Bel Air in Albuquerque, NM

Bel Air is an established postwar neighborhood in Albuquerque's Northeast Heights, squared off by Carlisle Boulevard on the west, San Mateo Boulevard on the east, Candelaria Road on the north and Menaul Boulevard on the south. Harvey Golightly, known locally as Col. Golightly, built the subdivision before FHA standards applied; the houses sold fast, the tract ran on its own water tank, and the city annexed it in 1951. Streets run on a grid, and back alleys reach the deep rear yards behind frame, stucco and cinder-block houses. Bel Air-Miramontes Park sits at the Carlisle and Menaul corner.

The Bel-Air Neighborhood Association has represented the area since 1994 and runs cleanups and gatherings at the neighborhood park. Membership is voluntary; no homeowners association governs the streets, and owners carry no dues.

Many of the original houses have been remodeled, and some rebuilt to custom plans, so one block can hold several decades of work.

Four arterials do the work of getting people out, and ABQ Ride serves Menaul, San Mateo and Carlisle. Inside the neighborhood, the park's interconnected concrete loops add up to about four tenths of a mile, with benches, picnic tables and playgrounds along the way.