Rancho Santa Margarita Real Estate History

Unique Coto de Caza Homes

Coto de Caza is a census-designated place (CDP) and guard-gated private community in Orange County, California. The population was 13,057 at the 2000 census.

The CDP is a suburban planned community of about 4,000 homes, and one of Orange County’s oldest and most expensive master planned communities. The project began in 1968, when it was envisioned as a hunting lodge, now the Lodge at Coto de Caza, and the community was completed in 2003. Around the town there are still undeveloped lots available for purchase. Currently there are two 18-hole golf courses, and two club houses, one considered the “old club” and the other the “new club.” The new club, the Coto De Caza Golf & Racquet Club, harbors the facilities of the two golf courses and adjacent ten tennis courts. The old club, located in the residential area known as “the Village,” was once home to tennis guru and teacher Vic Braden. The old club was also the home location for the Coto de Caza Youth Swim Team. The new club finished construction of the new Spa & Sports Club building in April 2008 that houses a new fitness center with state of the art StarTrac exercise equipment, a spa with many services, a snack bar with Starbuck’s coffee, and the Michael Chang tennis hall of fame and member lounge. The golf courses are both Robert Trent Jones Jr. design. The North course was rated the most difficult golf course in all of Orange County.

The community is the setting of the reality-based television show The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo.

Coto de Caza contains commercial endeavors, Lodge at Coto de Caza, The Coto de Caza Golf and Racquet Club, & The Coto de Caza General Store. Residents shop seven minutes away in Rancho Santa Margarita, ten minutes away in Mission Viejo, two minutes away in Las Flores, or four minutes away in Ladera Ranch. Most students in Coto de Caza reside in the Capistrano Unified School District and attend Wagon Wheel Elementary, Tijeras Creek Elementary, Las Flores Middle School, Tesoro High School, and Santa Margarita Catholic High School (not part of Capistrano Unified). The majority of the community is tract homes, with collections of customs on the outskirts off the main streets. Coto de Caza is twenty minutes from the Interstate 5 freeway and five minutes from the 241 toll road to Irvine and then Riverside County.

While some residents believe that “Coto de Caza” means “Preserve of the Hunt” in Portuguese, this is erroneous. Actually, “Coto de Caza” is Spanish for “Hunt Reserve” and implies that the reserve is private.

Showing properties 1 - 3 of 71. See more Real estate in the city of Coto De Caza.
(all data current as of 5/23/2013)

1. $10,750,000 : 31632 East SANDIA Way, Coto De Caza
   
   7 beds, 6 full, 3 part baths

   Home size: 9,000 sq ft

   Lot size: 6.40 ac

   Year built: 1991

   Parking spots: 18

   Days on market: 318
2. $7,300,000 : 31632 Trigo Trails, Coto De Caza
   
   7 beds, 6 full, 4 part baths

   Home size: 9,500 sq ft

   Lot size: 2.20 ac

   Year built: 1990

   Parking spots: 48

   Days on market: 32
3. $6,995,000 : 31361 TRIGO TRAIL, Coto De Caza
   
   8 beds, 4 full, 8 part baths

   Home size: 10,394 sq ft

   Lot size: 1.90 ac

   Year built: 2001

   Parking spots: 12

   Days on market: 310

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Nellie Gail’s Newest

The ranch sits on a promontory within the city and is a contrast to the higher density neighborhoods that surround it. It is one of the better-known upscale communities in the state and is not gated. Nellie Gail is a Planned Unit Development of 1407 lots on 1350 acres (5.5 km²) and consists of a mixture of tract and custom houses in an equestrian setting, with homes ranging from 1,700 to more than 10,000 square feet (160 to 930 m²). It is one of only a few communities left in Orange County zoned for large lots and equestrian trails, and joins only Anaheim Hills, Villa Park, and Orange Park Acres in their respective communities that limit the density of the homes in the county .

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Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation (SAMLARC)

SAMLARC is often referred to as the master association in Rancho Santa Margarita because other smaller sub associations fall within its membership and it encompasses the original footprint of the master planned community of Rancho Santa Margarita. SAMLARC comprises roughly 13,000 units and maintains most streetscapes, medians, parks and trails within the community. In total, SAMLARC runs and maintains 13 parks, 4 pools, a lagoon, a lake, and numerous trails within the community. One of SAMLARC’s most popular parks, Central Park located next to City Hall, contains a large amphitheater where a number of community events are held each year. Central Park is also home to an arena soccer rink that was converted from a roller hockey rink. SAMLARC also maintains a popular skate and dog park that are located within SAMLARC’s Canada Vista Park.^[2]

RSM Climate

Rancho Santa Margarita, like most of coastal Southern California, generally has a Mediterranean climate. The name derives from its similarity to the climate of areas along the Mediterranean Sea. Summers are warm to hot, and winters are cool, rarely falling below freezing. Precipitation in Rancho Santa Margarita occurs predominantly during the winter months. The average January temperature in Rancho Santa Margarita is 56 °F (13 °C), while the average August temperature is 73 °F (23 °C).