Vail

Located about 25 miles south of downtown Tucson, the gated community of Rancho Del Lago is a golf lover’s dream. “It’s got a very country vibe compared to West Tucson,” says Tony Baker, Realtor for RE/MAX Professionals in Tucson. “It’s an amenity-driven neighborhood for sure, and people want to move here for that.” Residents enjoy hitting the nine at the area’s Del Lago Golf Club and having lunch at its in-house restaurant. With the area’s low CAP Crime Index Score of 1 (compared to the national average of 4) and high-rated schools, families with elementary-aged children and retirees buy in the area. The community is also in proximity to local shopping and outdoor adventures at nearby parks and preserves. The community’s focal point, Del Lago Golf Club, is a public, 18-hole facility offering daily tee times on its lush, high-elevated grounds, which are a few degrees cooler than Tucson in the summer. Locals can practice their swing surrounded by seven small lakes, and there’s views of the rocky Rincon Mountains in every direction. Overlook Park is a small, neighborhood spot next to Cienega High featuring a covered jungle gym, swing set and basketball court. Six miles east, folks can hike and bike around the nationally registered 2,400-acre Colossal Cave Mountain Park, which offers tours of its historic, stalagmite-covered caverns for spelunkers of all skill levels. The Hacienda del Lago clubhouse is a popular venue for weddings, reunions and other special celebrations; residents can also hit up The Hacienda restaurant on Thursdays for the Chef’s Special and discounted drinks for Ladies Night. Around April or May each year, locals gather near the Vail Chamber of Commerce for the Between the Tracks Vendor Fair; dozens of local businesses set up shop selling coffee, arts and crafts items and food, and folks can enjoy live music while they browse. Safeway is a 2-mile drive southwest for all grocery essentials, and folks can find gently used clothes and kitchenware at Vail Depot Thrift a few blocks further south. The nearest dining option is Del Lago Golf Club’s on-site bar and grill restaurant, The Hacienda, serving wings and ribeye plates. Residents can also head a few miles south to the small yellow and red building of Fito’s Taco Shop for chili burritos then walk the paved path towards nearby Vail Coffee Stop, which won Pima County’s Rural Business of the Year award in 2023. For more retail shopping and dining options, local can trek 7 mile north to Houghton Town Center. Exclusively all constructed by two builders, the homes in Rancho Del Lago were mostly built in the early 2000s with an average HOA fee of around $67. Homeowners enjoy the community pool, walking paths spread throughout and, of course, the Del Lago Golf Club course and Hacienda del Lago clubhouse toward the eastern quadrant. One to two-story Spanish-inspired New Traditional homes average $375,000; these properties feature up to three bedrooms along with rock-landscaped lawns and fenced-in backyards. Larger Spanish-style New Traditional and Pueblo-Revival homes are found mostly on the eastern half of the community and range between $500,000 and $730,000. These up to five-bedroom homes sit on larger lots and offer cement back patios with wooden verandas that lead to in-ground pools. Pueblo-Revival and contemporary-style houses built in the 2020s are mostly found up north and average around $545,000. These feature stucco exteriors and terracotta roofs. Homes in Rancho Del Lago sit in well-paved cul-de-sacs with some sidewalk-lined streets with mountain views in the distance. Downtown Tucson is a 25-mile drive northwest of Rancho Del Lago via Interstate 10, which is about 3 miles south of the area. Many residents drive to get around, but there are bike lanes along East Mary Ann Cleveland Way, which curves along the western border. Northwest Emergency Center at Vail is 6 miles west, and Tucson International Airport is an 18-mile drive northwest. The area is served by Vail Unified School District, one of the highest rated districts in the state and rated an A-plus from Niche. Kids here can start at Acacia Elementary which is rated an A-minus, and continue on to Old Vail Middle, scoring an A. The A-rated Cienega High is known for its Drama Department which has won several recognitions like Best Music Direction from the Southern Arizona High School Musical Theatre Monte Awards in 2023. Rancho Del Lago has a relatively high risk for wildfires near the northern and eastern borders due to the dry climate. Pima County has a Wildfire Protection Plan and Ready Checklist for homeowners in the event of a fire, and in May of 2024, nearly $7 million in federal funding went to Pima County to enhance their current protection plan. During Arizona’s monsoon season between June and September, the Pantano Wash, which cuts through the middle of the neighborhood, and the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve in the southeast is at risk of overflooding into main areas.