Easthill, Coto de Caza

When we lived in Coto de Caza we befriended the realtor who sold us out house. He and his wife had lived up near the center of Coto for a number of years in a large two story house on Easthill. Coto was, essentially, developed around two large championship golf courses and some of the equestrian ranches that existed before houses. Their home on Easthill is closer to the newer developments in the south part of Coto.

Built on a hill, the neighborhood’s streets are probably not ideal for small kids on tricycles, but it does make for a very beautiful and quiet setting. The houses and the lots are big so, the homes have the room for a lot of self-contained fun like full-sized swimming pools and backyard playgrounds set among large, leafy trees.

Being near the center of things, they have quick access to the country club, the dog park, the wooded trails, the general store and both the north and south gates. We often dined with them at restaurants located just outside the north gate in Rancho Santa Margarita and Dove Canyon. When we lived in Coto, there wasn’t a whole lot of shopping action, but that has been rectified with the development of the El Paseo Shopping complex.

He is lucky enough to work inside the gates of Coto. When I lived there about 13 years ago, they had just finished the 241 Toll Road, accessed a few miles outside of either gate, which made my commute to Irvine a breeze.