Ladera Ranch is the beautiful community located in south Orange County, just on the borders of San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Mission Viejo. Started in 1999, the community is composed of 9 themed villages, each with 10 or so neighborhoods. 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.
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.
Key to Ladera Ranch is the idea of community. Ladera Ranch families and residents are very connected with each other and the community and the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corporation puts on countless events such as the 4th of July Carnival throughout the year for its residents.
