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Irvine, California · Neighborhood guide

Turtle Rock

Irvine's first hillside village, started in 1967, with two elementary schools inside and Bommer Canyon out the back

Green grassy slopes with yellow mustard and sage drop toward a valley of homes and trees, mountains on the horizon under a blue sky
Photo: Sergei Mutovkin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Median askingTurtle Rock$2.3M15 for sale
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Turtle Rock, in short.

Turtle Rock is the south Irvine village the Irvine Company started in 1967 as the city's first hillside community, on the ridges between University Drive, Culver Drive, Shady Canyon Drive and the Strawberry Farms golf course. A central loop road, Turtle Rock Drive, winds through it, and homes were placed to leave the hilltops open. The houses date from the late 1960s through the 1990s. Turtle Rock Elementary and Bonita Canyon Elementary are inside the village, University High sits at its northwest corner, UC Irvine is across Culver Drive, and Bommer Canyon's open space lies to the south. As of September 2026, active listings asked about $1.47 million for a condo to $8 million for the largest houses.

Turtle Rock by the numbers.

  • 3,141Population
  • 87%Homeowner-occupiedoccupied homes
  • 79%Bachelor's degree or higherage 25+
  • $5,150/moMedian asking rentCurrent MLS listings
  • $207,554Median household income
  • 51.6Median age

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2019–2023; neighborhood facts compiled by The Slava House.

Irvine's first hillside village

Houses on the city's southern ridges, with the hilltops left open.

Turtle Rock is one of the five original villages that formed the city of Irvine, and the first built on hills. The Irvine Company started it in 1967. A turtle sculpture in Turtle Rock Community Park marks the year. It sits between University Drive, Culver Drive, Shady Canyon Drive, and the Strawberry Farms golf course, with Turtle Rock Drive looping through the middle.

The plan put homes along that loop and the streets off it, and left the hilltops open. The highest, Sunset Point, rises to about 161 meters, and a short, steep trail from Chaparral Park climbs to the viewpoint on Turtle Rock Drive. Sixty years later the trees are big and the streets are quiet.

UC Irvine is across Culver Drive. University High sits at the village's northwest corner, Concordia University is on the hill to the north, and Mason Regional Park is across University Drive. Over the ridge to the southeast is the guard-gated Shady Canyon community, and Bommer Canyon's open space starts to the south.

Orange California poppies bloom in front of a large prickly pear cactus with green pads in bright sun
California poppies and prickly pear along a Turtle Rock trail in springPhoto: Jim Strasma, Unsplash License
Live from the MLS

Turtle Rock compared with all of Irvine.

Turtle Rock asks 44% more than Irvine as a whole.

A square foot in Turtle Rock costs 31% more than across Irvine.

Listings in Turtle Rock have been on the market 19 fewer days than across Irvine.

What’s for sale

47% of the homes for sale in Turtle Rock are single-family houses.

  • Single-family47%7 homes
  • Townhouse33%5 homes
  • Condo20%3 homes

Homes for sale in Turtle Rock are 9% bigger than across Irvine.

Each card sets the median in Turtle Rock against all of Irvine. The arrow on a card lists every Irvine neighborhood we cover. Asking prices for homes on the market right now inside each mapped area, not sale prices. Updated October 17, 2026, 11:00 AM PT

Homes for sale in Turtle Rock

15 active listings in the mapped area

See Turtle Rock homes on the live mapAll Irvine homes for sale

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Slava Ploshkin, Realtor

Still deciding? Ask me.

I’m a Realtor based in Long Beach, and Irvine is one of the cities I work most. Tell me what you’re after in Turtle Rock and I’ll help you get there.

Call (424) 400-9003

Slava Ploshkin · DRE #02323623English and Russian · How I work in Irvine

Where to eat, shop, and explore in Turtle Rock

The restaurants, cafes, shops, parks, and landmarks that give Turtle Rock its everyday character, most within a short walk.

6 places

Pick one and I’ll show you where it is.

  1. Park35 min walk

    A 25.1-acre city park at 1 Sunnyhill with the Turtle Rock Nature Center, four lighted tennis courts, a ball diamond, an amphitheater, and a turtle sculpture marking the village's 1967 founding.

    The community center rooms and picnic shelter can be reserved through the city.

  2. Recreation30 min walk

    The viewpoint at 19032 Turtle Rock Drive, reached by a short, steep climb from Chaparral Park, near Sunset Point, the village's high point at about 161 meters.

  3. Recreation40 min walk

    City open space south of the village where the Irvine Ranch ran its cattle camp from the late 1800s to the 1970s; the corrals still stand.

    Many trails are open daily from dawn to dusk; other areas open on guided hikes and monthly Wilderness Access Days.

  4. Landmark5 min walk

    The private Lutheran university on the village's north side, its campus on the hill above Turtle Rock Drive.

  5. Recreation20 min walk

    The golf course and event venue at 11 Strawberry Farm Road on the village's east edge, laid out around Sand Canyon Reservoir.

  6. Park · Nearby30 min walk

    The OC Parks regional park across University Drive, with a 9.2-acre lake, lawns, and trails.

Hillside houses and canyon-view condos

Here you pay for the view and the street more than the square feet.

Most of Turtle Rock's houses went up from the late 1960s through the 1980s, on curving streets that step up the slopes, so a lot of them look out at a canyon or the city lights. Active listings in September 2026 were built between 1972 and 1994. Many have been remodeled behind their original footprints, and some haven't.

Condos and townhomes are the entry point. In September 2026 they asked about $1.47 million to $2.75 million, and detached houses in the older tracts ran from about $1.85 million to $3.8 million. A handful of larger houses built from 1987 to 1994 asked $5.7 million to $8 million.

Most homes belong to a neighborhood association. On September 2026 listings, most detached houses in the older tracts showed dues of about $140 to $250 a month, some condos and townhomes $470 to $725, and the larger newer houses $440 to $730. Turtle Rock isn't on the City of Irvine's list of Mello-Roos and assessment districts. Don't confuse it with Turtle Ridge, the newer village to the southwest, which is.

A sunlit wooden footbridge with railing shadows leads toward a green spring meadow and a scrubby hill under a clear blue sky
A wooden footbridge on the Bommer Meadow Trail in spring, just south of Turtle RockPhoto: Sueswim03, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Houses from the late 1960s on; many remodeled, some original
  • September 2026 asking prices: about $1.47 million to $8 million
  • Association dues vary by tract; no city assessment district

Which schools serve Turtle Rock

Why families look at the attendance map before the floor plan.

Irvine Unified has two elementary schools inside the village: Turtle Rock Elementary, which opened in 1970, and Bonita Canyon Elementary, which opened in 1977. University High, at Culver and Campus Drive, sits at the village's northwest corner beside UC Irvine.

In Irvine the school assignment moves price. Two similar houses can sell differently depending on which attendance area they're in. IUSD adjusts boundaries, and when a campus is full it can place new students at another school. Before you write an offer, put the exact address into IUSD's School Locator.

UC Irvine's campus, with its medical and research buildings and the Irvine Barclay Theatre, is a few minutes away. Faculty and grad students are a steady part of the buyer and renter pool for the village's condos.

The historic Bommer Canyon cattle camp below green hills
Bommer Canyon's cattle camp, the open space at the back gatePhoto: Sueswim03, CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Turtle Rock Elementary (1970) and Bonita Canyon Elementary (1977) inside
  • University High at the northwest corner; UC Irvine across Culver
  • Assignments follow the address; check IUSD's locator first

Bommer Canyon and the parks next door

The old cattle camp and its trails, a few streets away.

Bommer Canyon is City of Irvine open space south of the village. From the late 1800s to the 1970s it was the center of the Irvine Ranch's cattle operations, and the corrals and ranch equipment still stand at the Cattle Camp. Many of its trails are open daily for hiking and biking from dawn to dusk.

Other parts of Bommer are open only on guided activities or the monthly Wilderness Access Days, which require registration on LetsGoOutside.org. Equestrians are allowed from May 1 to November 30. Longer loops run through the Laguna Coast Wilderness and back to the Cattle Camp.

Closer in, Turtle Rock Community Park covers 25.1 acres at 1 Sunnyhill, with the Nature Center, four lighted tennis courts, a ball diamond, play areas, and an amphitheater. Strawberry Farms Golf Club wraps around Sand Canyon Reservoir on the east edge. The same hills bring fire risk: on the 2025 map Irvine adopted, most streets are High or Very High, with Very High across the southern slopes toward Bommer Canyon and the eastern ridges, so check the parcel and price insurance early.

A dirt path runs through grass and scrub toward tile-roofed homes among trees, with green hills and white clouds behind
A dirt trail on the Turtle Rock hillside, with homes and the San Joaquin Hills beyondPhoto: Sergei Gussev, CC BY 2.0
  • Bommer Canyon: 1800s cattle camp, trails open daily dawn to dusk
  • 25.1-acre community park with the Nature Center and lighted courts
  • Most streets High or Very High on the 2025 fire-hazard map

How the Turtle Rock market works

It costs more than most older Irvine villages and is built out, so every listing is a resale.

Turtle Rock costs more than most of Irvine's older villages. It's built out, so every listing is a resale. What people pay for here, the schools and the hills with Bommer Canyon behind them, can't be copied somewhere else. In September 2026 there were 13 active listings.

Inside the village, the ladder runs from condos and townhomes through the older detached tracts to the larger houses built in the late 1980s and 1990s. View, lot size, and remodel status move price the most, and an original-condition house with a good view is often where the value is.

When a client is buying for the schools, I check the assignment first, then view and lot, then finishes. I also pull the fire-zone map and an insurance quote before the inspection period ends.

A dirt trail runs through dry golden grass toward a bare hill with a switchback path, homes and trees along the ridge in warm light
Evening light on the trail and golden summer hills of Turtle RockPhoto: tinyfroglet, CC BY 2.0
  • Built out: supply comes only from resales
  • View, lot, and condition set the spread
  • Check school assignment and insurance early

More Turtle Rock facts

  • 1967Village beganIrvine's first hillside community
  • 2Elementary schools insideTurtle Rock (1970) and Bonita Canyon (1977)
  • 25.1 acresCommunity parkTurtle Rock Community Park and Nature Center
  • Late 1800s-1970sBommer cattle campIrvine Ranch cattle operations, now city open space
  • 161 mHigh pointSunset Point, above the Turtle Rock viewpoint
  • 92603ZIP codeIrvine

Rentals in Turtle Rock

11 active rentals in the mapped area

See Turtle Rock rentals on the live map

Compare Turtle Rock

Compare Turtle Rock with another neighborhood
Turtle Rock vs University ParkTurtle Rock or University Park: which is better to live in?See the comparison ›Turtle Rock vs Quail HillTurtle Rock or Quail Hill: which Irvine village is better to live in?See the comparison ›Turtle Rock vs WoodbridgeSee the comparison ›Turtle Rock vs Newport CoastSee the comparison ›

Questions & answers

Yes, if you want an established hillside village with schools inside it and open space nearby. Turtle Rock, begun in 1967, has Turtle Rock and Bonita Canyon elementary schools within its borders, University High at its corner, UC Irvine across Culver Drive, and Bommer Canyon's trails to the south. What you give up: older houses, higher prices than most older Irvine villages, and High or Very High fire-hazard zones on most streets.

Explore near Turtle Rock

1.3 mi awayUniversity ParkIrvine's first village, from the mid-1960s, where the houses face shared parks instead of the streetRead the guide ›1.8 mi awayQuail HillEarly-2000s homes at the edge of the 700-acre Quail Hill Preserve, two miles from the SpectrumRead the guide ›2.3 mi awayWoodbridgeThe Irvine village built around two lakes, where the first homes went by lottery in 1976Read the guide ›3.4 mi away · Newport BeachNewport CoastThe Irvine Company's gated hillside villages, built in the 1990s and 2000s above Crystal Cove State ParkRead the guide ›4.8 mi away · Newport BeachCorona del MarThe bluff-top village at the harbor mouth, where the Flower Streets run down to two beachesRead the guide ›5.4 mi awayGreat Park NeighborhoodsIrvine's newest villages, built since 2013 on the old El Toro air base, with a special tax you'll want to understandRead the guide ›

Written by Slava Ploshkin, Realtor ·

Where we check the facts

The facts in this guide (districts, zones, rules) come from the official records below. We re-check them before property tours.

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Photo credits (6)