Location
San Juan Capistrano is located in South Orange County off of Interstate 5 between Avery Parkway and Camino Capistrano. Coming from the east, Ortega Highway (California State Route 74) runs into San Juan Capistrano before meeting Interstate 5. The community is also accessible from the 73 Toll Road which merges into Interstate 5 in San Juan or from Pacific Coast Highway. Surrounding communities include Dana Point to the south, San Clemente to the southwest and east, Laguna Niguel to the north and west, Ladera Ranch and Rancho Mission Viejo to the east. Orange County airport is approximately 20 miles to the north and San Diego is an hour to the south and Los Angeles an hour to the north.
Overview
San Juan is a community rich in history centered around the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano, which was founded in 1776. The neighborhood of Los Rios is the oldest post-colonial in California. Today the city is home to a population of over 35,000 and over 11,000 households. The community offers a variety of amenities from local restaurants and shops surrounding the mission, great trails for horses or hiking, and retains a feel of a lot of the history of being a site for the historic mission and ranch lands that once occupied most of the area. San Juan Capistrano is also famous for the swallows that return every year to nest and is celebrated with the annual Swallows Day Parade and Mercado Street Fair.
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Neighborhoods
San Juan Capistrano offers a diverse range of property types from older town homes and condos, such as in the Village of San Juan, to large custom homes on the hillsides with some being zoned equestrian for horses and great views into the valley and towards the Pacific Ocean. Compared to other surrounding communities, many San Juan Capistrano properties have large lots and have maintained a historic ranch feel.
San Juan is divided in five areas and has over 115 builder tracts or subdivisions. The five areas include Del Obispo, the Mission Area, Ortega, San Juan North and San Juan South.
Each of the areas have specific qualities that attract residents, however, the overall lifestyle of San Juan is felt within each. For those resident’s wanting extra security, there are guard gated communities as well, including Hunt Club on Ortega Highway and Marbella of Ortega Highway and Rancho Viejo Road.
Amenities
Because of the historical importance of San Juan, the community’s main points of interest include the Mission San Juan Capistrano, Ortega’s Capistrano Trading Post, the Los Rios District by the train station, and the quaint restaurants and shops in the main downtown area.
The community is home to two golf courses, San Juan Hills Golf Club and the private course part of Marbella Country Club in the guard-gated community of Marbella.
San Juan is bordered by the beach communities of San Clemente and Dana Point which offer their own array of amenities including world-class beaches. Laguna Beach is also quickly accessible from the community as well. The Shops at Mission Viejo are just on the outskirts in Mission Viejo which is a popular mall in the area.
San Juan Capistrano is home to Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) and has four elementary schools (Del Obispo, Harold Ambuehl, Knoshita, and San Juan), Marco Forster Middle School and San Juan Hills High School, built in 2006. Students also attend Capistrano Valley High School (Mission Viejo) just outside the border of the community and Dana Hills High School (Laguna Niguel). The community is also home to various popular private schools, including St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, and JSerra Catholic High School, Mission Basilica School, Saddleback Valley Christian and more.