Overview
About Rancho Monterey
Rancho Monterey is 22.6 acres of 133 attached homes on nine lanes the city names as Clover Hill, Ash Creek, Raven Hill, Sand Creek, Spring Hill, Windy Hill, Stone Creek, Shadow Hill and Briar Creek, in the western arm of Laguna Hills the city calls the Westside Annexation.
The city's parcel record carries twelve parcels inside the boundary, so the land beneath the homes is held in common rather than divided lot by lot. The Orange County Fire Authority places the boundary in evacuation zone LGH12, which covers 1,970 households, and Rancho Monterey lies inside Saddleback Valley Unified School District, whose campuses inside the Laguna Hills city limit are Valencia, Lomarena and San Joaquin elementaries and Laguna Hills High.
View available homes in Rancho MontereyHistory
How Rancho Monterey was built
This corner was built as part of Aliso Viejo, the community the Mission Viejo Company laid out after buying the last 6,600 acres of the Moulton Ranch in 1976. Laguna Hills annexed it on 18 September 2000, about 149 residential acres together with Sheep Hills Park, a year before Aliso Viejo itself became a city.
Rancho Monterey holds 133 attached homes on about twenty three acres and its street list is the clearest single illustration of how the western pocket was named. Nine lanes, alternating between two words: Clover Hill, Raven Hill, Spring Hill, Windy Hill and Shadow Hill on one side, Ash Creek, Sand Creek, Stone Creek and Briar Creek on the other. Neighboring communities continue the same list with Dry Creek, Oxbow Creek, Sage Hill and Robin Hill, so the naming crosses association boundaries and belongs to the original master plan rather than to any one builder inside it.
By the Numbers
Rancho Monterey by the numbers
Lifestyle
The Rancho Monterey lifestyle
The city publishes eight named trails and gives each its own mileage. Aliso Creek Trail runs 2.0 miles inside the city limit as a county maintained national recreation trail, open to walkers, cyclists and riders on horseback. Alicia Trail is a paved 1.33 miles from Moulton Parkway and Alicia Parkway northeast to the Laguna Hills Community Center.
Oso Parkway carries a trail on each side. The Oso Bikeway Trail is 1.64 paved miles along the north side from Moulton to Cabot Road, and the Oso Multi-Use Trail is 1.79 dirt miles along the south side open to every user. The Nellie Gail Trail adds 0.90 dirt miles from Ramona Street to La Paz Road, and the Veeh Trail follows 0.26 riparian miles beside Veeh Ranch Park.
Fossil Reef Park is built on a limestone reef the city dates to roughly 17 million years ago, when much of Orange County lay under a shallow tropical bay. The reef runs six miles long and 300 feet deep and holds scallop shells the city describes as the size of dinner plates.
Schools
Schools serving Rancho Monterey
Rancho Monterey lies inside Saddleback Valley Unified School District. The campuses below are the district schools inside the Laguna Hills city limit, with the enrollment the federal count records for each.
9-12 · 1,317 students
K-6 · 525 students
K-6 · 487 students
K-6 · 221 students
FAQs
Common questions about Rancho Monterey
How big is Rancho Monterey?
Rancho Monterey covers 22.6 acres on the boundary the City of Laguna Hills publishes, and the city's own count gives it 133 attached homes.
Which school district serves Rancho Monterey?
Rancho Monterey lies inside Saddleback Valley Unified School District. The district publishes no attendance boundary map, so assignment for a specific address is confirmed through the district's own locator. Its campuses inside the Laguna Hills city limit are Valencia Elementary with 525 students, Lomarena Elementary with 487, San Joaquin Elementary with 221 and Laguna Hills High with 1,317, on the 2024-25 federal count.
When was Rancho Monterey laid out?
Hall and Foreman Inc filed Tracts 11393 and 11394 in 1983 under surveyor George D. Shambeck across most of the community, over ground that Tracts 11390 and 11392 of 1982, surveyed by Jack G. Raub, had already partly covered.
What kind of homes are in Rancho Monterey?
The City of Laguna Hills counts 133 attached homes. The parcel record carries twelve parcels inside the boundary, the usual recording where land under an attached project is held in common, so county lot and area figures describe the project rather than each home.
Was Rancho Monterey always part of Laguna Hills?
No. The city was incorporated on December 20, 1991 without it, and the westside annexation approved on September 18, 2000 brought Rancho Monterey and 149 residential acres inside the city limit.