Yum Yum Tract, San Jose, CA

Yum Yum Tract wins the prize for the most unusual neighborhood name in San Jose, and it happens to sit next to one of the East Side's best recreation assets. Lake Cunningham Regional Park falls right inside the area, bringing an artificial lake, the Lake Cunningham skate park, one of the largest in the country, and the Raging Waters water park, a serious cluster of recreation for a modest east-valley tract. Lake Cunningham's lake doubles as a flood basin for Thompson Creek, and a trail circles the water for walking, jogging and easy bike rides, with a par course, volleyball and reservable picnic areas along the way. The Lake Cunningham Action Sports Park adds a big skate and BMX course, and the city has staged concerts, circus shows and skate events on the grounds. Yum Yum Tract's homes are modest, older single-family houses set on standard suburban lots, much like the blocks around them, and many have been updated over time. The streets are level, so the walk to the lake is an easy one. Birria is the whole focus at La Birrieria, a small Mexican spot on White Road, and Tacos El Pelon on Eastridge Loop, a little to the south, handles tacos. White Road Plaza, on the Story Road corner, has Rica Panaderia for bread and pastries and a Starbucks for the morning coffee. The plaza's Cardenas Market handles groceries, and Eastridge Center is a quick drive south. From the Eastridge Transit Center, Rapid 522 runs across the valley through downtown, and an Orange Line light rail extension is on the way. For longer drives, the 101 and 680 freeways are near. But few neighborhoods this affordable have a lake, a skate park and a water park essentially in the backyard. For a value-minded buyer who wants standout recreation nearby and does not mind the odd name or the occasional aircraft, Yum Yum Tract quietly overdelivers on parks.