Dougherty Hills, San Ramon, CA

Dougherty Hills takes in the slopes on San Ramon's east side, where streets branch off Bollinger Canyon Road and Crow Canyon Road and climb toward the eastern ridge of the San Ramon Valley. Much of the housing dates to the late 1980s and early 1990s. A large share sits inside Canyon Lakes, a gated community laid out around small lakes and greenbelts, where condos, townhomes and detached houses carry build years of 1989 and 1990. Along Crow Canyon Road, gated condo complexes such as Cobblestone date to 1987, and detached houses sit on cul-de-sacs off the main roads.

Canyon Lakes Golf Course, an 18-hole course on Bollinger Canyon Way, is the main landmark. Its fairways are cut into the hillside, homes line the edges, and the closing holes run along an exposed, windswept ridge. Inside Canyon Lakes, the association runs pools, a clubhouse, tennis and pickleball courts, and walking paths between the lakes. Golden View Elementary sits on Canyon Crest Drive, and the city maintains a park on the school grounds.

The neighborhood is almost all housing, and Houseberry scores it just 1.4 out of 5 for nearby merchants. Errands mean a short drive down Bollinger Canyon Road to City Center Bishop Ranch, an open-air center with shops, restaurants and a movie theater just east of I-680. On the way, the Iron Horse Trail crosses over Bollinger Canyon Road on a cable-stayed bridge for walkers and cyclists.

Houseberry rates public spaces and curb appeal at 4 out of 5 each. On weather, the area ranks fourth sunniest of nine San Ramon neighborhoods, at about 81 percent of possible sunshine.