Mission Viejo : California

Mission Viejo is located in southern Orange County in the Saddleback Valley. It  is one of the largest master-planned communities ever built under a single project in the United States. The city has a 2011 estimated population of 93,483. The city is mainly residential, although there are a number of offices and businesses within its city limits. The city is known for its picturesque tree-lined neighborhoods. The average age is slightly younger than the U.S. average, although there are active adult communities located in Mission Viejo. Photo of Lake Mission Viejo courtesy of Wikipedia and Wikpe44.  Photo of Lake Mission Viejo courtesy of Wikipedia and D Ramey Logan WPPilot.

There are many neighborhoods and developments, some of them designed for active adults, in Mission Viejo. The median home value in Mission Viejo was $713,800 in mid-2019, according to Zillow.

It is one of the largest master planned developments in the U.S. Several times it has won "Safest City" awards due to its extremely low crime rate. Saddleback College is a local community college. Donald Bren, an urban planner  at the Irvine Company created a master plan which placed roads in the valleys and houses on the hills, contoured to the geography of the area.  m=Much of the city of Mission Viejo was completed by 1980. The houses and shopping centers in the city are almost uniformly designed in a Spanish mission style, with "adobe"-like stucco walls and barrel-tile roofs. Lake Mission Viejo is a private lake with boating, beaches, and fishing. Many homes and condos are built on the lake.

Prices are high and it is not very diverse.

People who want to live in a planned community in southern California might like it here.

Saddleback College and Mission Hospital are the 2 biggest local employers.

The average January temp is in the mid 50s and the average July temp is about 70. The city is located slighlty inland near Laguna Woods in southern California.

There is an active public library. Saddleback College offers some cultural opportunities. There is the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center. There are about two parks per square mile and three golf courses: The Mission Viejo Country Club, Casta del Sol Golf Course, and the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club.