Location
Rancho Santa Margarita is located near the base of Saddleback Mountain and is most easily accessible off the 241 Toll Road or can also be reached off interstate 5 by heading east on Oso Parkway or Alicia Parkway. Surrounding communities are Mission Viejo to the west, Trabuco Canyon to the north, Ladera Ranch to the south, Coto De Caza to the southeast and the Cleveland National Forest to the east.
Overview
Rancho Santa Margarita is one of Orange County’s younger cities and is a master-planned community as a part of Rancho Mission Viejo, which also encompasses the developments of Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch and Rancho Mission Viejo. The community is one of the younger ones in Orange County and today has a population of approximately 48,000 people and over 17,000 housing units. Most of the community is maintained by a homeowner’s association and includes the areas of Dove Canyon, Trabuco Canyon and Las Flores.
Neighorhoods
Rancho Santa Margarita real estate offers a wide variety of options that are considered some of the more affordable in South Orange County. There are small entry level condos throughout the community all the way up to beautiful homes with hillside views or along one of a couple of golf courses in the community, Tijeras Creek and Dove Canyon Golf Club. For those that wanted added privacy, there is the guard gated community of Dove Canyon.
Neighborhoodsarita homes are spread amongst eight areas or neighborhoods with a total of 142 builder tracts or subdivisions. The neighborhoods include Dove Canyon, Las Flores, Wagon Wheel, Trabuco Canyon, Robinson Ranch, and Silverado Canyon. Each neighborhood has its own unique offerings, whether the guard gated community of Dove Canyon, the more secluded feel of Trabuco Canyon and Silverado Canyon, or the views from the hillsides in the Las Flores and Whagon Wheel areas.
Amenities
Rancho Santa Margarita offers a variety of amenities from its shopping centers, luxury movie theater (Cinepolis), hiking and biking trails nearby, great schools, golf courses and proximity to other nearby communities.
Located 20 minutes from Orange County airport, the business hub of Irvine, and the beaches, Rancho Santa Margarita is easily accessible to all of Southern California living.
Golf courses in the community include Tijeras Creek and Dove Canyon Golf Club. Other outdoor amenities include a variety of parks, Rancho Santa Margarita Lake, and nearby Cleveland National Forest beginning in Trabuco and Santiago Canyon allowing an escape from suburbia just around the corner.
Rancho Santa Margarita is served by both Saddleback and Capistrano Unified School Districts. There are private school options within the community, including Santa Margarita Catholic High School and Serra Catholic and Mission Hills Christian School. High school students attend Trabuco, Mission, or Tesoro High Schools. Elementary schools include Trabuco Mesa, Robinson Ranch, Arroyo Vista, Tijeras Creek, Melinda Heights and Cielo Vista. Middle schools students attend Las Flores Middle School.