History & Facts

This 4,000-acre master-planned neighborhood, which is only a few decades old, is situated along Antonio Parkway east of Mission Viejo. It is situated on a portion of the 23,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo cattle ranch, which is the biggest still in operation in Orange County and is owned by the O'Neill, Avery, and Moiso family.

Ladera Ranch villages are divided into districts, which are further divided into distinct neighborhoods, to foster a sense of community. The 1,600 acres of open space and the entire community are connected by the mile-long Ladera Ranch Trail.

Ladera Ranch, hailed as one of the country's top master-planned communities, is yet another productive O'Neill/Avery/Moiso family venture. Ladera Ranch is a collection of distinctive towns and small neighborhoods connected by a web of trails, parks, and paseos that is situated inside Rancho Mission Viejo's boundaries and was inspired by the natural beauty of the area's surrounding open space. Ladera Ranch is home to more than 26,000 people today.

There are clubhouses designed after specific architectural styles that are prominent in five of the nine communities. Each village has its own parks, swimming holes, playgrounds, and open spaces. All Ladera Ranch homeowners with valid identification cards have access to the gated enclave known as Covenant Hills village, which is off limits to the general public. In the neighborhood, there are no other gated villages.

In addition to the various clubhouses, the neighborhood has miles of hiking and biking trails that lead to Doheny Beach, two shopping centers called Mercantile East and Mercantile West, a private water park and skate park, 18 community parks, a dog park, six smaller neighborhood pools, numerous pocket parks, and green belts.