Orange County: Where Master-Planned Communities Reign
Urban Land Institute
By Kathleen McCormick
With new homes loaded with high-end features, resort amenities, and open space—as well as access to good jobs, schools, beaches, shopping, restaurants, and entertainment—master-planned communities (MPCs) have put Orange County, California, at the top of the national MPC rankings.
Irvine Ranch in Irvine pulled ahead of the Villages in Ocala, Florida, to become the top-selling MPC in the United States in 2016. Three other Orange County MPCs—Great Park Neighborhoods in Irvine, Rancho Mission Viejo in south Orange County, and Baker Ranch in Lake Forest—ranked among the top 20 MPCs nationwide, according to two national surveys, from Irvine-based John Burns Real Estate Consulting and Washington, D.C.–based RCLCO.
