Rancho Mission Viejo Named Best New Home Community in Orange County
Rancho Mission Viejo, Calif. (October 13, 2026) -- Rancho Mission Viejo has been named the Best New Home Community in the Orange County Register’s Best of Orange County 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. It is the sixth time the community has earned the recognition since its opening.
“Being voted Orange County’s best new home community by the people who live here means a great deal to us,” said Stephanie Walker, Vice President of Marketing & Community Relations for Rancho Mission Viejo. “This recognition, now six times over, reflects years of careful planning and a commitment to creating neighborhoods where people at every stage of life feel at home. Seeing readers also recognize our 55+ village, Gavilán Ridge, and our builder partners, Trumark Homes and Lennar, in their own categories shows how far that sense of belonging reaches across The Ranch.”
The Orange County Register pointed to The Ranch’s amenities and its active RanchLife calendar of events as part of the recognition. Residents enjoy Ranch Cove, a 20,000-square-foot lagoon- style pool; Boulder Pond and Playground, with a 3.5-acre pond and a half mile of walking paths; the 5.5-acre Backyard; South Paw Dog Park; and Providence Mission Hospital Sports Park. Still to come in the Village of Rienda is a six-acre park with sports fields, tot lots and a perimeter walking trail, set to open in fall 2027 alongside the new Rienda School.
Readers also recognized Rancho Mission Viejo and its partners in two other categories this year:
- Best Home Builder: Trumark Homes and Lennar, both recognized for new neighborhoods at Rancho Mission Viejo, including Trumark’s Sapphire, Lotus and Sunflower, and Lennar’s Indigo, Nova and Strata
- Best Senior Living Community (#3): The Village of Gavilán Ridge, Rancho Mission Viejo’s first 55+ village
New homes are currently selling in the final phase of the Village of Rienda from Trumark Homes in Sunflower, Shea Homes in Primrose, and Lennar in Indigo. In the Village of Gavilán Ridge, four neighborhoods for 55+ buyers are set to grand open in early 2027.
At completion, about 17,000 acres, approximately 75% of the 23,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo, will be permanently preserved as The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo, supporting a large-scale habitat conservation area as well as ongoing ranching and farming operations.
The remaining 6,000 acres, or 25%, will encompass the planned community of Rancho Mission Viejo. The historic ranch has been held in the O’Neill/Moiso/Avery family since 1882.
For more information about Rancho Mission Viejo and homes currently for sale, please visit www.RanchoMissionViejo.com.
Read more in the Orange County Register:
