Garrison Woods

The planned streets of Garrison Woods — rear lanes, front porches, houses set close enough to the sidewalk that you make eye contact with passersby — create a neighbourhood feel that didn't happen by accident. The Military Museums anchors the western edge with its large grounds, and the concentration of schools along the southern edge means school-run traffic shapes the morning more than anything else here. The rear-lane design plays out in practice: residents congregate in the alleys, kids cut between blocks, rear-entry garages putting you face-to-face with actual neighbours in ways that standard suburbs don't allow. The Safeway handles day-to-day groceries, and Route 7 keeps the adjacent commercial strip close for evenings out without depending on it for the everyday.