Rancho San Rafael

Rancho San Rafael is a mostly planned community that stretches out to the east of Highway 2 on the northern end of Glendale. It is a hillside community made up of newer two-story Mission Styles homes regularly designed and spaced. (I would actually say that they are a bit too regular—to the point that you might accidentally come home from work and find someone else’s family in your living room if not for the numbering.) The homes—red clay tiles, tan stucco walls, big bright windows--are very nice, the streets clean, the lawns—with palms and willows and pines creating the slightest of variations—well-maintained. If you don’t mind the uniformity of architecture, this is definitely a great place to live. It has that gated community feel that you often have to head to Orange County for—without the gate or the flatness of course.

Of course, other than Highway 2, there is nothing else here. To go to the park, you have to jump on the highway and go north or south. To get some groceries—the highway. To get your kids to school—its back to the car. In other words, it’s really just you and your neighbors here. You are only about fifteen minutes drive from Montrose or northern Glendale, but that can really add up round trip. If you don’t mind this –then you’ll love it here.