rancho santa fe

In Rancho Santa Fe, some of America's costliest homes in jeopardy





By Roger Showley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

12:24 p.m. October 22, 2007

Fire-threatened Rancho Santa Fe, with some of the nation's most expensive homes, is a low-profile community that is home to high-profile sports figures, Hollywood stars and retired executives, plus families that love horses, trees and rural living.
An unincorporated area in San Diego County's North County of about 8,000 acres and 10,000 residents, it was carved out of the Rancho San Dieguito Mexican land grant in 1906 by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which planted some 3 million eucalyptus trees to be used for railroad ties.

Three years later, after officials realized the wood was too soft for ties, the company turned the property over to San Diego land developer Ed Fletcher to manage.

He had the Lake Hodges Dam built, providing water for the area, and set up the Santa Fe Land Improvement Co. to plan the community as an exclusive residential development. Prominent architects Richard Requa and Lilian Rice laid out a community plan in 1923 that featured winding roads, large estates and Spanish Colonial-style architecture.

A guest house called La Morada, renamed the Inn at Rancho Santa Fe in 1940, was situated at the center of the community, where residents gather daily at the local post office to collect their mail since house-to-house postal service is not provided.

Property owners approved a 50-page set of rules in 1927 called the "Rancho Santa Fe Covenant" that governs development within the 6,200 acres of "The Ranch." There are strict guidelines, enforced by a "art jury," that govern design, size and other features. Homesites range from 5,000 square feet to more than 30 acres but typically include two to four acres with citrus and avocado groves.

Early residents included singer Bing Crosby, who bought the historic Osuna ranch house in 1934 and proceeded to develop the nearby Del Mar Racetrack, and actors Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and his wife Mary Pickford, whose 2,800-acre holding became the Fairbanks Ranch community in the 1980s. The Fairbanks Country Club hosted equestrian events at the 1984 Olympic Games.

A Who's Who of wealth and influence would include Padres owner John Moores, corporate raider T. Boone Pickens and economist Arthur Laffer. Sports figures, such as Padres pitcher Trevor Hoffman, and golfer Phil Mickelson, have shared the Rancho Santa Fe 92067 ZIP code with singer-songwriter Jewel and the late Hollywood leading man Victor Mature.

The infamous also have lived in The Ranch, from ex-Rep. Randy Duke Cunningham, now serving a jail term for bribery, and 39 members of the Heaven's Gate religious cult who died in a mass suicide committed in a rented Rancho Santa Fe house in 1997.

The Rancho Santa Fe lifestyle doesn't come cheap. The median price for six single-family homes that sold recently was $2.5 million. Realtor.com reports that there are 28 properties currently on the market for $10 million or more.


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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rancho Santa Fe, California

Location of Rancho Santa Fe within San Diego County, California.
Coordinates: 33°1′26″N 117°12′0″W? / ?33.02389, -117.2
Country United States
State California
County San Diego
Area
- CDP 6.9 sq mi (17.8 km2)
- Land 6.8 sq mi (17.7 km2)
- Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 246 ft (75 m)
Population (2000)
- CDP 3,252
- Density 476/sq mi (183.8/km2)
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST) PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes 92067, 92091
Area code(s) 858
FIPS code 06-59584
GNIS feature ID 0247968
Rancho Santa Fe is an unincorporated census-designated place in San Diego County, California, United States. The population was 3,252 at the 2000 census. It is the highest income community in the United States with at least 2,500 households. The CDP is generally considered a bedroom community with one shopping center as well as several condominium developments and single family residential areas situated on uncommonly large lots.

Rancho Santa Fe has strict design restrictions. Many streets outside of the downtown area are lined with landscaping; on side streets the landscaping of individual properties provides ambient decor. Very few homes are visible from the road.

The downtown is centered around the intersection of Linea del Cielo/Paseo Delicias and La Granada/Via de Santa Fe. It is the site of offices of financial firms, restaurants, and small stores. A library and a school are also located here. Outside of this area, Rancho Santa Fe is exclusively residential except for a number of golf courses and country clubs.

According to the proposed boundaries of Rancho Santa Fe if it were to pass incorporation the median income within the community would decrease to a mere $155,000 which would drastically lower its ranking as one of the wealthiest areas in the nation.

Contents
1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Communities
4 Social history
5 Notable residents
6 References
7 External links



[edit] Geography
Rancho Santa Fe is located at 33°1′26″N, 117°12′0″W (33.023943, -117.200110)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 17.8 km2 (6.9 mi2). 17.7 km2 (6.8 mi2) of it is land and 0.2 km2 (0.1 mi2) of it (0.87%) is water.


[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 3,252 people, 1,204 households, and 947 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 183.8/km2 (476.2/mi2). There were 1,339 housing units at an average density of 75.7/km2 (196.1/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.33% White, 0.46% (15 people) African American, 0.15% (5 people) Native American, 2.77% Asian, 0.06% (2 people) Pacific Islander, 2.15% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.32% of the population.

There were 1,204 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.4% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 17.7% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was in excess of $200,000, as is the median income for a family. Males had a median income of over $100,000 versus $86,933 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $113,132. 3.5% of the population and 2.0% of families were below the poverty line. None under the age of 18 and 0.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.


[edit] Communities
The Covenant refers to the original planned community of Rancho Santa Fe. It includes the downtown area (see above), as planned by Lillian Rice, who also designed the library, civic center, elementary school, numerous private homes, and the only hotel within the Covenant, The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. Two large Spanish-style condominium complexes are also located in the Covenant's central area. The area offers some 45 miles of riding trails, available for use by Covenant residents, who take full advantage of these facilities as well as those availed of them by the Rancho Santa Fe Riding Club and Saddle Club. Aesthetics and architecture within the Covenant are protected by an Art Jury, a non-governmental organization which must approve any exterior alteration to any building, fence, sidewalk (although no sidewalks exist outside of the downtown area), or other structure. Other trademarks of Covenant life are typically large lots and winding roads with simplistic Spanish names (usually just a noun with its corresponding article or adjective; e.g. Las Planideras, La Noria, Lago Lindo). Many properties have sewer connections, but there also are septic tanks on individual properties, as well as above-ground power lines. The Covenant lacks street lights, sidewalks, and traffic lights, as well as at-home mail delivery (each Rancho property-owner is assigned a post office box reflecting the original developers' goals of security and privacy. Despite what many would regard as drawbacks, properties in The Covenant, especially on the north side thereof, are higher-valued than corresponding properties elsewhere in Rancho Santa Fe, though this is likely the result of Covenant rules that prohibit the downsizing of lots to below 1 acre. The Covenant is bordered on the north by Escondido Creek, on the south by the San Dieguito River, on the east by Camino del Norte, and on the west by El Camino Real.
Horsemans Valley, a gated community and small but close-knit community adjacent to San Dieguito Park.
Rancho Cielo, a gated community east of the Covenant and bordered by Escondido.
Morgan Run, a golf course community surrounded by the Morgan Run Golf Course in the southern portion of Rancho Santa Fe. Homes here vary from apartments, to condominiums, to small single family homes typically not exceeding values of $1 million.
Fairbanks Ranch, Hacienda Santa Fe, The Summit, Del Rayo, The Bridges, The River Estates.

[edit] Social history
Rancho Santa Fe has its origins as Rancho San Dieguito, a Mexican land grant made during 1836�1845 to Juan María Marrón (the first mayor or alcalde of the San Diego area). In 1906 it was sold to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company, which renamed it after the second transcontinental railroad to reach California. The Railway planted extensive groves of eucalyptus trees in the hope of having a near-inexhaustible supply of raw material for the railway ties they needed to expand in the Western American market. Eucalyptus wood, however, proved too soft, splitting when the spikes were hammered into it. One Sydney Nelson, about whom little else is known, helped finance the purchase of the ten square mile plot, as well as the construction of a golf course (today the main course of the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club). Nelson also drew up rudimentary community plans.

Rancho Santa Fe gained popularity between World War I and World War II, finding special focus following the construction of the Del Mar Racetrack. Bing Crosby is credited as an "early settler", hosting annual clambakes on the golf course at the Club. The present-day luxury tract home development "The Crosby Estates" stands on the site of his former estate.

In addition to many notable Hollywood figures (Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford) who played important roles in the founding and popularization of the resort town, Rancho Santa Fe has been the scene for a good deal of San Diego County's high social dramas. For example, the former mayoress of neighboring Del Mar, Nancy Hoover, left her husband and home in 1983 and moved in with Rancho resident J. David Dominelli, who proceeded to defraud dozens of locals in foreign currency scams. In 1992, the family of alleged CIA operative Ian Spiro were found shot to death inside their Covenant home;Spiro was found behind the wheel of his SUV in the Mojave desert a few days later, having died of cyanide poisoning. The case was declared a murder-suicide, but some profess doubts. In March 1997 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult, whose leaders preached that suicide would allow them to leave their bodily "containers" and enter an alien spacecraft hidden behind Comet Hale-Bopp, committed mass suicide in a house at 18241 Colina Norte.[1] Due to the publicity surrounding the case, the street is now called Paseo Victoria.[2]

Rancho Santa Fe is in the 50th congressional district. Their representative, Randy Duke Cunningham resigned from the House on 28 November 2005 after pleading guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud, and tax evasion for underreporting his income in 2004. He was replaced by Brian Bilbray in the 2006 elections, who beat out Democrat Francine Busby.

Rancho Santa Fe has one Catholic Church, the Church of the Nativity, founded in 1985.[3] The Village Church, a Presbyterian Church, was founded in 1956 and is located just east of the Village.[4]

The public library in Rancho Santa Fe is a branch of the San Diego County Library system,[5] and is open to all California residents. The Rancho Santa Fe Library Guild owns the building and land that house the Rancho Santa Fe Library, as well as providing the staff for the children's room.

The Rancho Santa Fe Golf & Tennis Club extends on-approval membership to all Covenant residents, with some exceptions. The notoriously strict policies of the Club include the denial of membership to residents of the condominiums constructed in the Village during the 1970s. The Club board's dislike of the condominium complexes extends to the blackballing of any current member who moves into one. Such strict regulations are not restricted to residency; they also apply to behavior on (and off) Club grounds.


[edit] Notable residents
Rick Aguilera, former baseball player [6]
Douglas Barnhart, primary contractor of Petco Park [7]
Glen Bell, founder of the Taco Bell chain of restaurants [7]
Clair Burgener, local politician [8]
Joseph Coors, of the Coors brewery family [7]
Randy "Duke" Cunningham, embattled former Congressman [9]
Tom DeLonge, guitarist and vocalist of the bands blink-182, Box Car Racer, and Angels and Airwaves; owner of Macbeth Footwear [10]
Sidney Frank, liquor promotions billionaire [11]
Brian Giles, San Diego Padres Right fielder
Trevor Hoffman San Diego Padres Pitcher
Jewel, singer-songwriter [12]
Gary Kremen, founder of match.com and sex.com [13]
Steve Kerr, Former NBA player, General Manager and President of the Phoenix Suns.
Joan Kroc, philanthropist and widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc [14]
Arthur Laffer, Reaganomics collaborator and coiner of the term "voodoo economics" [7]
Jim Lampley, sports commentator [15]
Mark Loretta, baseball player [16]
Victor Mature, American leading man [17]
Phil Mickelson, professional golfer [18]
John Moores, philanthropist, owner of the San Diego Padres and a regent of the University of California [19]
Juice Newton, singer [20]
Pete Rozelle, former commissioner of the NFL [21][22]
C. Arnholt Smith, scandal-plagued tycoon and wife Helen Alvarez Smith [7]
David Wells, Los Angeles Dodgers and former San Diego Padres pitcher [23]
Shaun White, Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding, professional snowboarder and skateboarder
Jack Ford, Son of President Gerald Ford, former candidate for California State Controller
Walter J. Zable, Chairman of Cubic Corp
Kim Fletcher, Former Chairman of Home Federal Savings and Loan, Del Mar Fairboard Member
Karolyn Dorsee, Famed Republican Fundraiser for notables such as President Ford, Governor Pete Wilson & Governor Schwarzenegger
Gene Ray, Founder of Titan
Doug Pardee, Owner, Pardee Homes
T. Boone Pickens, Corporate Raider

[edit] References