|
THE
HISTORY
Although
not a fledged city for too many years, Mission
Viejo is steeped in a tradition that dates back
to the vanishing days of men on horses driving
cattle.
Nearly
25 years ago, the Mission Viejo Co. bought a 10,000-acre
section of Rancho Mission Viejo from the O'Neill
family, which once owned much of the land from
Oceanside to El Toro.
The
company would create a master plan for a community,
specifying the number of parks, homes, recreational
activities and retail spaces.
The
rolling hills of the valley, home to a sea of
grazing cattle, soon would also become home to
seekers of "The California Promise."
The
vision for the community began in 1963 with a
planners blueprint. The general development plan
wound its way through the maze of county permits
and by 1966 the first homes were sold, according
to the Mission Viejo Co.
Fewer
than a handful of changes - among them the additions
of Saddleback College and lake Mission Viejo -
have been made to that initial plan.
Currently,
over 96,000 people call Mission Viejo home.
Through
it all there has been the powerful guiding hand
of the Mission Viejo Co. The company not only
laid the groundwork for a planned city, but also
helped to develop community activities and created
a Mission Viejo identity.
The
company was a major sponsor of floats in the Rose
Parade, Fourth of July displays at Lake Mission
Viejo, St. Patrick's Day parades and the internationally
recognized Nadadores swim team.
But
since Mission Viejo became a city on March 31,
1988, the company has begun withdrawing its heavy
financial support of community activities. And
with Mission Viejo development nearly completed,
the company has begun looking across the San Diejo
(I-5) Freeway to nurture its new planned community
of Mission Viejo.
In
1974, the community formed a Municipal Advisory
Council to keep track of local issues and serve
as the eyes and ears of the County Board of Supervisors.
Eleven
years later, as county funds became scarcer, the
county prompted the community to form a service
district which would be able to apply to the state
for funds to help pay for services such as roads
and parks.
|
