Towne Park in Albuquerque, NM

Towne Park is a gated subdivision on the east side of Albuquerque's Northeast Heights, fully fenced and laid out on just over 73 acres. Charter Homes built it out in the late 1980s, filling separately platted lots with single-family houses along quiet interior streets. The homeowners association keeps up two swimming pools, a clubhouse, tennis and basketball courts, a playground, two parks and the walking paths that link them. Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base sit a short drive to the south, and freeway access puts the rest of the city within easy reach.

Dues run through the Towne Park Homeowners Association, managed by HOAMCO, and cover the pools, the clubhouse, the courts, the common grounds and the roads inside the fence. Residents can reserve the clubhouse, which also holds an exercise room and a sauna. A private security firm handles non-emergency calls overnight, and the association's covenants govern what happens on each lot.

The setting is an older part of the Heights that grew up around Los Altos Golf Course, the oldest of the city's municipal courses, open since 1960. It runs an 18-hole championship layout and a nine-hole executive par 3, with two lakes and stands of mature trees.

Tomasita Elementary, Kennedy Middle and Manzano High serve addresses in the neighborhood.