Lake Forest

Baker Ranch is a 1.5-square-mile master-planned community in the balmy and mountainous northwest of Lake Forest. Baker Ranch is just 10 miles east of Laguna Beach and its beaches on the Pacific Ocean and is just blocks west of trailheads leading up into the wilderness of the Saddleback Mountains. This small, incorporated city is a stable, family-oriented area with plenty of schools and amenities. Employment opportunities are plenty in this business-friendly city, and the major cities of Orange County are within 10 miles. "Baker Ranch is a super-modern, upscale community," says local Realtor Simone Paterno of Stark Team Real Estate. "It's a great community in a great location. It's super close to Irvine, so many people commute there for work."<br><br>Homes in Baker Ranch start in the high six figures for townhomes and go up to $3.5 million for palatial mansions. Paterno notes they were all built between 2017 and 2020. In the Brookland Subdivision, pretty Monterey-style townhomes have exterior stucco walls painted in subdued shades to match the arid Southern California landscape. Native shrubs and eucalyptus trees wind around the small outdoor spaces, and inside wooden cabinetry and large garages lend a luxurious feel to these smaller residences. Detached Monterey-style homes with two stories have roof decks looking out on the vast mountain range to the east. Clay roof tiles keep interiors cool, and adobe walls evoke a period of authenticity in these larger homes. Venetian balconies offer attractive ornaments, and gas fire pits on stone patios warm these outdoor-loving residents on chilly desert nights. The largest and most ornate homes in Baker Ranch are designed in a Mediterranean-Spanish hybrid with exterior walls made of smooth stone and interiors with 20-foot ceilings. Large arched picture windows and second-floor terraces supported by colonnades from which residents can enjoy expansive views of the hills and sky. Spiral staircases and outdoor porticos bring true luxury to these multi-bedroom residences.<br><br>Residents of the Baker Ranch HOA have access to various amenities, including three swimming pools, hiking and biking trails, eight parks with playgrounds designed with the same attention to detail as the home, different sporting courts and fields, dog parks and clubhouses where residents can gather. The Baker Ranch Community Park is city-run and the neighborhood's largest park. It includes several sporting fields and barbecue areas for picnicking. Just a few blocks north of the community, past State Route 241, the main eastern thoroughfare, a trailhead to Red Rock Canyon leads into the 25,000-acre parkland wilderness of the Irvine Ranch Open Space. "There are lots of hiking trails. The Barranca Trail is right there," says Paterno. The Foothill Ranch Towne Center borders the northern edge of Baker Ranch, offering department and specialty stores, upscale and fast-food restaurants and a movie theater. An In-N-Out, a branch of Los Angeles restaurant Islands, a Target and a Walmart round out the amenities.<br><br>The Saddleback Valley Unified School District offers dual language immersion and the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program. It is considered one of the top 650 school districts in America by the school rankings website Niche. Foothill Ranch Elementary School is the closest to Baker Ranch. The school received an A grade from the site. Serrano Intermediate School and El Toro High School received A-minus grades from Niche. Being 60 miles from Los Angeles, 80 miles from San Diego, 10 miles from the beach, and just three blocks from the mountains makes Baker Ranch an excellent option for homebuyers looking for a beautiful, stable place just outside the major cities of Southern California.