Continually rated one of the safest neighborhoods in the United States, Mission Viejo CA offers a lot more than great schools and low crime rates. The city of about 96,000 is located at the southern end of wealthy Orange County and boasts many fine dining establishments and high-end shopping as well outdoor activities for residents of all ages.
The hilly suburban city is considered to be one of the largest master-planned communities ever constructed under a single project and is located in the foothills of Orange County’s Saddleback Valley. With a median home price of $599,000, Mission Viejo real estate falls right in the middle of Orange County's affordability index.
With its tree-lined hilly streets and plethora of parks – two per square mile – and outdoor recreation facilities, Mission Viejo is a fitness lover’s paradise. Trendy workout facilities such as Crossfit, Orange Theory, and Pilates dot the community’s commercial districts as well as big box gyms like 24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness. More than 100 gyms and personal trainers show up in a Google search for Mission Viejo.
The city is also home to some of Orange County’s most pristine golf courses, including the Tijeras Creek Golf Club and the municipal Mission Viejo Golf Course. The private Lake Mission Viejo offers several outdoor activities, including boating, canoeing, and fishing. The lake is packed with more than 3,000 pounds of trout every year and has two beaches for member use, which include playgrounds, snack bars and picnic areas, and a number of private beaches for residents.
The community is also rife with outdoor running, jogging and walking paths that stretch throughout the hilly, tree-lined streets into the foothills. Nearby O’Neill Regional Park and Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park are packed with hiking and cycling trails.
Fitness events such as 5K's and triathlons are held frequently throughout the year as are a variety of holiday events, including Independence Day street fair and fireworks.
With a median household income of $96,088, Mission Viejo claims some of Orange County’s finest shopping and dining establishments. The Shops at Mission Viejo and Kaleidoscope Courtyard serve as the city’s two main shopping destinations. The Shops is an upscale, 1.15 million-square-foot indoor shopping mall anchored by high-end retailers such as Nordstrom, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. The mall, which is owned in part by the California Public Employees Retirement System, or CalPERS, is home to the country’s first Microsoft store.
The city has more than 180 restaurants, including Delizie Restaurant & Bar, Dublin 4 and Stacks Pancake House as well has larger chain restaurants such as The Cheesecake Factory, Claim Jumper and P.F. Changs.
Mission Viejo has a major youth athletic facility, Mission Viejo Youth Athletic Park, which includes six soccer fields, eight baseball fields and hosts the areas youth baseball and soccer leagues.
The community is served by two high-performing school districts as well as Saddleback College, a large community college located at the southern end of the city. The Mission Viejo Family YMCA serves as major family destination for the community with classes, workshops and activities for all ages. The Jump’n Jammin indoor play center for kids, which includes laser tag, is also a popular place for the city’s youth. Not to mention that Mission Viejo is located a short drive from Orange County’s famed beaches and other amusement attractions, such as Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm and the Santa Ana Zoo.
The city is routinely listed as one of the safest cities to live in America, as are the surrounding communities of Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Lake Forest and Irvine.
Like most of its surrounding communities, Mission Viejo was part of a large 200,000 acre Spanish land grant given in 1845. Rancho Mission Viejo was a 23,000 acre portion was used mostly as a cattle ranch but eventually became home to Orange County's biggest wheat fields. Mission Viejo was purchased by Mexican citizen John Forster, who provided fresh horses to the United States military during the Mexican-American war.
Mission Viejo real estate was once thought to be undeveloped due to its hilly topography, but an urban planner named Donald Bren, who later became president of the Irvine Company, disagreed. It was Bren’s master plan that saw the development of the city in the 1970's and 80's. The community was an instant success and many housing tracts sold out before construction even began.
The plan called for heavy Spanish mission-style architecture, which included red tile roofs and stucco exterior walls. This same architectural style can be found in almost all of Bren's and the Irvine Company's developments throughout Orange County and beyond.
