Mission Viejo Apartments and Rentals

The vision for Mission Viejo began with a blueprint, and as the first city in the nation built according to a master plan, Mission Viejo is a success story for organized community development. A 1963 study correctly predicted that urbanization would spread south from the Los Angeles area, and the Mission Viejo Company sold its first properties in 1966. Since then, the addition of landmarks such as Saddleback Community College and Lake Mission Viejo has increased the demand for Mission Viejo apartments for rent, and more than 100,000 people now call Mission Viejo home.

Lake Mission Viejo, a man-made lake in the center of the city, is a popular location for year-round outdoor recreation in Southern California's sunny climate. Open only to member residents, the lake offers a private, relaxed setting for activities such as boating, fishing and swimming. Two member beaches and a handful of private beaches boast volleyball courts, picnic areas and horseshoe pits.

Mission Viejo provides some of the best shopping in Southern California, and the Kaleidoscope Courtyards include three stories of shops and restaurants in an open courtyard setting, with live music on weekend nights. The Shops at Mission Viejo, conveniently located just off of Interstate 5, is a showcase mall with an impressive array of boutiques and department stores.

The Saddleback Valley Unified School District and Capistrano Unified School District provide services to Mission Viejo public schools, and operate 4 high schools that serve Mission Viejo residents. The community college of Saddleback College is a popular choice for all Orange County students seeking higher education, and is known for providing more than 300 associates degrees in 190 programs. It ranks first in transfers to popular schools such as UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Riverside, and hosts workshops, tours and college fairs throughout the year to prepare students for success at four-year universities.

Mission Viejo is home to a diverse mix of businesses, and top employers in the city include Saddleback College, Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center, Unisys Corporation and Quest Diagnostics, Inc. Headquarters of the popular chain restaurant Marie Callender's are also located in Mission Viejo.

The high cost of housing in Orange County has increased the demand for rental properties in Mission Viejo, and rental occupancy has increased in 27 out of 34 Orange County cities. Due to high occupancy rates, rental rates have increased as well, making the average rent at a large complex in Orange County $1,494. Congestion on Orange County freeways is nothing new to Southern California residents, and people who are employed by industries headquartered in Mission Viejo are now turning to rentals in Mission Viejo as a solution to the inconvenience of long commutes. This also will entice young people to relocate in Mission Viejo, and help to reverse the trend of younger professionals relocating to the Inland Empire to find affordable housing. According to city-data.com, the median gross rent in 20098 was $1,710.

The unique Italian tradition of street painting as performance art lives on in Mission Viejo, and the Annual Street Painting Festival of the Arts draws participants from all over the world. Pastel chalk blends with asphalt to create stunning creations that capture the transformation of the ordinary streets into extraordinary works of art.

The Mission Viejo Annual Street Faire and Fireworks Spectacular is a family-oriented community event that provides games, food and craft booths in the downtown district. The Fourth of July extravaganza concludes with a fireworks display.

If you are looking for an apartment for rent or a house rental in Mission Viejo, Calif., search for rental properties at Rent.com®.