Alta Sierra provides town and country living in one

One of the most unique things about the foothills is the variety of home styles and settings, including tracts like Alta Sierra that are hybrids of town and country living.Sitting a few miles south of Grass Valley between Highway 49 and Dog Bar Road, this sprawling subdivision of lots and estates simmers the flavor of city living with the seasonings of a mountain village. The result is a tasty stew of homes, hills and handy sites for recreation and commerce.Cradled between Wolf Mountain and Mount Olive, the 6,200-acre development is centered around the Alta Sierra Country Club's hub of member facilities and its 18-hole golf course. Formed in 1964 from three large cattle ranches, the subdivision's curvaceous streets follow the natural contours of the wooded terrain, with the mix of broad meadows, pine forests and oak woodlands holding about 2,300 home sites.Built out over the decades with both custom and speculative dwellings, Alta Sierra has a blend of big ranch-style homes, modest cottages, rustic bungalows, quaint alpine chalets, and contemporary Arts and Crafts structures. Some perch on steep hillsides, others hide behind fir boughs and many line the undulating fairways of the links.Although the country club's presence helps create a relaxed atmosphere and a scenic backdrop for all of the homes in the development, membership is open to the public and not included in the homes' price tags.Many of the parcels edge the ponds and small lakes that dot the course, where berry vines and cattails nurture native wildlife and migrating waterfowl. Rattlesnake Creek also cuts a swath through the north end of Alta Sierra, with South Wolf Creek curling around its south side, creating additional water-side properties.At the Highway 49 entrance to the informal neighborhood, there are small clusters of office complexes, service businesses and eateries, which add city-style conveniences to the unincorporated territory. Near the country club's pro shop, there are a few more commercial strips and the Village Inn, a small motel for residents' guests or visiting duffers.But the most unique thing about this mini-community may be the Alta Sierra Skypark, a small airport that allows locals to harbor their craft close to home. Most airpark users are soaring for pleasure, but some use it for high-flying commutes.For those who prefer transportation with four legs, the adjoining Alta Sierra Ranches district on the southeast side of the development offers homes on a few acres. While horses are not allowed within the Alta Sierra Estates precinct, they are welcomed here.Spreading across the mountains at an average elevation of about 2,000 feet above sea level, and with heavy tree cover, Alta Sierra usually enjoys summertime temperatures about 10 degrees cooler than other foothills communities at the same elevation. It also gets an occasional winter storm that leaves the woods and rooftops dusted with snow.Unlike some of the foothills' country club-based subdivisions, where fences and guarded entrances restrict access, Alta Sierra's byways are public thoroughfares. Its tangle of intersecting lanes links to the adjoining tracts at Cherry Creek Estates, Birch Meadow Acres, Forest Springs and Kenwood Estates.From a trio of cattle ranches to a mountainous suburb, Alta Sierra personifies what makes living in the foothills so unique.