Families with small infants needing care can find a professional team at La Petite Academy.  With two locations, they serve infants from six weeks, to children aged 12. 

A couple of miles away, on Clark Drive, The North Huntington Beach Community Nursery School is a great place for hands-on participation, not just for the little ones, but through its active involvement of the parents.  On Warner Avenue, My Gym Children’s Fitness serves a younger clientele to stay fit, trim and happy.

The Goldenwest Community College is right down the street heading North, so the area includes a mix of students getting liberal arts education and others who are looking to enter the work world via practical applications with computers and automobiles.