Rancho Santa Fe

 

Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego’s North County, is a bucolic and affluent residential community on rolling hills filled with Eucalyptus trees and orchards. The Eucalyptus trees were planted year ago to be used for the railroad, but the wood turned out to not be appropriate.

Rancho Santa Fe is about 5 miles from the ocean and perhaps 20 miles from San Diego, and offers the best of idyllic suburban living but at a hefty price.

The town is unincorporated and covers an area of approximately 6.9 square miles. If you are seeking a luxury home in the San Diego area that is over-the-top, you will likely find it here.

Rancho Santa Fe offers many large luxury homes and private estates, a host of exclusive gated communities, and a style of sophisticated living found in other expensive communities such as Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, and Malibu….but a more rural and less pretentious one. Indeed, Rancho Santa Fe is usually on the Forbes list of the most expensive zip codes in the US.

Rancho Santa Fe homes are large (most are more than 5,000 SF), lots are often measured in acres, and privacy and exclusivity due to the many gated communities and properties contribute to the desirability and priciness. Many residents live here less than full-time, having one or more homes elsewhere in the country or the world; it is estimated that 30 – 40% of the homeowners only live here on a part-time basis.

Many private homes are gated, and gated communities (with security) are common – Del Rayo Estates, Fairbanks Ranch, The Bridges, The Rivers Estates, Del Mar Country Club, Cielo, The Farms, and The Crosby Estates are among these exclusive neighborhoods. You will be hard pressed to find a detached home for less than $1.5 million, even a tear down. And you will find a dozen of more homes in excess of $15 million at any given point in time. Large equestrian properties are common as well.

Attached Rancho Santa Fe homes (e.g., condos) are more affordable but the median price is still in the $700s  and there are a limited number of these types of properties. Many homes offer idyllic views of the surrounding countryside, and in some cases the ocean, several miles away, due to the hills. (some custom new construction shown at right)

The Covenant is the original planned community in Rancho Santa Fe and includes the downtown commercial district. Much of the area was planned by Lillian Rice, a well known architect who influenced the look and style of many of the homes and buildings in the area.

As an unincorporated community, Rancho Santa Fe residents have P.O. boxes rather than home mail delivery, and there are no street lights or sidewalks outside of the town area. Most of the roads have Spanish or Spanish-sounding names.

The other large area of RSF is Fairbanks Ranch, an unincorporated area (census-designated place or CDP) consisting of 2 gated communities.

Rancho Santa Fe is primarily a residential community but there are a couple of areas, including the town center, that offer a host of upscale shopping, fine dining, galleries and town offices. Mille Fleurs is an upscale dining establishment, located in the heart of RSF’s downtown. Other high-end dining includes Delicias and the Rancho Valencia Restaurant at the Rancho Valencia Resort. The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe also provides one with a great dining experience, indoors and out, in a quaint hotel with a range of lodging options.

If golfing is high on your list, there are a number of private golf clubs in Rancho Santa Fe, including the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club, the Del Mar Country Club, Morgan Run, The Bridges, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, and The Crosby.

The Del Mar Race Track is located just a few miles away, offering horse racing, concerts, the annual state fair, and a host of trade shows and other events (home expo, antiques fair, etc.).

Children may attend the elementary and middle public schools, up to grade 8 or a number of private schools (The Horizon School, Nativity School, and the Diegueno Country School, among others).  Students in the higher grades attend the Encinitas Schools located just a few miles away.

MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT - Delicias

MY FAVORITE BEACH – RSF is not on the coast bu my fave beach nearby is Moonlight Beach in Encinitas