Rancho Santa Margarita was ranked #82 in the 2009 CNNMoney.com Top 100 list of America’s best small towns.
This Orange County suburb is tucked beneath the Saddleback Mountains, and many properties have great views of Modjeska Peak.
Rancho Santa Margarita is tucked beneath the Saddleback Mountains, and many properties have great views of Modjeska Peak.
Because Rancho Santa Margarita is further inland than ultra-desirable oceanside properties like Laguna Beach, homes are cheaper — but the water is still only about half an hour away.
Each subdivision is part of a homeowners association with strict rules about home maintenance, and each member pays a fee to maintain parks and wide roads with planted medians.
History
In 1948, the O’Neill family donated 278 acres of canyon bottom land to the County of Orange for park purposes. The O’Neill family donated an additional 120 acres of parkland in 1963, the same year they founded the Mission Viejo Company and drew up plans for a master-planned community of the same name.
By the 1960s, a rural cluster of homes had been present in Trabuco Canyon for decades. The area’s first tract developed homes didn’t arrive until late in the decade in what would become Coto de Caza, which started out as a hunting and fishing resort. The area remained fairly remote until 1986, when the first homes in the new master planned community of Rancho Santa Margarita were sold. The economic boom of the 1980s also fueled home construction in nearby Dove Canyon, Robinson Ranch, Wagon Wheel and a handful of smaller developments. The area became better linked to the rest of the county in 1992, when extensions of Oso, Antonio and Alicia Parkways were completed.
Dove Canyon
In 1989, the people of the community of Rancho Santa Margarita established a Community Civic Association (CCA) for the purpose of providing a political voice for the community. The CCA, later known as the Rancho Margarita Civic Association (and still later as the Civic Council), briefly explored self-governance, but it was in 1995 that the RSM Cityhood Committee, a separate community organization, began the official drive for cityhood. Rancho Santa Margarita was planned to be an “Urban Village”, offering the best of two worlds: all of the elements and advantages of a small city plus the quality of life of a small village.
In November 1999, area voters opted to incorporate the Rancho Santa Margarita Planned Community and the neighboring Robinson Ranch, Dove Canyon, Rancho Cielo, Trabuco Highlands and Walden Communities. The newly formed City of Rancho Santa Margarita incorporated on January 1, 2000, and became the 33rd city in the County of Orange.
The City is a general law city and operates under the council-manager form of government. Rancho Santa Margarita is a contract city. Police services are provided through contract with the Orange County Sheriff. Fire Protection services are provided through the Orange County Fire Authority.
For more information contact Robert Prophet and the Robert Prophet Group. Send us an email or visit our web site: RobertProphet.com
