Like any beach community, the yards in Seabrook are strewn with sand pails, bikes, and buoys. But unlike many similar towns, Seabrook is purposely condensed into small neighborhoods, each centered on a communal green space or firepit, and no neighborhood is more than a short walk from the rest of the development. Houses are built as the lots are purchased (and often offered as rentals so they don’t stand empty for part of the year), and owners have a say in the design of their homes—meaning there’s a lot more personality than you might expect from a planned town. The official name for this intentional community-building design is New Urbanism, but town founder Casey Roloff calls it common sense. Either way, it’s working. One homeowner met his Seattle neighbor only when they discovered they lived a few homes away in Seabrook. Kids run freely between houses, and families meet up at the volleyball net or in their shared front yard—Seabrook’s miles and miles of wide, unspoiled beach. Seabrook, 4275 State 109, Pacific Beach, WA; seabrookwa.com