Coto de Caza, California

History

The suburban planned community of Coto de Caza was a joint venture of Chevron and Arvida corporations. Development was first initiated in 1964. In 1979, Arvida bought out Chevron. Richard Boultinghouse, who had previously developed McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona, was hired as president and general manager. In 1983, Orange County approved Coto's master plan for a community of approximately 5,000 homes, and three years later, the community officially opened. Coto de Caza's reputation as an ecologically oriented recreation community was strengthened by the former Vic Braden’s Tennis College and a 36-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course.

In 1984, Arvida, Disney, Chevron, and City Federal Savings & Loan partnered in the development of Coto de Caza. Boultinghouse was later replaced by John C Yelverton.

In 1996, Lennar took over as development manager. Under Lennar’s stewardship, Coto de Caza was repositioned to promote more luxurious homes and lower densities, coincident with the regional recovery from the recent recession. The average price of a home in Coto de Caza increased from $375,000 in 1996 to $840,000 in 2000, to well over a million dollars.

Geography

Coto de Caza is located in the northern portion of Wagon Wheel Canyon in southeast Orange County, at (33.595925, -117.587665).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 7.8 sqmi, of which, 7.8 sqmi of it is land and 0.02 sqmi of it (0.30%) is water.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Coto de Caza has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1850–1870 1880-1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Coto de Caza first appeared as a census designated place in the 1990 U.S. census. Prior to that, the area was part of the Trabuco census county division (pop 70,221 in 1980).

2020 census

The 2020 United States census reported that Coto de Caza had a population of 14,710. The population density was 1,885.9 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Coto de Caza was 75.6% White, 1.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 11.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.3% of the population.

The whole population lived in households. There were 4,876 households, out of which 36.9% included children under the age of 18, 77.3% were married-couple households, 2.5% were cohabiting couple households, 12.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 7.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 10.1% of households were one person, and 5.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.02.

The age distribution was 22.2% under the age of 18, 10.0% aged 18 to 24, 15.7% aged 25 to 44, 36.3% aged 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 46.6years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males.

There were 4,992 housing units at an average density of 640.0 /mi2, of which 4,876 (97.7%) were occupied. Of these, 91.2% were owner-occupied, and 8.8% were occupied by renters.

In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $232,470, and the per capita income was $103,122. About 2.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Coto de Caza had a population of 14,866. The population density was 1,864.2 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Coto de Caza was 13,094 (88.1%) White (82.2% Non-Hispanic White), 132 (0.9%) African American, 26 (0.2%) Native American, 878 (5.9%) Asian, 20 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 174 (1.2%) from other races, and 542 (3.6%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1,170 persons (7.9%).

The Census reported that 14,866 people (100% of the population) lived in households, 0 (0%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 4,736 households, out of which 2,407 (50.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 3,763 (79.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 294 (6.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 133 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 96 (2.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 30 (0.6%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 420 households (8.9%) were made up of individuals, and 116 (2.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14. There were 4,190 families (88.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.35.

The population was spread out, with 4,545 people (30.6%) under the age of 18, 996 people (6.7%) aged 18 to 24, 2,706 people (18.2%) aged 25 to 44, 5,452 people (36.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 1,167 people (7.9%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

There were 4,853 housing units at an average density of 608.6 /sqmi, of which 4,341 (91.7%) were owner-occupied, and 395 (8.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0%; the rental vacancy rate was 1.5%. 13,738 people (92.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 1,128 people (7.6%) lived in rental housing units.

According to the 2010 United States census, Coto de Caza had a median household income of $169,176, with 2.0% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Economy

Residents shop in Rancho Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo, Las Flores, or Ladera Ranch.

Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park

The Thomas F. Riley Wilderness Park, which is open to the general public, surrounds the community of Coto de Caza on its eastern, northern, and southern borders. The park is a Wildlife and Plant Sanctuary. Its nature center houses an educational center for outdoor education for local schools and community groups. It also serves as an ecological preserve for the native endangered plant and animal species. The park is maintained and paid for by Orange County Parks, and is administered by Park Rangers and maintenance staff.

Education

Most students in Coto de Caza reside in the Capistrano Unified School District and attend Tijeras Creek Elementary, Wagon Wheel Elementary, Las Flores Middle School, Tesoro High School, and Santa Margarita Catholic High School (located at the North Gate and not part of Capistrano Unified). St. John's Episcopal School and St. Junipero Serra Catholic School are private elementary and middle schools located outside the gates in nearby Rancho Santa Margarita.

The residents rebuffed an attempt to build a 400-student public school within the walls of the community. They had concerns that it would "undermine the privacy and security" of the enclave, that it would be "downright illegal [to place a public school on a gated private property]", that it would force admission of large numbers of non-residents to the community, and that an eventual lawsuit would force the removal of the gates. The reason for proposal was that Wagon Wheel Elementary School, which is located immediately outside the community gates, had far more students than planned. The school equipment was to consist of 20 portable buildings which would have simply been added to Wagon Wheel if the new school's construction could not be completed. Had it been built, it would have become the first public school to be built inside the limits of a gated community.

Politics and government

In the California State Legislature, Coto de Caza is in , and in .{{Cite web | access-date = January 9, 2023

In the United States House of Representatives, Coto de Caza is in .

Coto de Caza gave more than 65 percent support to Proposition 8 in 2008.

The area is patrolled by the California Highway Patrol, Orange County Sheriff's Department, and the Coto de Caza security force.

In popular culture

For the 1984 Summer Olympics, the community served as host to the riding, running, shooting, and fencing portions of the modern pentathlon events. Princess Anne of the United Kingdom attended the event to support Richard Phelps, who finished fourth at the Olympic event.

The community was the original setting of the reality-based television show The Real Housewives of Orange County on Bravo, though over the years the show has expanded into other places like Newport Beach.

Notable people

• Gideon Ariel (born 1939), Israeli Olympic competitor in the shot put and discus throw
• Linda Blair, actress with most notable role in the movie The Exorcist
• Rob Bourdon, drummer for the band Linkin Park
• Rod Carew, Baseball Hall of Famer
• Parker Case, guitarist for the band Say Anything and singer/guitarist for the band JamisonParker
• Michael Chang, former French Open singles champion at age 17
• Madison Curry, soccer player for Angel City FC
• Morris Day, musician
• Jim Everett, retired Los Angeles Rams quarterback
• Dave "Phoenix" Farrell, bassist for the band Linkin Park
• Ryan Getzlaf, ice hockey captain for the Anaheim Ducks - Los Ranchos Estates
• Paul Goydos, PGA Tour professional
• Bobby Grich, retired Los Angeles Angels second baseman
• Vicki Gunvalson, Original housewife of Bravo TV series
• Akeem Hunt, football former running back for the Kansas City Chiefs
• Jeana Keough, Original housewife of Bravo TV series
• Nancy Lerner, philanthropist and billionaire - Los Ranchos Estates
• William Lyon, retired major general of the United States Air Force
• Booger McFarland, NFL commentator
• Bode Miller, Olympic and World Championship gold medalist skier - Los Ranchos Estates
• Robb Nen, former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher
• Teemu Selänne, retired Finnish ice hockey player "The Finnish Flash" and Stanley Cup Champion - Los Ranchos Estates
• Peter Vidmar, Olympic medalist in gymnastics (2 golds, 1 silver)
• Tamra Judge, RHOC, Real Housewives of Orange County

References

References

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