The History Behind the
Name Ladera Ranch

The word “Ladera” means “hillside” in Spanish. When picking a name for the new development, the builders wanted something evoking the stunning rolling hills landscape. They called it “Ladera Ranch” to give it a name that explained the sloping nature of the planned community.

Ironically, however, this name extends even deeper. Before its existence as Ladera Ranch, the area was part of Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores – a legendary 93,000-acre Mexican land grant. In the 1830s, Governor Jose Figueroa gave the grant to Jose Andres Sepulveda, a military man and rancher from Los Angeles.

Sepulveda established Rancho Santa Margarita, transforming the land into a thriving cattle ranch. The hilly, rocky terrain now part of Ladera Ranch was ideal pasture for his herds. Adobe houses dotted the land while irrigation ditches from creeks watered the farms.
After the Mexican-American War, the ranch came under American control, passing through multiple owners till the Mission Land company acquired it in the 1960s. Mission Land had ambitious plans to develop the ranch land into a master-planned community.

The couple settled on “Rancho Margarita”, with the given in mind of its ranching heritage. That was taken, however, so they returned to “Ladera Ranch”, truly reflecting the Spanish and Mexican heritage of the community while accurately describing its hilly canyon landscape.
The mention of Ladera Ranch throws so many things into the mind, not only concerning a glorious ranching past for the community but also concerning its roots in the Spanish and Mexican traditions. The land grant, rancho lifestyle, and heritage of the early Mexican ranch hands are all part of Ladera Ranch’s story. Though much has changed since those rancho days, remnants of the past remain.

Portions of the original adobe ranch house built by Sepulveda still stand today. Road names such as Calle Avanzado, Camino Capistrano, and Via Las Brisas speak to the community’s Spanish and Mexican roots. And of course, “Ladera Ranch” brings to mind longhorns roaming rolling hills – a metaphor for the ranching past that carved out the earth and ultimately spurred its naming.

So the next time you pass by one of the street signs in Ladera Ranch or drive through the community, think of Jose Sepulveda and his vaqueros working to herd cattle across those same leaders, or hillsides, nearly 200 years ago. The name is a fitting tribute to the land’s history of Spanish ranches, Mexican land grants, and the rugged, sloping hills that remain largely unchanged to this day. It serves as a reminder of Ladera Ranch’s cultural heritage and deep connection to the past, even as the community looks toward an exciting future. The history behind the name truly encapsulates Ladera Ranch’s identity, combining remembrance of its ranching roots with pride in its Spanish and Mexican origins.