Saddleback Valley refers to the flat and foothill areas west-southwest of the Saddleback double peak of the

Santa Ana Mountains The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside c ...

and east-northeast of the hilly Crystal Cove State Park in southern

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...

. The region primarily encompasses the cities of

Mission Viejo Mission Viejo ( ; corruption of ''Misión Vieja'', Spanish for "Old Mission") is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities eve ...

, Lake Forest, and

Rancho Santa Margarita :''This article refers to the San Luis Obispo County, California, land grant. For the city of Rancho Santa Margarita, see Rancho Santa Margarita, California'' Rancho Santa Margarita was a Mexican land grant in the Santa Lucia Mountains, in ...

, as well as the communities of Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch. The cities of Aliso Viejo,

Laguna Woods Laguna Woods (''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 16,192 at the 2010 census, down from 16,507 at the 2000 census, with a median age of 78. Laguna Woods became Orange Count ...

Laguna Hills Laguna Hills (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in south Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Lagun ...

, and

Laguna Niguel Laguna Niguel () is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The name Laguna Niguel is derived from the words "Laguna" (Spanish for "lagoon") and "Niguili" (the name of a Native American village once located near Aliso Creek). As of ...

, as well as some of Orange County's eastern canyon communities, partially reside within the valley. The southeastern portion of Irvine also encroaches upon the area, but the two are not typically associated with each other. The cityscape within Saddleback Valley is suburban, a remote reach of the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino C ...

. The area is recently developed and on the outskirts of the

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

megalopolis A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enoug ...

, so wildlife sightings are more common.

Snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

s, coyotes, and

mountain lion The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. ...

s have long inhabited the area. Mountain lion attacks on people have happened in the outlying wilderness parks of Saddleback Valley, but they are very rare.

Cultural impact

The identity of Saddleback Valley has proven to be of importance throughout the history of major civilizations in the area. Many businesses, schools, places, and other entities in the region have "Saddleback" or "Saddleback Valley" incorporated into their names.

Saddleback Church Saddleback Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America ...

, one of the largest megachurches in the world, is based in Lake Forest.

Saddleback College Saddleback College (Saddleback) is a public community college in Mission Viejo, California. It is part of the California Community College system and awards over 300 associate degrees, academic certificates, and occupational skills awards in 1 ...

is located in Mission Viejo and bears the name of the region, as well as an illustration of the Saddleback mountains as their logo.

Saddleback Valley Unified School District Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) is a public school district in South Orange County, California. It includes 23 elementary schools, four intermediate schools, four comprehensive high schools, and four alternative schools. It se ...

, as its name suggests, serves much of the valley with public elementary, intermediate, and high schools. Several small businesses in the area have also included Saddleback in their names and branding.

Gallery

Saddleback From Laguna Niguel.jpg, Saddleback Valley viewed from the hills of Laguna Niguel Saddleback from RSM.JPG, Saddleback Mountain from Rancho Santa Margarita Snow on Saddleback (2008) 02.JPG, Snow on Saddleback Mountain in 2008 viewed from Mission Viejo Laguna Niguel and Saddleback.JPG, Saddleback Valley as seen from Laguna Niguel

References

{{California Valleys of Orange County, California Valleys of California