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Scripps Ranch owes its existence to its resemblance to Algeria. Newspaper magnate E.W. Scripps happened on the area in 1890 and recognized the similarity of its climate and foliage to Algeria--the only place he felt he could be free of the colds that he often suffered. He and his half-sister, Ellen Browning Scripps, bought 400 acres on the mesa and eventually expanded their holdings to 2,100 acres.
Scripps began building the home he called Miramar and completed construction of the adobe wing in 1898. He named the house for Archduke Maximillian's castle in Trieste, Italy and patterned it after the architecture of North Africa. It became his permanent home until 1917.
In the 1990s Scripps Ranch Villages, a planned community north of old Scripps Ranch or for reference, Spring Canyon Road was added. It brought many more people to the area. In the late 1990s a northwestern side was added. Both areas are distinguished by their mostly two-story homes that have common paint schemes.
Scripps Ranch Villages is anchored by a shopping center which includes Vons, several small service stores, North Island Credit Union, Wells Fargo Bank, several gas stations and fast food stores.
The Scripps Ranch Business Park houses large companies as well as smaller product and service-oriented companies. Shopping and other services are centrally located. There are numerous activities for residents of all ages.
Today, a new area has been added. It is called Stonebridge Estates .
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