Rancho Santa Fe is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in
San Diego County, California
San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...
, United States, within the
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
metropolitan area. The population was 3,156 at the
2020 census. The CDP is primarily residential with a few shopping blocks, a middle and elementary school, and several restaurants.
Rancho Santa Fe borders the
Fairbanks Ranch gated community to the southeast,
Solana Beach
Solana Beach (''Solana'', Spanish for "sunny side") is a beach city in San Diego County, California, on the South Coast. Its population was at 12,940 at the 2020 U.S. census, up from 12,867 at the 2010 census.
History
The area was first set ...
to the southwest, and
Encinitas
Encinitas (Spanish language, Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. Located in Southern California, it is approximately north of San Di ...
to the west.
History
In 1841,
Rancho San Dieguito, as it was originally named, was a
Mexican land grant of from Governor
Pío Pico
Don (honorific), Don Pío de Jesús Pico IV (May 5, 1801 – September 11, 1894) was a California politician, ranchero, and entrepreneur, famous for serving as the List of governors of California before 1850, last governor of Alta California und ...
of
Alta California
Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
to Juan Maria Osuna, the first ''alcalde'' (mayor) of the
Pueblo of San Diego.
In 1906, the Santa Fe Railway, a subsidiary of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, purchased the entire land grant to plant a
Blue gum eucalyptus (''Eucalyptus globulus'') tree plantation for use as railroad ties, but the wood proved too soft to hold railroad spikes. The railroad then formed the Santa Fe Land Improvement Company to develop a planned community of country estates, and developed from the original Rancho San Dieguito land grant were renamed "Rancho Santa Fe" in 1922.
In 1921, architect
Lilian Rice, working under
Requa and Jackson, was chosen to develop the community's master plan. Rice worked through to 1927, designing, supervising, and constructing the village center, as well as several homes.
The basics of the original Lilian Rice land plan are in effect to this day, and the resulting low density high green space community is unique in Southern California.
In 1923, the Santa Fe Land Company constructed a guest house called "La Morada" to house potential land purchasers. It was renamed in 1941, as "The Inn", when it was purchased by a private owner.
From 1937 to 1947,
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
hosted a golf tournament known as the "Bing Crosby Clambake" at the Rancho Santa Fe Country Club. Crosby's golf tournaments, which included Hollywood celebrities matched against professionals, drew great crowds to the area. After 1947, the tournament was moved to the
Monterey Peninsula
The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, California, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, California, P ...
, not far from San Francisco.
In 1989, "The Covenant" of Rancho Santa Fe was registered as
California Historical Landmark
A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance.
Criteria
Historical significance is determined by meetin ...
#982 for its status as a historic planned community.
In 1996, the religious cult
Heaven's Gate began renting a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe which, in March 1997, became the site of the group's mass suicide.
In 2007, the
Witch Fire caused significant damage to Rancho Santa Fe, damaging or destroying over 80 homes.
Geography
Rancho Santa Fe is located at (33.023943, -117.200110).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of . of it is land and of it (1.07%) is water.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Rancho Santa Fe has a
warm-summer Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...
, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.
The climate of Rancho Santa Fe is, for the most part, typical of the San Diego metropolitan area though its higher elevation and inland location lends itself to larger temperature variations.
Demographics
Rancho Santa Fe first appeared as a
census designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in the
2000 U.S. Census.
[
]
2020
The 2020 United States census reported that Rancho Santa Fe had a population of 3,156. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rancho Santa Fe was 83.4% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.9% African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.2% Native American, 5.0% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 2.1% from other races, and 8.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.3% of the population.
The whole population lived in households. There were 1,194 households, out of which 27.3% included children under the age of 18, 66.4% were married-couple households, 2.8% were cohabiting
Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become incr ...
couple households, 19.8% had a female householder with no partner present, and 11.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.4% of households were one person, and 12.2% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.64.[ There were 933 ]families
Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...
(78.1% of all households).
The age distribution was 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% aged 18 to 24, 10.6% aged 25 to 44, 32.3% aged 45 to 64, and 29.6% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 52.8years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males.[
There were 1,390 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,194 (85.9%) were occupied. Of these, 88.4% were owner-occupied, and 11.6% were occupied by renters.][
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $236,429, and the ]per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
was $117,279. About 0.0% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010
At the 2010 census Rancho Santa Fe had a population of 3,117. The population density was . The racial makeup of Rancho Santa Fe was 2,910 (93.4%) White, 10 (0.3%) African American, 1 (0.0%) Native American, 87 (2.8%) Asian, 4 (0.1%) Pacific Islander, 45 (1.4%) from other races, and 60 (1.9%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 176 people (5.6%).
The whole population lived in households, no one lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and no one was institutionalized.
There were 1,195 households, 364 (30.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 848 (71.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 62 (5.2%) had a female householder with no husband present, 33 (2.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 23 (1.9%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 9 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 213 households (17.8%) were one person and 124 (10.4%) had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.61. There were 943 families (78.9% of households); the average family size was 2.93.
The age distribution was 724 people (23.2%) under the age of 18, 142 people (4.6%) aged 18 to 24, 332 people (10.7%) aged 25 to 44, 1,178 people (37.8%) aged 45 to 64, and 741 people (23.8%) who were 65 or older. The median age was 51.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
There were 1,391 housing units at an average density of 204.9 per square mile, of the occupied units 1,010 (84.5%) were owner-occupied and 185 (15.5%) were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 12.3%. 2,674 people (85.8% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 443 people (14.2%) lived in rental housing units.
The median household income was $188,859. Males had a median income of over $153,512 versus $71,667 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $125,367. 3.2% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line. 2.3% under the age of 18 and 9.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Politics
Rancho Santa Fe is a stronghold of the Republican Party in San Diego County. In the 2008 Presidential Election, its voters chose John McCain
John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
over Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
with 66.61%, significantly higher than the county-wide average of 43.79%. The community approved of California Proposition 8
Proposition 8, known informally as Prop 8, was a California ballot proposition and a state constitutional amendment intended to ban same-sex marriage. It passed in the November 2008 California state elections and was later overturned by the ...
with 57.57%, while Proposition 4 passed with 53.06% of the vote.
In the California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
, Rancho Santa Fe is in , and in .
In the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
, Rancho Santa Fe is located in California's 50th congressional district
California's 50th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California, and encompasses parts of the Mid-Coast and northeastern parts of San Diego County. Scott Peters (politician), Scott Peters is currently the U ...
, which has a Cook PVI of D+14 and is represented by .
Education
Rancho Santa Fe is serviced by the following school districts:
* Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School District
* Solana Beach School District (Pre-K through Grade 6)
*San Dieguito Union High School District
San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) is a public school district based in northern San Diego County, California. Established in 1936, the district serves over 13,000 students in five middle schools, five comprehensive high schools, ...
(Grade 7 through Grade 12)
The public library in Rancho Santa Fe is a branch of the San Diego County Library system, 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.
Notable residents
* Warren Barton, former English football player
*Bud Black
Harry Ralston "Bud" Black (born June 30, 1957) is an American professional baseball manager and pitcher who most recently served as manager of the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 1981 through 1995, most not ...
, manager of Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...
, major league pitcher from 1981 to 1995, manager of San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
2007–2015
*Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is sec ...
, NFL quarterback
The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...
, lived in Rancho Santa Fe between 2003 and 2012
* Tom Chino, farmer
* John H. Cox, businessman and politician
* Jenny Craig, founder of Jenny Craig Inc.
* Steve Finley, former major league baseball player
*Taylor Fritz
Taylor Harry Fritz (born October 28, 1997) is an American professional tennis player. He has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved on November 18, 2024, and a doubles ranking of ...
, professional tennis player
*Bill Gates
William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend ...
, entrepreneur, software executive, philanthropist and former chairman of Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company, technology conglomerate headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Founded in 1975, the company became influential in the History of personal computers#The ear ...
* Jonathan Goldsmith, actor
* Gordon Hayward
Gordon Daniel Hayward (born March 23, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Oklahoma City Thunder.
...
, professional basketball player, lived in Rancho Santa Fe between 2015 and 2020
* Charley Hoffman, professional golfer, San Diego native
* Trevor Hoffman, former professional baseball player
* Robert Herring owner of Herring Networks
* Kyle Hurt, professional baseball player
* Travis Lee
Travis Reynolds Lee (born May 26, 1975) is an American former professional first baseman and outfielder who played in Major League Baseball.
Amateur career
Lee graduated from Capital High School in Olympia, Washington in 1993, where he also ...
, former professional baseball player
* Quentin Jammer, former professional football player
*Jelena Janković
Jelena Janković ( sr-Cyrl, Јелена Јанковић, ; born 28 February 1985) is a Serbian former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the W ...
, Serbian professional tennis player
*Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Anthony Leonard ( ; born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A two-time NBA champion, he is a six-time NBA All-Star, All-Star and a six- ...
, professional basketball player
*Mike Love
Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who is one of the vocalists of the Beach Boys, of which he was an original member alongside his cousins Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson and their frien ...
, Beach Boys singer and songwriter
* Jamie Lovemark, professional golfer
*Phil Mickelson
Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970) is an American professional golfer who currently plays in the LIV Golf League. He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, including six Men's major golf championships, major championships: three Masters ...
, professional golfer
* John Moores, philanthropist, former owner of San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
, former regent of University of California
*Bill Murray
William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murra ...
, actor
* Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran
*Philip Rivers
Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the ...
, professional football player
*Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (, ; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician who was the original lead guitarist, occasional lead vocalist and founding member of the rock band Kiss (band), Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. ...
, former Kiss
A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
guitarist
*Andrew Viterbi
Andrew James Viterbi (born Andrea Giacomo Viterbi, March 9, 1935) is an electrical engineer and businessman who co-founded Qualcomm Inc. and invented the Viterbi algorithm. He is the Presidential Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering at th ...
, Communication engineer, Qualcomm founder
* CoCo Vandeweghe, women's tennis player.
* Troy Polamalu, former professional football player
*Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
, former professional body builder, actor and governor of California (vacation home)
* Richard Simmons, actor and weight loss guru
*Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...
, professional golfer (vacation home)
Notable former residents
* Jackson D. Arnold, retired Admiral, USN
* Shannon Storms Beador, cast member on '' The Real Housewives of Orange County''
* Glen Bell, founder of Taco Bell
Taco Bell Corp. is an American multinational chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired ...
* Clair Burgener, former congressman
*Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...
, actor, singer
* Sidney Frank, liquor promotions billionaire
*Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman (born December 4, 1944) is an American musician. He was the original bassist of the Byrds. With frequent collaborator Gram Parsons, Hillman was a key figure in the development of country rock, defining the genre through his w ...
, of ''The Hillmen, The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
,'' The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band f ...
, Manassas, The Desert Rose Band, and many other projects and groups.
*Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...
, business magnate, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, film maker and philanthropist
* Joan Kroc, philanthropist and widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc
Raymond Albert Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984) was an American businessman who was instrumental in turning McDonald's into the most successful global fast food corporation by revenue. He purchased it from the McDonald Brothers in ...
*George J. Lewis
George J. Lewis (December 10, 1903December 8, 1995) was a Mexican-born actor who appeared in many films and eventually TV series from the 1920s through the 1960s, usually specializing in westerns. He is probably best known for playing Don Aleja ...
, actor, best known for playing Don Alejandro de la Vega in the 1950s television series Zorro
Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...
*Victor Mature
Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include '' One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darli ...
, stage, film and television actor
*Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...
, stage, film, television, recording artist
* Lilian Jennette Rice, early 20th-century architect, designed The Inn and civic center of Rancho Santa Fe, plus homes that hold a historic designation[
*]Pete Rozelle
Alvin Ray "Pete" Rozelle (; March 1, 1926 – December 6, 1996) was an American professional football executive. Rozelle served as the commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) for nearly thirty years, from January 1960 until his retire ...
, former commissioner of the NFL
*Milburn Stone
Hugh Milburn Stone (July 5, 1904 – June 12, 1980) was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" (Dr. Galen Adams) on the Western (genre), Western series ''Gunsmoke''.
Early life
Stone was born in Burrton, Kansas, to Herbert Stone an ...
, actor, "Doc Adams" on the TV series Gunsmoke
''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
*John Paxton, actor
*Bill Paxton
William Paxton (May 17, 1955 – February 25, 2017) was an American actor, filmmaker and musician. A versatile character actor known for his distinctive Texan drawl and everyman screen persona, he was a four-time Golden Globe Award and a Prime ...
, actor
*Preston M. Fleet, WD-40, Reuben H Fleet Science Center and Planetarium, IMAX/Omni Max Hearst Castle.
References
{{authority control
Census-designated places in San Diego County, California
North County (San Diego County)
Census-designated places in California