Note by zovall: This post is written by my wife, Nilam. She took some pictures around Turtle Ridge and provided some thoughts on the area. We'd love to hear your comments on Turtle Ridge as well as her first post.

Located on the southernmost border of Irvine, Turtle Ridge is one of the city's few hillside villages. Unlike most areas of Irvine, Turtle Ridge does not have a commercial shopping center, nor does it have any office or industrial buildings. It is almost exclusively residential, with a few exceptions. Turtle Ridge's borders are Bonita Canyon Dr. and Shady Canyon to the north, the 73 Freeway to the south, and Bommer Canyon to the east. It neighbors University Hills, Turtle Rock, and Newport Coast, which means it has close access to UCI, Fashion Island and the beach.

Turtle Ridge contains several gated communities, the costliest being the guard gated Summit which is where the traditional single family detached homes are. Turtle Ridge is next to 735 acre Bommer Canyon, one of Irvine's nature preserves. No housing or commercial structures will be built on this land preserve. Additional gated communities, detached condos, are found off of Summit Park (Chantory and Arborel) and Shady Canyon (Canyon's Edge). The remaining ungated tracts (Ashton Green and Whispering Glen) are attached condos and are found off of Summit Park. Turtle Ridge was constructed in the mid 2000's and pretty much all homes are Tuscan style, regardless of whether the home is a single family detached home, condominium or apartment. While consistently attractive (to me, anyway), it does feel cookie cutter with Every…single…home…brown topped with red roof tiles.

The village has one apartment complex – you guessed it, Turtle Ridge Apartments, which is located at the very west part between the 73, Bonita Canyon Drive and Newport Coast Drive. The apartment community is gated and has tot lots and several types of floorplans including some that are townhome style. It's conveniently located right off of the 73 toll road and is an Irvine Apartment Community, which means it, like most apartments in Irvine, is owned by the Irvine Company.

Within the village is Las Lomas Community Park, a large municipal facility that includes soccer fields, baseball fields, a tot lot, basketball and tennis courts, and an indoor recreation center that can be rented for events. The community center also provides classrooms for courses offered by the city of Irvine. Las Lomas is gorgeous but the tot lot is not shaded and can get quite warm in the summer.

Next to Las Lomas Community Park is Vista Verde K-8 year round school, which formerly was located in University Park, off of Michelson. The school is a K-8 Blue Ribbon school and is an “alternative school,” meaning interested students from all over Irvine are welcome to apply. Students with siblings who attend the school are given priority and all others are given priority to enroll based on a lottery system. Apparently people really REALLY want their kids to go here.

Across the street from Vista Verde is the Samueli Jewish Campus which consists of the Merage Jewish Community Center and the Tarbut V'Torah school.

And just down the street on the other side of Turtle Ridge Drive is Mariners Church. Both facilities are incredibly large, attractive and impressive and offers schools and extensive facilities. Mariners Church is so large that the Irvine Police Department directs traffic every Sunday morning to ensure that the area doesn't become backed up.

Nestled between Merage JCC and Vista Verde school is Sepulveda Vista Point. The views from here are fantastic, especially on a clear, smog-free day. You can see a great deal of Orange County, and I'd say it's one of the best views in Irvine. It's kind of hidden, though, so you have to look for it.

A second lookout point (Bommer Canyon Vista Point) is located off of Summit Park. One of the great things about Turtle Ridge is that there are a lot of designated walking paths and since the area is hilly, you can get a decent bit of exercise walking/running/biking those paths. What's not so great is that there really is nowhere to walk to that's less than several miles away; no Yogurtland, no nail salon, no grocery store. Sure, you could walk to UCI or to Pavilions off of Bonita Canyon, but it's a bit of a hike. I suppose you could walk to Mariner's Church and have lunch or grab coffee at their cafe, but it's not the same as being able to walk to a center like Woodbury or University Town Center.

Most of Turtle Ridge is quiet. It does sit adjacent to the 73 but because the freeway is elevated in comparison to much of the community, you can't really hear the freeway too much. All in all, I'd say it's a nice community to live in. Do any of you live here? What do you like and/or dislike about it?

Rancho San Joaquin is a small Irvine Village comprised mostly of high density residential housing. What makes this Village unique is the abundance of recreational activities.

Rancho San Joaquin is bounded by Culver Drive, Michelson Drive, University Drive, and Harvard Avenue. It forms a buffer area between residential developments to the east and the commercial area on Jamboree and the Newport Bay wash to the west.

The Irvine Historical Museum is located here. Did you even know it existed?

There is an active senior center.

The Racquet Club of Irvine calls Rancho San Joaquin home.

Clubhouse at the racquet club.

The Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course is here.

The property has nice views of the Airport area developments.

The course is open to the public and receives a great deal of play.

Par 3 # 13. Don’t be short or right.

One of my favorite places in (or near) Rancho San Joaquin is Boomers.

The local kids play castle.

Speed climbing wall.

Laser tag.

Batting cages.

Go carts for small kids.

Carnival rides for all ages.

Go carts for older kids and the young at heart.

Landscaped mini-golf.

Bumper boats.

The high density housing includes Rancho San Joaquin Apartments. Some have nice golf course views.

There is an internal waterway winding through the community.

The Villas townhome community.

There are a variety of condos.

The architecture is nice, but not award winning.

Most of the properties are very well kept.

Rancho San Joaquin is a relatively affordable Irvine neighborhood with an abundance of recreational activities, and it is conveniently located near the Culver / 405 interchange. If you work hard and play hard, this is the Village for you.

Irvine’s Rancho San Joaquin: A great place to live.

Another Irvine village which is not widely known is The Ranch.

The Ranch is bounded by Yale Avenue, Irvine Center Drive, Jeffrey Road and the railroad tracks. It is north or Woodbridge and East of Deerfield. The communities of Windwood, Deerfield and The Ranch form a gradient of decreasing housing densities and increasing house sizes. With the exception of the condominium complex of Smoketree, the Ranch is almost exclusively large, single-family detached housing.

There is a mixture of one and two story houses. This one is your typical “American Dream” home with a white picket fence.

The main entry off of Irvine Center Drive features an attractive greenspace park.

There are not many parks or amenities in The Ranch. The main greenspace features of the community are the preserved windrows which have been used to link the various neighborhoods together with the central park and recreation space.

The preserved hedgerows gave the community instant maturity.

The pathways are attractive and inviting.

These are large, mature eucalyptus trees.

All the greenspace corridors lead to the central park area.

The greenspace is large, but it is not used for formal sports activities.

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There is another park on the east side of The Ranch separating it from Smoketree.

There is another children’s tot lot.

Between the houses and the railroad tracks is a wide buffer for power lines which is used as a bike trail.

This sets the homes a considerable distance away from the railroad tracks.

Large houses are common in The Ranch. Perhaps not this large…

The houses all display pride in ownership.

There is a variety of architectural styles.

I liked this one with its boulder landscaping.

The wide lots permit houses with elevations wide enough not to be dominated by a three car garage.

The Ranch is a perfect village for a homeowner who wants a large home on a large lot with minimal park facilities and a no mello roos or HOA fee. This neighborhood is atypical for Irvine in that regard.

Irvine’s The Ranch: a great place to live.

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Irvine is full of neighborhoods both big and small. One of the relatively unknown small neighborhoods of Irvine is Windwood.

The neighborhood of Windwood is bounded by Culver Drive, Irvine Center Drive, Harvard Avenue and the railroad tracks. It is really a transitional neighborhood buffering what was the Tustin air base from the residential core of Irvine. It is too small to have a wide variety or products, and its proximity to the railroad tracks and the large Culver Plaza commercial center made it an ideal location for high-density condos and apartments.

One of the apartment complexes is Windwood Glen. This complex has 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats. There are no garages or in-unit laundry facilities.

Another complex is Windwood Knoll. This complex has 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats and townhomes larger than Windwood Glen. There are no garages or in-unit laundry facilities.

An ownership community called Windwood Townhomes.

There is also a neighborhood of single-family detached condos.

This one is attractive and well kept.

The park facilities are very good. There were plenty of children at the park, probably due to its proximity to the apartment complexes.

Windwood even has its own tennis center.

There is one of those multi-stop exercise pathways weaving through the community.

The real hidden gem in Windwood is Flagstone Park. It is a large green, open space behind the housing against the railroad tracks.

As you can see, you can have a large open lawn all to yourself.

There is also a bike trail along the railroad tracks.

The walking trail inside the community is wide and winding.

There is an unusually sharp turn in the main collector street, Deerfield Drive. Sometimes it is sharper than drivers realize. The planners of Irvine have made mistakes.

One of the best features of Windwood is Culver Plaza.

The newly renovated food court has a selection of fast food outlets and a coffee shop (the recipe for a successful urban plaza).

The landscaping separates the eating area from the parking lot.

There is a definite Asian influence at this plaza with several of the business names reflecting a tie to the orient.

The Sam Woo Restaurant.

Windwood will probably not attain the notoriety of other neighborhoods in Irvine, but it has something unique to offer its residents. The preponderance of transitional housing will mean few people will identify with the community and consider it their “home,” but its vibrant commercial center and well-maintained facilities make for a comfortable existence.

Irvine’s Windwood: A great place to live.

Irvine’s Westpark is a large community west of Woodbridge forming a buffer between the business and industrial area around the John Wayne airport and the residential heart of Irvine. The community is bounded by the 405 on the south, Culver Drive to the east, Irvine Center Drive to the north, and both Harvard Avenue or the wash which separates the western office parks from residential Irvine.

The community is bisected by several cross streets including Main, Alton Parkway, Barranca Parkway, and Warner Avenue. Paseo Westpark is the north/south collector conveying traffic through the community.

Westpark is the quintessential community of the late 80’s and 90’s. It’s curvilinear streets, large, front-loaded stucco houses of similar size and character, and numerous parks were definitive of the era.

The collector streets are wide, curvilinear and attractively landscaped. Whenever I think of Westpark, I think of John Mellencamp‘s song Little Pink Houses. Drive around Westpark, and you will understand why.

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The above sequence was shot in three different, typical neighborhoods. Can you tell them apart?

Despite the sameness of the neighborhoods, the individual properties are very attractive.

Most of the local streets are front loaded and not very attractive, but this particular neighborhood is rear-loaded and quite attractive.

There are several apartment complexes and condominium apartments.

I do not think these glorified apartments sold as condominiums are a good idea. They have a single carport space and open parking. Why would you want to own your apartment?

As apartments go, the complexes in Westpark are very nice.

Above is the entrance to San Carlo.

San Mateo.

They have a variety of sizes and levels of quality.

Santa Rosa.

San Remo.

Santa Maria.

Not shown above are Villa Coronado, San Leon Villa, San Marco Villa, San Marino Villa, and San Paulo.

The original village of Westpark is aptly named “Westpark Village One.” It is the only sub-neighborhood in Westpark (that I could find) with its own identity.

There are not many trails through the neighborhoods of Westpark. it is surprising given the preponderance of them in other early neighborhoods. Westpark is much like other subdivisions of its era except that it has more parks.

Westpark Village One community center.

The park in Village One has all the amenities.

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The tot lot looks new.

The pool is large and popular.

The houses in Village One are unique and more varied than later villages. I found this home particularly unique. Notice the landscaping is part of the house itself.

The sub-neighborhoods have unique signage, but no name identity.

An area of higher density condos.

Another condominium complex.

Each of the Westpark identity signs is different.

Another view of the unique alley-loaded neighborhood.

This neighborhood stands is stark contrast to the garage dominated neighborhoods in Westpark.

The schools in Westpark are very highly rated.

The school facilities are first-rate.

One of two suburban plazas in Westpark is Westpark Plaza.

There are plenty of opportunities for entertainment.

The suburban plaza is vibrant and well designed.

The second suburban plaza is in the complex on Barranca Parkway. It is newly renovated, but it still hasn’t caught on with the community.

There is only office building in Westpark, and it is one of my favorites in Irvine. I used to commute past this building, and I was always impressed with its appearance.

What really gives Westpark its identity is its variety of parks.

San Marco Park.

San Leandro Park is adjacent to an elementary school.

The tot lots are newly renovated.

San Marino park has all the amenities.

The pool is popular with residents.

Santa Clara Park.

Santa Ynez Park.

Plaza Park is also near an elementary school.

Children at play.

Westpark is also home to a number of very large, beautiful homes.

Two Mercedes parked in the driveway: Hmmm…

I like this one.

If the house is big enough, even a 3-car garage doesn’t dominate the elevation.

Maybe the song should be Big Pink Houses…

Irvine’s Westpark is a large and varied community. There are many different nieghborhoods and many different housing products. The core of Westpark is a series of neighborhoods with very similar housing stock: a collection of little pink houses.

Irvine’s Westpark: a great place to live.

Well theres people and more people

What do they know know know

Go to work in some high rise

And vacation down at the gulf of mexico

Ohhh yeah

And theres winners, and theres losers

But they aint no big deal

cuz the simple man baby pays for the thrills,

The bills and the pills that kill

Chorus:

Oh but aint that america for you and me

Aint that america were someting to see baby

Aint that america, home of the free

Little pink houses for you and me

Oh but aint that america for you and me

Aint that america were someting to see baby

Aint that america, home of the free

Little pink houses for you and me

Little Pink Houses – John Mellencamp