Welcome To My Mission Viejo Information Page

Mission Viejo is approximately 17.4 square miles in size with a population of just over 100,000 residents. The city was incorporated in 1988.  Largely undeveloped until the 1970’s due to its hilly terrain, the area now known as Mission Viejo was used in the early part of the 20th century mostly for sheep and cattle grazing.  The city’s name is a reference to Rancho Mission Viejo, a large Spanish land grant from which the community was founded.

In the early 1970’s, urban planner named Donald Bren, who would later became the president of the Irvine Company, drafted a master plan which placed roads in the valleys and houses on the hills and was scaled appropriately to the geography of the area.  The plan worked well and by 1980 much of the city of Mission Viejo was finished.  During the late 1970’s and 1980’s houses in Mission Viejo were in such demand that builder tracts often sold out before construction ever began on them.  The houses and shopping centers in the city are almost all designed in a Spanish mission-style motif.

Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master planned communities ever built under a single project in the United States. Recreational activities are numerous as the city offers many recreational areas such as the newly remodeled Norman P. Murray Community Center and Senior Center, there are just about two parks per every square mile in Mission Viejo.  The city has three golf courses, The Mission Viejo Country Club, Casta del Sol Golf Course and the Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club.  At the center of the city is a man-made lake, Lake Mission Viejo, a private Association for Mission Viejo residents with custom waterfront homes, condominiums, boat rentals, green belts and swim beaches.       

Mission Hospital is the largest hospital in Orange County and serves as the counties regional trauma center.  It also offers one of two CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County) locations providing award winning care for children.  Mission Hospital is one of the largest employers in the city and is a critical asset to both the city and the region.

Mission Viejo was named the “safest city in the US” according to the 2007 Morgan Quitno crime statistic survey (compiled from FBI data).  Homes range in size from 1 bedroom condominiums to custom lakefront homes with boat docks. There is a very good selection of single family detached homes with prices starting in the mid 400 thousand dollar range up to a million dollars and more.  This city truly has it all, and you would be hard pressed to find a more safe or “family friendly” place to call home anywhere in the US!

The city is currently served by two school districts, the Capistrano Unified School District and Saddleback Valley Unified School District.  Capistrano Unified School District serves the eastern, northeastern, and southern portions of the city with eight schools.  Students from western Mission Viejo attend Saddleback Unified schools.  For more information and direct school links click on Mission Viejo School Info on the blue sub navigational side bar above.