Mission Viejo

Mission Viejo is a town in Saddleback Valley, a region of Orange County, California.

Understand
Mission Viejo is about half way between Los Angeles and San Diego and is the best American embodiment of planned suburbia. Six-lane wide avenues and endless subdivisions of single-family houses surrounding pockets of strip malls are the norm.

The proper name in Spanish should be Misión Vieja, as 'mission' is a feminine noun. The masculine gender of "viejo" is a vestige from the original name of the area, "Rancho Mission Viejo"; "viejo" modified "rancho", a masculine noun. In light of the history of the area, the masculine adjective was preserved. The "Mission" of "Mission Viejo" is Mission San Juan Capistrano; Mission Viejo was a community of San Juan Capistrano until it became an independent city in 1988.

Get in

 * By air, (Mission Viejo is 15 miles south of John Wayne Airport.)
 * By car, I-5. Exit between El Toro Road (north end) and Crown Valley Parkway (south end).

By rail
Metrolink serves Mission Viejo via its Inland Empire and Orange County lines with direct connections from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and from San Bernardino.



Get around
OCTA operates bus lines throughout the city, but renting a car is preferable and convenient.

Buy

 * Also nearby is the Irvine Spectrum.
 * Also nearby is the Irvine Spectrum.

Eat
Most Mission Viejans shy away from their local restaurants for all but casual dining, and prefer nicer restaurants in adjacent communities. However, it has a few gems:



Drink
The local favorite is Patsies Irish Pub on the Corner of Los Alisos and Jeronimo. It is a typical American/Irish bar and is fun place with great drinks and karaoke.