Rancho Santa Fe.
It is one of the most expensive
places to live in the country.
Bing Crosby, Janet Jackson,
Bill Gates and Phil Mickelson
have called it home.
It's such a beautiful drive
that's a nice area to go through
this morning as we continue our
then and now series Marcella
Lee shows us what's changed in
this affluent community and
what's stayed exactly the same.
The white picket fences that lined
the streets three decades ago are
still part of the charm that welcomes
you into Rancho Santa Fe today.
When you drive through the curvy roads,
getting into Rancho Santa Fe you you just
arrived here and it's like relaxing.
It's like you really don't really
know where you are anymore.
You don't realize that you're in
Southern California, San Diego
instead of limousines. These days
you'll see luxury SUVs and a Tesla.
It seems at every turn here in the village
the heart of Rancho Santa Fe memories
live on in these historic buildings.
GAIL Gillies travel is long gone,
but her daughter in law still works in
the exact same office space. It needs
to work around the corner and
when I found out we were going to
move into my mom in law's office,
it was amazing. So you can still
feel her spirit or energy in here,
which is a lovely thing.
There is a lot that has
stood the test of time in
this exclusive community.
Often referred to as simply the ranch.
Nestled in lush, rolling hills,
the landscape and the lifestyle
haven't changed all that much
since we featured the slice of San
Diego North County back in 1987.
I mean, you know it's just
heaven on Earth for me.
Anyhow, it's come a long way since
its days as Rancho San Diego to
the name changed when the Santa
Fe Railroad bought the land at
the beginning of the century.
In 1989, Rancho Santa Fe was designated
as a State Historical landmark.
The Spanish colonial style buildings in the
village and the inn at Rancho Santa Fe.
Were designed nearly a century
ago in 1923 by Lillian Rice,
one of California's first women architects
and almost 100 years later
it's it's still flourishing.
The the hotel is flourishing,
the villages flourishing.
Kathy Reese with the in describes the
experience here as a timeless retreat where
you know the little gym away from all
the hustle and bustle of San Diego.
We are the heart of the community.
Everybody knows each other.
The in is kind of like.
The central meeting place for
all the local family friends
only 2500 people live in Rancho Santa Fe.
In fact, there are less
than 900 households here.
The sprawling private estates
have always made it a desirable
and expensive place to call home.
A recent study shows Rancho Santa
Fe to be the 8th wealthiest
suburb in the nation. It's dropped
a little since then.
These days it's the 13th
most expensive ZIP code,
according to Forbes.
The average new home is selling for
about $2 million. Today, the median
price of a home in the ranch
is more than 4,000,000.
So the market right now in Rancho
is crazy as it is everywhere else.
The inventory is an all time low realtor.
Jillian Gilley says wealthy buyers are
paying top dollar for luxury living,
prioritizing, quality of life.
You've got more options now you
can work from home and families
are all gathering in the same home,
but they don't want to be on top of
each other and the square footage
of the houses in Rancho Santa Fe
make that work well for everybody.
The most
expensive property for sale right
now is this 77 acre estate listed
last month for 98 and a half million.
Dollars some people have a view
of Rancho Santa Fe is being a
bunch of elitists for decades.
Residents of the ranch have
worked to break that stigma.
See the people in Rancho
Santa Fe are very down to Earth.
I think you'll find them really
interesting 'cause they come from all
walks of life and they've done well
with that success comes
a spirit of giving. The
last year we've given out over $10 million,
much of it in the area of COVID relief.
Chris Sichel is president and CEO
of the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation,
which has granted more than $100 million
into the community. During its 40
years, I think all of us want to have impact.
We want to make other lives better
and I think to whom much is given
much is expected and this community
really really embraces that
most of us will never be
able to live in the ranch.
But you can dine at a
restaurant in the village,
enjoy a staycation at the end.
Or splurge at the Rancho
Valencia Resort and Spa,
which was just ranked the number
four resort in the country by
travel and Leisure magazine,
but you'll want to start saving
now because rooms start at
about $1000 a night.
Marcelli music.