Where to Live in Irvine: A Guide to All 20+ Villages
Megan Varga Group | August 24, 2026
Megan Varga Group | August 24, 2026
Irvine is made up of about thirty villages. Each one was planned and built in its own phase, from the 1960s to today. Each has its own HOA, its own school assignments, and in many cases its own special taxes. When you choose a village, you are choosing all of these at once. This guide lists every village, grouped by when it was built, with the special taxes and the assigned high school for each.
The established villages, such as Turtle Rock, University Park, Woodbridge, and El Camino Real, have older homes and no special taxes. The newer villages, such as the Great Park Neighborhoods, Portola Springs, Cypress Village, and Eastwood, have newer homes and usually pay Mello-Roos. Turtle Ridge and Quail Hill were built in the 2000s and pay Mello-Roos as well.
Start with the four groups below. They are more useful than price for sorting the city, because the price ranges of the groups overlap.
For the other half of our market, our guide to the best neighborhoods in Newport Beach covers the coast. Our Orange County neighborhood pages show where each area is located. For current prices, sales, and days on market in Irvine, see our Irvine housing market report.
Tier key (Irvine scale): A = under $1M · B = $1M to $1.5M · C = $1.5M to $2.5M · D = $2.5M to $4M · E = $4M and up
This scale is only for Irvine. Our Newport Beach guide uses a different scale, because one scale for both cities would put most of Irvine in a single band.
Special taxes column: "IUSD CFD" is an Irvine Unified School District Mello-Roos district. "City CFD" is a City of Irvine Mello-Roos district. "AD" and "RAD" are City of Irvine assessment districts. Sources are the City of Irvine, Irvine Unified School District, and state records published by the Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector (checked November 2026). Districts can change from one tract to the next, so check the tax bill for any specific home.
High school column: assignments for the 2026–27 school year, checked against the IUSD school locator in November 2026. Check any specific address with the IUSD school locator.
Village | Era built | Home type | Special taxes | High school (2026–27) | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
University Park | 1965–75 | Detached and attached | None | University | A–C |
Turtle Rock | 1970s–80s | Detached, some attached | None | University | B–D |
Woodbridge | 1975–85 | Detached and attached, two lakes | None | Woodbridge | A–C |
Northwood | 1970s–90s | Detached and attached | None on older tracts. Some newer tracts: IUSD CFD 04-1 | Northwood | B–C |
El Camino Real | 1970s | Detached and attached | None | Irvine | A–C |
Deerfield | 1970s | Detached and attached | None | Irvine | B–C |
Culverdale | 1970s | Attached and detached | None | University | A–B |
Rancho San Joaquin | 1970s | Attached, golf course | None | University | A–B |
University Town Center | 1970s–80s | Attached | None | University | A–B |
Orangetree | 1980s | Attached | None | Woodbridge | A |
Westpark / Westpark II | 1980s–90s | Detached and attached | AD 94-15 (Westpark II) | Irvine or Woodbridge, by address | A–C |
Oak Creek | 1990s | Detached and attached, golf | AD 94-13 | Irvine or Woodbridge, by address | B–C |
Walnut Village / Northwest Irvine | 1990s | Detached and attached | AD 97-16 | Irvine | B–C |
Northwood Pointe | 1990s–2000s | Detached | Check the tax bill | Northwood | C–D |
Lower Peters Canyon | 1990s | Detached and attached | Check the tax bill | Tustin Unified, not IUSD | B–C |
West Irvine | Late 1990s–2000s | Detached | Check the tax bill | Tustin Unified, not IUSD | B–C |
Northpark / Northpark Square | 1999–2005 | Detached and attached, gated | Check the tax bill | Tustin Unified, not IUSD | B–D |
Quail Hill | 2002–06 | Detached and attached | IUSD CFD 01-1 and AD 00-18 | University | B–D |
Turtle Ridge | 2003–07 | Detached and attached, some gated | IUSD CFD 01-1 and AD 00-18 | University | C–E |
Shady Canyon | 2000s | Custom, guard-gated | IUSD CFD 01-1 and AD 00-18 | University | E |
Columbus Grove | 2005 and later | Detached and attached | City CFD 2005-2 | Irvine | B–C |
Woodbury / Woodbury East | 2005–10 | Detached and attached | IUSD CFD 04-2 (some tracts also IUSD CFD 09-1) and AD 03-19 | Portola. Irvine High for students entering 9th grade from fall 2028 | B–D |
Portola Springs | 2006 and later | Detached and attached | IUSD CFDs 06-1 and 09-1 (check which apply) and RAD 04-20 | Portola | B–D |
Stonegate / Stonegate East | 2007–14 | Detached and attached | IUSD CFD 09-1 and AD 07-22 | Northwood | B–D |
Laguna Altura | 2011 and later | Detached, gated | IUSD CFD 09-1 and AD 10-23 | University | C–D |
Cypress Village | 2013 and later | Detached and attached | IUSD CFD 09-1 and AD 11-24 | Irvine | B–C |
Orchard Hills | 2013 and later | Detached, including the guard-gated Groves | IUSD CFD 09-1 and RAD 05-21 | Northwood (IUSD parts of the village) | C–E |
Great Park Neighborhoods | 2013 and later | Detached and attached | City CFD 2013-3 | Portola | B–D |
Hidden Canyon | 2014 and later | Detached, guard-gated | IUSD CFD 09-1. City district: check the tax bill | University | D–E |
Eastwood | 2016 and later | Detached and attached | IUSD CFD 09-1 and AD 13-25 | Northwood | B–D |
Tiers reflect general sale ranges as of August 2026.
Irvine Unified has approved one change that affects buyers now. Starting in fall 2028, students in Woodbury, including Woodbury East, who are entering 9th grade will be assigned to Irvine High School instead of Portola High School. Students already at Portola High are not affected. A student whose older sibling attends Portola High in 2028–29 can still attend Portola (IUSD, checked November 2026). If you are buying in Woodbury with a child who will start high school in 2028 or later, plan on Irvine High.
IUSD also lists the assigned schools for newer developments, such as the Great Park neighborhoods, on its school boundaries and assignments page. Boundaries can change as new homes are built. Check the address with IUSD before you write an offer, and do not rely on a listing description for school assignments.
Irvine homes can have two kinds of special tax. Both are listed on the county property tax bill.
Mello-Roos districts (Community Facilities Districts, or CFDs) were created under a 1982 state law. In Irvine, most of them are run by Irvine Unified to pay for schools. The city has two in the villages in this table: CFD 2013-3 in the Great Park Neighborhoods and CFD 2005-2 in Columbus Grove. Each district has rules that set a maximum tax and how much it can increase each year. The Great Park tax can go up by as much as 2% a year. According to the city, part of it continues with no end date to pay for maintenance.
City assessment districts were formed under the 1913 and 1915 state acts. Each parcel was given a fixed share of the district's bonds, which the owner pays back in yearly installments until the bonds are repaid. State law allows an owner to pay off the remaining balance early.
Most villages built since 2000 have both. Turtle Ridge, Quail Hill, and Shady Canyon, for example, are in the city's Assessment District 00-18 and in IUSD's CFD 01-1. The established villages have neither. Our Irvine Mello-Roos guide explains both kinds of tax in more detail and shows how to check the taxes on a specific home.
Megan holds a Master's degree in Real Estate Development from USC. Special districts like these are one of the main ways new California communities pay for roads, schools, and parks. That is why this guide uses the city's and IUSD's own records instead of listing descriptions.
The established villages have no special taxes, and lots are often larger than in the newer villages. Many homes still have original kitchens, bathrooms, and systems, and the floor plans are older.
The newer villages have newer homes that need little work, along with parks and pools that are part of the community. Lots are usually smaller, and homes are closer together. Between Mello-Roos and HOA dues, the monthly cost is often higher than for an older home at the same price. Lenders count special taxes when they decide how much you can borrow, so the special taxes also lower the loan amount you qualify for.
Turtle Ridge and Quail Hill are popular with buyers who want homes built in the 2000s, assignment to University High, and access to canyons and trails.
Choose in this order. Pick the group first, then the high school, then the monthly cost with special taxes and dues included, and then the purchase price. A buyer who starts with a price filter on a listing site will end up touring very different homes in very different villages in the same afternoon.
Visit the villages you are considering on a weekday evening as well as on a weekend. Many Irvine villages are quiet during the day, and an evening visit shows more of what daily life there is like.
Be ready to move quickly when you find the right home. One family we worked with rented in the area first and then decided to buy. When the right house came up, they were competing against 26 other buyers, and they got it. That result came from being pre-approved, knowing the village well enough to recognize the right house as soon as it was listed, and writing terms that a seller could trust. You can see the range of homes we have sold across these villages in the Megan Varga Group portfolio.
If you already own in Irvine and want to know what a move would cost, start with a confidential home valuation before you shop.
The established villages built before about 1990: University Park, Turtle Rock, Woodbridge, El Camino Real, Deerfield, Culverdale, Rancho San Joaquin, University Town Center, Orangetree, and the older parts of Northwood. Oak Creek, Westpark II, and Walnut Village have a city assessment district but no Mello-Roos. Check the tax bill for any specific home, since districts can change from one tract to the next.
University High serves the southern villages, including Turtle Rock, University Park, Turtle Ridge, Quail Hill, and Shady Canyon. Northwood High serves Northwood, Stonegate, Orchard Hills, and Eastwood. Portola High serves Portola Springs, the Great Park Neighborhoods, and Woodbury until the fall 2028 change. Irvine High and Woodbridge High serve the central villages. Northpark, West Irvine, and Lower Peters Canyon are in Tustin Unified. The table above lists each village, and the IUSD school locator confirms any address.
Attached homes in the older villages, such as University Town Center, Rancho San Joaquin, Culverdale, Orangetree, and parts of Woodbridge and El Camino Real. These are generally the lowest-priced homes in the city, and they have no special taxes.
Turtle Rock if you want a mature neighborhood and no special taxes. Turtle Ridge if you want a home built in the 2000s, a gated enclave, or newer systems, and you are comfortable with Mello-Roos and an assessment. Both are assigned to University High. Our Turtle Ridge community guide covers each enclave.
It depends on the district, the tract, and the home. The only reliable figure is the current tax bill for that home. Look it up before you write an offer, and give the figure to your lender, since it counts toward the payment you qualify for.
They offer different things at different prices. Irvine has newer homes, master-planned villages, and Irvine Unified schools. Newport Beach has the coast and older homes, at higher prices on average. Our quarterly market reports give current median prices for each city.
Irvine has about thirty villages, five Irvine Unified comprehensive high schools, and a different special tax setup in almost every village built since the 1990s. That is a lot to sort through in the few weekends most buyers spend looking.
In general, the older villages have no special taxes, often have larger lots, and have homes that may need updating. The newer villages have finished homes and more amenities, and most pay special taxes. Neither is the right choice for everyone. The best choice depends on what matters most to your family.
If you are comparing two or three villages and want help deciding which one fits what you need, contact the Megan Varga Group. If you are selling, start with a home valuation.
Megan Varga Group's excellent reputation, integrity and loyal client base ensures you are working with professionals you can trust. Contact us to put our extensive education, wealth of experience, and proven track record to work for you.
Megan Varga Group is affiliated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker in California, and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.
Megan Varga Group’s excellent reputation, integrity and loyal client base ensures you are working with professionals you can trust. Let Megan Varga Group's extensive education, wealth of experience, and proven track go to work for you.
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