Quail Hill community in Irvine CA
$1.2M – $3.5MBuilt 2001 – 2008

Quail Hill

Hillside resort living above the city

Quail Hill is a hillside community in western Irvine with homes priced from $1.2M to $3.5M, built between 2001 and 2008 on terrain that provides canyon and city views from its upper sections. The community has a walkable shopping center — including Trader Joe's, dining, and daily services — and feeds to University High School alongside the Rancho San Joaquin Middle and Alderwood Elementary pipeline. Some sub-associations within the community are gated; the broader community has open public streets and immediate 405/5 freeway access. Buyers targeting the University High school zone with western Irvine positioning find Quail Hill consistently competitive with Turtle Ridge and Laguna Altura.

$1.2M – $3.5M
Price Range
1,300 – 4,800 sq ft
Home Sizes
~$250–$475/month
HOA
2001 – 2008
Year Built
Highlights
  • ✓Quail Hill Shopping Center within walking distance
  • ✓University High School catchment
  • ✓Hillside setting with views from upper sections
  • ✓Immediate access to 405 and 5 freeways
  • ✓Some gated sub-associations within the broader community
IUSD Schools
  • ElementaryAlderwood Elementary
  • MiddleRancho San Joaquin Middle School
  • High SchoolUniversity High School
Builders
William Lyon HomesShea HomesStandard Pacific
Overview

Quail Hill was built at the intersection of convenience and character — on a hillside above the 405 with views of the San Joaquin Hills and a shopping center close enough to walk to for morning coffee. It's one of Irvine's earlier luxury communities, which means mature landscaping, established streets, and a community that knows itself. The University High School assignment makes it a perennial draw for academic families who want western Irvine without Shady Canyon pricing.

Geography and Orientation

Quail Hill occupies the hillside between the 405 freeway corridor and the Shady Canyon Reserve, south of the Irvine Civic Center district. The community's elevated position creates view corridors — most dramatic from the upper residential sections — and a topographic identity that flat-land Irvine villages simply don't have.

The hills themselves are well-landscaped, with paseos and trails that connect residents to the Quail Hill Shopping Center below and the open space above. Several sections of Quail Hill have maintained their native-plant landscaping along the hillside edges, giving these streets a feel that is notably different from the manicured uniformity of Irvine's newer villages.

The Shopping Center Advantage

The Quail Hill Shopping Center is one of the community's most consistently appreciated features. Trader Joe's, a Starbucks, a wine shop, dry cleaner, nail salon, several restaurants, and a collection of services are walkable from most parts of Quail Hill. For a community at this price point, the ability to walk to daily errands without a car is unusual — and highly valued.

The Town Center design, while smaller than Woodbury's, functions as a genuine neighborhood hub. Saturday mornings in the shopping center have the rhythm of a community gathering point — familiar faces, impromptu conversations, the social texture of a place that residents use regularly rather than just passing through.

Product Types and Pricing

Quail Hill offers product diversity comparable to Turtle Ridge — attached condominiums and townhomes at the entry level, single-family detached homes across a range of sizes, and a smaller number of larger view homes at the upper end. Entry pricing has risen significantly in recent years, with attached homes now starting around $1.2M–$1.4M and detached single-family homes ranging from roughly $1.8M to $3.5M.

Some sub-associations within Quail Hill are gated, with their own entrance gates and HOA structures. The gated sections carry a modest premium and tend to have slightly newer construction. Buyers should clarify the gating status and HOA structure of any specific home they're considering, as the community is a patchwork of associations rather than a single unified HOA.

Location: Everywhere in 15 Minutes

Quail Hill's most practical advantage is its freeway access. The 405 onramp is within minutes, as is the connection to the 5 and the 73 toll road toward Newport Beach. For residents whose work, family, or lifestyle regularly takes them to multiple Orange County destinations — or to Los Angeles — Quail Hill is one of the best-positioned luxury communities in the county.

John Wayne Airport is approximately ten minutes away. UCI is comparable. Newport Beach, Fashion Island, and the Balboa Peninsula are 15–20 minutes in typical conditions. For buyers who value the ability to reach many places quickly, Quail Hill's central location within Orange County's freeway network is a genuine quality-of-life asset.

University High: The School That Draws Families

Quail Hill feeds to University High School — the same catchment as Turtle Ridge and parts of Shady Canyon. University High is widely regarded as one of the top five public high schools in Orange County, with exceptional AP program depth, strong college counseling, and a campus culture that takes academics seriously without becoming oppressive about it.

For families with high school-age children who've been offered UC admission rates at University High, the school assignment is often a decisive factor in choosing Quail Hill over other similarly priced Irvine communities. The combination of University High, Rancho San Joaquin Middle, and Alderwood Elementary creates a school pipeline that academic families seek out specifically.

Helpful Reading
Capital Gains When Selling Your Home →
Who Buys Here

Academic families targeting University High, professionals who need quick freeway access to multiple Orange County destinations, and buyers who've lived in western Irvine and want to stay near the 405 corridor without the land cost of Shady Canyon. Also popular with UCI professors and researchers who want to walk or bike to campus.

Common Questions

Quail Hill — FAQ

People Also Ask

About Quail Hill

Also in Irvine

Related Neighborhoods

Turtle Ridge
View Guide →
Laguna Altura
View Guide →
Shady Canyon
View Guide →
Thinking of Selling in Quail Hill?

Know What Your Home
Is Worth Before You Decide

Quail Hill has its own micro-market dynamics — community-specific comps, HOA tiers, lot positioning, and school premiums that automated tools systematically get wrong. Grace reviews each property personally and provides a range grounded in what has actually closed, not what an algorithm assumes.

Get My Home ValueTalk to Grace First
Buying in Quail Hill?

Local Knowledge.
Honestly Applied.

Grace knows Quail Hill the way others know their own neighborhoods — which lots have the best orientation, which streets see more traffic, and what a fair offer actually looks like right now.

Start the Conversation