Villa Park is known for large residential lots, custom homes and neighborhoods that developed from the area’s former citrus groves. While many areas of the city don’t have formal neighborhood names, a number of Villa Park’s residential tracts were originally marketed as named developments. Explore their builders, architecture, original home designs and history below.
Many of the names in this guide are historic tract or development names rather than official modern neighborhood designations. Some remain familiar locally, while others primarily survive in historical advertisements, development records and property documents.
How Villa Park’s Neighborhoods Developed
Much of present-day Villa Park developed in stages from citrus ranches and large agricultural parcels into residential subdivisions. The transformation accelerated during the 1960s and 1970s as builders converted former orchard land into large-lot residential tracts. Contemporary advertising shows that developers deliberately marketed half-acre lots, privacy, custom or semi-custom homes, hillside settings and even equestrian use—carrying elements of the area’s agricultural identity into the new residential city. By 1970, five builders were coordinating major projects in Villa Park, including Southpoint, Buena Vista Estates, Patrician Villa Park, Colony Ridge and La Veta Woods. Later projects such as La Veta Ranchos, Colony Orchard Homes and Villa Isles continued the transition toward residential buildout.
Learn more about the city’s development through our guides to Villa Park history, Villa Park citrus history, Villa Park street names, large residential lots and Villa Park Knowles.
Villa Park Neighborhood & Development Guide
- Cerro Villa Heights
- Martinique Court
- Gainsborough Homes
- Villas 15
- Buccola Homes
- Somerset
- Havenwood Farms
- Villa Park Estates
- Villa Isles
- Villa Park Orchards
- Patrician Homes of Villa Park
Cerro Villa Heights
Cerro Villa Heights can be considered one of the historic Villa Park district’s early planned citrus developments, although it began as an agricultural subdivision rather than a conventional residential tract. In 1920, the Jotham Bixby Co. marketed Valencia-orange acreage in Cerro Villa Heights north of Villa Park. Contemporary records place this development in the broader historic Villa Park district, so it should not be assumed that all of the original tract was within the boundaries of the city incorporated in 1962.
Parcels were sold to ranchers who built homes on properties of approximately 10 to 15 acres surrounded by orange groves. Over time, as happened throughout Villa Park, many of the larger agricultural parcels were sold and subdivided into residential properties, commonly ranging from about half an acre to an acre. This transition from citrus acreage to residential development is an important part of Villa Park’s history.
Martinique Court
Martinique Court is a 16-home luxury development built in 1999 near Lemon Street and Mesa Drive. The Heritage Communities development originally included four floor plans in one- and two-story designs ranging from approximately 4,200 to 5,600 square feet, with four to six bedrooms and multiple baths. The approximately 10-acre property was the last large single residential parcel of land left in Villa Park.
Notable History
Before the estate was divided into 16 homes, the property was owned by singer José Feliciano, a longtime Villa Park resident. Feliciano sang at Villa Park’s 25th anniversary celebration, was known locally for giving children full-size candy bars at Halloween, and kept dogs, chickens, ducks, goats and a pig on the property.
Gainsborough Homes
Gainsborough Homes is a U-shaped residential tract west of Center Drive along James Road, Fleet Road and Charter Road. Built in 1962–1963 by John Clark, the ranch-style homes were inspired by the work of architect Cliff May. These half-acre properties featured state-of-the-art amenities for the early 1960s, including whole-house AM-FM audio, two fireplaces, copper water and gas piping, sliding glass doors and GE custom kitchens.
Original living areas ranged up to approximately 3,850 square feet, with plans offering as many as six bedrooms, four baths and three-car garages. Prices originally started at $57,900 in 1962.
Villas 15
Villas 15 was the original marketing name for a 15-acre portion of Cerro Villa Heights along El Rito Drive and El Moro Way. Newspaper advertising from 1964 promoted the development with the phrase “Not just an address…it is a way of life.” The homes were designed to be individually distinctive on half-acre properties, with original prices starting at $49,000.
Historical advertisements described the development using the promotional language of the era, emphasizing its hillside setting and large residential lots. The Villas 15 name is useful today primarily as part of Villa Park’s development history.
Buccola Homes
In 1975, Buccola Homes developed a residential tract across from the Villa Park Town Center along Sherwood Circle, Little John Way and Robin Hood Circle. This is one of the areas of Villa Park with residential lots smaller than the half-acre properties common elsewhere in the city. The homes were designed by architects Earl G. Kaltenbach and Burton Romberger. See the Villa Park parcel and lot-size map.
The original houses ranged from approximately 2,800 to 3,900 square feet on lots of about 9,000 to 14,000 square feet. One- and two-story plans offered three to four bedrooms and three to four baths. Depending on the plan, original features included lanais, atriums, vaulted-beam ceilings, laundry rooms, wet bars, formal dining rooms, breakfast rooms, family rooms and large bedroom suites. Most plans included two fireplaces.
Somerset Homes
Somerset is a gated community along Larson Circle and Parker Circle. Built by G.L. Lewis Builders and designed by Ade Collie in 1979–1980, the development consists of 13 custom homes with architecture that can best be described as French Tudor, manor house or country chateau.
Original plans offered as many as five bedrooms along with family-game rooms, libraries, European-style upper-level garrets, banquet rooms and spacious living rooms. Individual properties have been updated or expanded over time, so current homes may differ substantially from their original plans.
Havenwood Farms
Havenwood Farms sits in an unusual section of Villa Park along Villa Vista Way and North Colorado Lane, where the city boundary extends north across Meats Avenue. Residents in this area travel through surrounding portions of Orange to reach much of the rest of Villa Park. The unusual boundary reflects debates over incorporation and city limits when Villa Park became a city.
Marketed as Havenwood Farms in 1978, the development includes 11 properties ranging from approximately half an acre to two acres on Villa Vista Way, along with several Villa Park homes on North Colorado Lane; other nearby homes are within Orange. Builders Sam Salkin and Gerald Yavitz originally constructed houses of approximately 3,300 to 4,200 square feet.
Original plans included features such as two fireplaces, wet bars and breakfast rooms, with variations offering three- or four-car garages, game rooms, wine cellars, walk-in storage and laundry rooms. Many homes have since been remodeled or expanded. See the Villa Park map and city history for more context on Villa Park’s boundaries.
Villa Park Estates
Villa Park Estates was developed by S.I.R. Developers, Inc. and consists of 16 homes on half-acre lots along Park Villa Lane and Park Villa Circle, off Villa Park Road and backing toward Santiago Creek. New-home prices in 1975 ranged from $90,000 to $103,000.
Original features included two fireplaces, walk-in pantries, spacious primary-suite bath areas, recreation rooms, separate utility rooms and three-car garages. Depending on the plan, additional features included sunken living rooms, vaulted ceilings, family-room wet bars and kitchen-to-patio pass-through windows. Exteriors combined wood, brick and stone siding with concrete driveways and enclosed front courtyards.
The development offered two principal architectural designs. Plan 1 included four bedrooms, three full baths, a large family room, living room, formal dining room, breakfast nook, second-level bonus room and three-car garage. View the original Villa Park Estates floor plan.
Villa Isles
Villa Isles is a 15-home development along Villa Isles Drive and Villa Isles Circle, built by Harry Gates in 1976 on former citrus land. The custom homes were constructed on approximately half- to three-quarter-acre lots, with original designs featuring brick or stone veneer, large second-story lofts with balconies and three wood-burning fireplaces.
Three original floor plans ranged from approximately 3,300 to 3,700 square feet. Period features included wet bars, exposed wood beams, tongue-and-groove ceilings, large bedroom suites, walk-in closets and distinctive bath designs. Individual homes have been remodeled over the decades, so current interiors and amenities may differ from the original plans.
Villa Park Orchards
Villa Park Orchards is both the name of a residential development and part of a much older local agricultural story. The residential neighborhood should not be confused with the Villa Park Orchards Association, the citrus organization established in 1912 that continues to operate.
The gated residential community sits across from the Villa Park Town Center along Arden Villa Drive, Hummingbird Circle, Morningstar Circle, Orange Blossom Circle, Sunkist Circle and Three Arches Circle. Built in 1993, the 32-home, 9.8-acre development was created by Valenti & Coelho, with architecture by Richardson, Nagy, Martin, Architects and design work by Raymond Salmi Associates.
Three original floor plans—the Crestmont, Barrington and Huntington—ranged from approximately 2,500 to 3,000 square feet. Depending on the plan, features included living and dining rooms, family rooms with fireplaces, breakfast nooks, atriums, primary retreats and first-floor dens. Architectural details included clay-tile roofs, solid-wood entry doors, sectional wood garage doors and wrought-iron rear fencing. Villa Park Orchards was established as a gated development with a homeowners association; prospective owners should verify current HOA requirements and fees.
The neighborhood occupies the site of Villa Park’s former Sunkist packing operation, connecting it directly to the city’s citrus and railroad history. The eventual reuse of the packing-house property became a hotly contested issue involving development density, proposed lot sizes, nearby residents, the cities of Villa Park and Orange and the Villa Park City Council. The final development reflected a compromise that allowed smaller residential lots than were typical elsewhere in Villa Park without reducing lot sizes as much as initially proposed. Learn more about this history on the Villa Park Knowles page.
Patrician Homes of Villa Park
Patrician-Butler was one of the builders active during Villa Park’s major residential-development period. Contemporary advertising shows Patrician Villa Park homes being marketed by 1969–1970 as large-lot residences with half-acre horse sites and prices beginning around $55,950. By 1973, Patrician-Butler was also marketing Patrician Homes of Villa Park in the Cerro Villa Heights area, with advertised prices ranging from $69,900 to $94,400. These period advertisements illustrate how builders used large lots and equestrian imagery to preserve a rural identity while former agricultural land was converted to housing.
Lots range from approximately half an acre to 1.25 acres on terraced, rural-style properties. Three original one-story floor plans offered at least 3,400 square feet of living space with four- and five-bedroom configurations and approximately 2.5 to four baths.
Original features included wet bars, two large wood-burning fireplaces, sunken tubs, walk-in closets, breakfast nooks, patio serving windows and spacious bedroom suites. Exterior materials included slumpstone, driftwood, padre masonry and other heavy textures characteristic of the period.
Notable Villa Park Builders
G.L. Lewis Builders
G.L. Lewis Builders constructed thousands of homes in Orange County and several hundred custom homes in Villa Park. Villa Park developments associated with the builder include Colony Orchard Homes, Colony Ridge, Colony Ridge Parkway and the gated Somerset community. G.L. Lewis also developed Crest de Ville across Cannon Street outside Villa Park and was himself a Villa Park resident for a time.
Other Historic Villa Park Developments
Historical newspaper advertising and development records show the conversion from groves to subdivisions in a fairly clear sequence. Villa 15 was being marketed by 1964 as a small custom-home development emphasizing privacy. By 1969–70, Patrician Villa Park was promoting half-acre horse sites, while a 1970 coordinated building effort included Southpoint, Buena Vista Estates, Patrician Villa Park, Colony Ridge and La Veta Woods. La Veta Ranchos followed in 1972, and Villa Isles was marketed in 1976 as the city moved closer to residential buildout. In 1970, five builders were reported working in a coordinated development effort that included Southpoint, Buena Vista Estates, Patrician Villa Park, Colony Ridge and La Veta Woods. Period advertisements also document La Veta Ranchos in 1972 with roughly 100-by-200-foot lots, Colony Orchard Homes in 1975 as a 25-home country-style development incorporating citrus, and Villa Isles in 1976 with homes of roughly 3,300 to 3,700 square feet. These advertisements are useful evidence of the deliberate transition from orchards to large-lot residential neighborhoods.
- Blueridge (1968)
- Bodinus Homes
- Brynmar Estates (1972)
- Buena Vista Estates (1970)
- Colony Crest (1974)
- Colony Orchard Homes (1975)
- Colony Ridge (1970)
- Colony Ridge Parkway
- Estates at Villa Park
- La Veta Ranchos (1972)
- La Veta Woods (1970)
- Old Lamplighter Estates
- Old Orchard (1962)
- Patrician Villa Park / Patrician-Butler (1970)
- Santiago Estates
- Southpoint (1970)
- Wynnfield Homes (1973)
Villa Park Neighborhood FAQ
Does Villa Park have official neighborhoods?
Many names used for areas of Villa Park originated as residential tract or development names rather than formally designated city neighborhoods. Some remain commonly recognized while others are primarily historical.
What are some neighborhoods and developments in Villa Park?
Named developments include Cerro Villa Heights, Martinique Court, Gainsborough Homes, Villas 15, Buccola Homes, Somerset, Havenwood Farms, Villa Park Estates, Villa Isles, Villa Park Orchards and Patrician Homes, along with a number of other historic residential tracts.
Why are Villa Park lots so large?
Much of Villa Park developed from citrus ranches and large agricultural parcels. Later residential planning and zoning preserved larger lots in many areas, helping create the low-density residential character associated with the city.
Are there gated communities in Villa Park?
Yes. Somerset and Villa Park Orchards are examples of gated residential developments within Villa Park.
What is Cerro Villa Heights?
Cerro Villa Heights originated in 1920 when the Jotham Bixby Co. subdivided approximately 250 acres for Valencia orange groves in the northeastern hills of the Villa Park district. Much of the land was later subdivided for residential use.
What is Villa Park Orchards?
Villa Park Orchards is a gated residential development built in 1993 on the former Villa Park citrus packing-house property. Its name also reflects the area’s connection to the separate Villa Park Orchards Association, established in 1912.
When were most Villa Park homes built?
Villa Park contains homes from multiple eras, but substantial residential development occurred during the 1960s and 1970s as former citrus and agricultural parcels were subdivided. Later infill developments were built on some remaining larger parcels.
Are Villa Park neighborhood names still used today?
Some development names remain recognizable locally, while others are mainly found in historical advertisements, tract records and older real-estate material.