Ladera Ranch, California

Ladera Ranch
census-designated place
Ladera Ranch

Position in California.

Coordinates: 33°32′48″N 117°38′25″W / 33.54667°N 117.64028°W / 33.54667; -117.64028Coordinates: 33°32′48″N 117°38′25″W / 33.54667°N 117.64028°W / 33.54667; -117.64028
Country  United States
State  California
County Orange
Area[1]
  Total 4.905 sq mi (12.703 km2)
  Land 4.905 sq mi (12.703 km2)
  Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)  0%
Elevation 404 ft (123 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 22,980
  Density 4,700/sq mi (1,800/km2)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
  Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP Code 92694
Area code(s) 949
FIPS code 06-39114
GNIS feature IDs 1852155, 2583048
[2]
A photograph looking down 3rd St at Mercantile Way in Ladera Ranch

Ladera Ranch is a census-designated place[2] and a planned community located in south Orange County, California just outside the city limits of San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita and Mission Viejo.

History

Ladera Ranch is a 4,000 acres (16 km2) master-planned community adjacent to Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and San Juan Capistrano. Located along Antonio Parkway and Crown Valley Parkway, construction of the community began in 1999 on portions of the O'Neill, Avery, & Moiso families' 23,000 acres (93 km2) Rancho Mission Viejo cattle ranch, which was the largest remaining working ranch in Orange County.

An authentic El Camino Real bell, donated by the Kruse family, stands in front of Chaparral Elementary School as a reminder of Ladera Ranch's history.

Geography

Ladera Ranch is located in the foothills of the Orange County Saddleback.

Design and development

The Ladera Ranch development is divided into nine "villages". Within each village, individual builders develop an area called a neighborhood. There are ten or more neighborhoods per village. The villages are:

Five of the nine villages have clubhouses themed on a particular architecture style that is emphasized within that village. There are also parks, pools, playgrounds and open areas within each village. The Covenant Hills village is a gated community which is closed to the general public, but accessible to all card-carrying residents of Ladera Ranch. There are no other gated villages in the community.

In addition to the various clubhouses, the community has a private water park and skate park, 18 community parks, a dog park, six smaller neighborhood pools, many pocket parks and green belts, a shopping district called Mercantile East Shopping Center, and miles of hiking trails that connect to Doheny Beach.

The community has several features that differentiate it from most others. For example, many traffic speed-reducing measures were put into use. Roundabouts, for example, are commonplace on smaller intersections. Narrow street widths are characteristics of Ladera Ranch's small residential streets. Landscaped street medians are common on two-lane collector streets.

Demographics

2010

The 2010 United States Census[4] reported that Ladera Ranch had a population of 22,980. The population density was 4,685.2 people per square mile (1,809.0/km²). The racial makeup of Ladera Ranch was 17,899 (77.9%) White (69.4% Non-Hispanic White),[5] 335 (1.5%) African American, 54 (0.2%) Native American, 2,774 (12.1%) Asian, 27 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 624 (2.7%) from other races, and 1,267 (5.5%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2,952 persons (12.8%).

The Census reported that 22,980 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 7,115 households, out of which 4,418 (62.1%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 4,996 (70.2%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 620 (8.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 274 (3.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 231 (3.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 72 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 927 households (13.0%) were made up of individuals and 226 (3.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.23. There were 5,890 families (82.8% of all households); the average family size was 3.59.

The population was spread out with 8,812 people (38.3%) under the age of 18, 892 people (3.9%) aged 18 to 24, 8,639 people (37.6%) aged 25 to 44, 3,802 people (16.5%) aged 45 to 64, and 835 people (3.6%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.4 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

There were 7,410 housing units at an average density of 1,510.8 per square mile (583.3/km²), of which 5,204 (73.1%) were owner-occupied, and 1,911 (26.9%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%. 17,572 people (76.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 5,408 people (23.5%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States Census, Ladera Ranch had a median household income of $131,893, with 4.0% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[5]

2000

The 92694 ZCTA is statistically equivalent to Ladera Ranch. This is a map of what was completed in 2000.

At the 2000 census, the Census Bureau did not define a census-designated place called Ladera Ranch, but it did define a Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA), 92694. Because Ladera Ranch is contained within this ZCTA, it is possible to obtain Census data from the United States 2000 Census for the area even though data for "Ladera Ranch" is unavailable.

Local government

As a part of unincorporated Orange County, Ladera Ranch is governed by the Orange County Board of Supervisors as part of the Fifth District.

Community organizations

Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation (LARMAC) maintains the community property and facilities in Ladera Ranch. LARMAC, funded by assessments, also provides oversight and administration of the aesthetic review process and adherence to the Community Guidelines.

Ladera Ranch Community Services (LARCS) is an independent non-profit public-benefit corporation led by a five-member Board of Directors. The primary purpose of LARCS is to enhance the lifestyle for the residents of Ladera Ranch through community and neighborhood events, recreational programs, resident led clubs and community groups, coordination of volunteer opportunities and resident communication which includes the management of the community website, LaderaLife, and the production of the quarterly news magazine, Roots & Wings.

The Ladera Ranch Civic Council (LRCC)[6] is a volunteer group that advises the Orange County Board of Supervisors.[7] The council has no official municipal role or legal authority. The seven-member Civic Council board of directors focuses on topics within Ladera Ranch that are traditionally associated with a municipal body, such as planning and land use, public safety and infrastructure.

Education

The community is served by the Capistrano Unified School District. A branch of the Orange County Public Library is located on the campus of Ladera Ranch School.

Within the community are the Chaparral and Oso Grande Elementary Schools and the Ladera Ranch School, which is home to both an elementary school and a middle school on the same campus.

Chaparral Elementary School received the "California Distinguished School Award" in both 2004 and 2008. Ladera Ranch School opened in 2004, and the Middle School received the "California Distinguished School Award" in 2007 and has been nominated again in 2011.

Stoneybrooke Christian School is a private K-8 school that is also located in Ladera Ranch. Depending on which part of the community they live in, high school students attend either San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano, or Tesoro High School in Las Flores. Prior to its opening in 2007, students in areas currently served by San Juan Hills attended Capistrano Valley High School. A number of Ladera Ranch's students still attend Capistrano Valley, either due to having begun attendance prior to 2007, or by virtue of having been "grandfathered" in through siblings' attendance.

The community is close to Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California and Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement services in Ladera Ranch are provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol.

Notable residents

References

External links

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