The villages of Rancho Mission Viejo were planned one at a time on a working ranch, and each one feels a little different. This post is paired with one of Grant's Orange County Living videos, embedded below, and walks through the details worth knowing.
Four villages, one working ranch
Sendero opened in 2013 as the first village, walkable and closest to San Juan Capistrano, with the Sendero Marketplace anchored by Gelson's. Esencia is the largest, a hill-town agrihood with Esencia Farm and its own TK-8 school. Rienda, newest in 2022, sits high on westerly hills beside The Nature Reserve, and Gavilan adds gated 55+ enclaves tucked into each village.
Most of the ranch stays as open space, about 17,000 of its 23,000 acres, so village life here comes with ridgelines and trails out the back gate. The villages are a short loop from one another, which makes a Saturday drive through all four an easy way to compare.
Compare two similar streets on schools and commute before you visit.
The video for this post is playing right above, and the OC Living channel has plenty more tours wherever this one takes you.
Watch It
Every post on this blog is tied to a video from Grant’s YouTube channel, Orange County Living, where he tours Orange County communities, neighborhoods, and the places worth knowing. Watch the video behind this post, then browse the channel for the next stop on your list.
This post · the video
OC Living · Village Life at The Ranch
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Written by Grant
Grant is a local real-estate agent who has spent years walking the trails, eating at the counters, and showing families around the villages of South Orange County. He also hosts Orange County Living on YouTube, where he tours the communities, neighborhoods, and hidden gems this blog writes about.
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