Azalea Park, San Diego

[1] Azalea Park Neighborhood enjoys a very moderate climate, avoiding the overcast conditions along the coast and the extreme heat of the inland areas.

"Project Clean leader Linda Pennington and her husband, Mark, moved to Azalea Park a decade ago from the Hillcrest neighborhood, the center of San Diego's gay community.

'The gays rescued Hillcrest, and we hope they can help do the same far Azalea Park,' said Mark Pennington, a computer program administrator for AT&T.

"In 1994, resident activist Linda Pennington sat on her porch after a Saturday of painting over graffiti with her husband and a few neighbors and remarked how great it would be if members of the San Diego gay community would move in.

They made a match between having not-so-great schools but a good housing stock and the thought that if they offered an environment that was welcoming to this particular population — households with no children and reasonably high incomes — it could have a revitalizing effect on the neighborhood.

In addition the residents regularly join together for canyon clean-ups, neighborhood paint-outs, toy drives and other community related activities.

[5] At the Azalea Community Park,[6] local artists have created a unique oasis with the Water Conservation Garden, a collection of succulent plants and creative sculpture.