The current population of Rancho Santa Fe is approximately 4,200 residents with some 1,500 households. It is estimated that the maximum total population of 6,500 people may occur by approximately 2007. Rancho Santa Fe was named a State Landmark in 1989. Many buildings in the community are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Originally an Indian rancheria, Rancho Santa Fe passed through several hands before becoming a residential community. In 1831, the Spanish Governor Manuel Victoria provisionally granted the 8,824 acres to Lebrado Silva. Juan Maria Osuna, the alcalde of San Diego helped to overthrow Victoria and took possession of the land grant in 1836.

While Osuna preferred to reside in San Diego, he built he and his wife an adobe home on the ranch. He left the duties of managing the property to his son, Leandro, to whom he gave one of the existing adobes on the ranch. Although a fine alcalde, Osuna was also a gambling man, and he lost some of the land to pay off bad debts.

Upon his father's death in 1851, Leandro took possession of the ranch. A veteran of the Battle of San Pasqual in 1846, Leandro was a man of erratic temperament. His cruel treatment of the Indians led to his demise in 1859. Tired of being treated poorly, the Indians poisoned Leandro and then told him of his impending agony. Rather than face a slow, painful death, Leandro committed suicide.

Julio Osuna, Leandro's son then assumed control of the ranch. The Osuna family continued to reside on the ranch for many years, but slowly financial problems forced him to sell a majority of the land grant acreage. By 1906, the Osuna family retained only 200 acres of the once grand rancho.

In October of that year, the Santa Fe Land and Improvement Company, a subsidiary of the Santa Fe Railroad purchased all of the lands that made up the original "San Dieguito Land Grant." The Santa Fe Railroad's intent was to use the rancho lands to produce wood for railroad ties. President of the railroad, E.A. Ripley, was asked by a Mr. Fletcher to finance the construction of a dam as an investment that would reap tremendous benefits as the land developed. Fletcher's presentation was so effective and economically sound that Ripley agreed to the project! The completion of the Lake Hodges Dam in 1917 secured the future of the ranch as becoming a residential development. On June 7, 1922 construction began.

From the very beginning. planning and respect for the environment governed the design of the community of Ranch Santa Fe. Lilian Rice, architect for the subdivision, sought to preserve and enhance the beauty of the Ranch through the design of the public and residential architecture in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. She carefully and deliberately transformed the Rancho from a eucalyptus forest owned by the Ranch Santa Fe railroad into a community famed for its steady, consistent growth and unified architectural theme-a total design concept.

In 1912, Lilian Rice joined the prestigious firm of Richard S. Requa and Herbert L. Jackson. The firm was well known for its design of several structures in Balboa Park in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. Requa admired Rice's design style; it reflected her knowledge and respect for Southern California's history and traditions.

Upon receiving the commission in 1922 from W.E. Hodges, Santa Fe Railroad's Vice-President, to design an exclusive residential development for Rancho Santa Fe, Requa gave the job to Rice. She worked closely with L.G. Sinnard, project manager and kindred spirit, to produce a landmark community. Sinnard purposely planned a landmark community with winding roads throughout the Rancho to slow down speeding drivers to ensure their enjoyment of the breathtaking vistas around every turn. He also planned large lots and saw to it that deed restriction guaranteed favorable improvements to each one. Rice's designs were, of course, a large part of those "favorable improvements."

Rice immediately began work in her office on the corner of Paseo Delicias and La Granada. She believed that Paseo Delicias, the Civic Center, should be the foundation of the development and a resource for subsequent building throughout the community. Lillian Rice served as supervisory architect for Rancho Santa Fe from 1922-28. She designed the school, the library, La Morada (now the Inn), the Civic Center and a number of private residences. Rice also served as the architectural reviewer, a function of the present date art Jury.

Under a beneficent sun that shines 320 days of the year, Rancho Santa Fe is one of the garden spots of the world. The low-humidity, balmy climate is ideal for the relaxed outdoor life for which the Ranch is known. The incomparable blend of sea and mountain air, free of smog, combine to give the Ranch a quality few communities can rival.