Rancho Cascades Homes in Sylmar, CA (91342)

Written by Antonio Vaziri, Realtor, Epique Realty, DRE #01927866. Last updated: October 31, 2026.

Rancho Cascades is a foothill neighborhood in the northwest corner of Sylmar, in the City of Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Aqueduct comes down the hill at the historic Cascades. It has its own MLS area, so many listings show the city as "Rancho Cascades, CA" even though the mailing address is Sylmar 91342. The neighborhood mixes single-family homes on its local streets with newer townhome communities, the largest of which is The Legends at Cascades.

These two searches use a map outline drawn around Rancho Cascades, because the MLS area field is often left blank on listings, especially leases. The outline can include a few homes just outside the neighborhood, so check the address on each listing. Want to hear about new ones first? Open either search and click "Save Search" to get email alerts, or tell me what you are looking for.

Where Rancho Cascades is

Rancho Cascades sits at the base of the San Gabriel foothills in northwest Sylmar, near where Interstate 5 and State Route 14 meet. The U.S. Geological Survey lists it as a named place at about 34.324 north, 118.490 west. There is no official city boundary for the neighborhood. In practice, it covers the streets around Foothill Boulevard, Balboa Boulevard, Glenoaks Boulevard, Roxford Street, Yarnell Street and Nicklaus Drive, which is where the MLS uses the Rancho Cascades area code.

Freeway access is the main draw for commuters. The 5, 14, 405, 210 and 118 freeways are all close by, and Metro bus line 235 runs along Glenoaks and Balboa to Sylmar Station. Olive View-UCLA Medical Center is at 14445 Olive View Drive in Sylmar, and El Cariso Community Regional Park and the shopping along Glenoaks and San Fernando Road are a short drive away.

Why it is called Rancho Cascades

The name comes from the Cascades, the spillway where Owens Valley water from the Los Angeles Aqueduct first poured into the San Fernando Valley. The aqueduct opened there on November 5, 1913, when chief engineer William Mulholland told the crowd, "There it is. Take it." The site was registered as California Historical Landmark No. 653 in 1958. It sits about a tenth of a mile north of Foothill and Balboa Boulevards and is operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. It is not regularly open to the public.

Types of homes in Rancho Cascades

Single-family homes

The local streets east of Balboa, around Yarnell, Roxford, Sorbonne, Herrick and Circle Diamond Road, are mostly detached single-family homes. Many were built from the late 1950s through the 2000s, and lot sizes vary widely from one street to the next. Some streets are inside smaller HOAs and some have no HOA at all, so check the listing and the title report for each home.

The Legends at Cascades

The Legends at Cascades is the large townhome community along Nicklaus Drive and Balboa Boulevard, with the stone monument entrance shown above. Its master declaration of CC&Rs was recorded in Los Angeles County on December 13, 2007. KB Home Greater Los Angeles was the declarant. The master plan allowed for roughly 715 homes, built in phases and organized into separate neighborhoods, each with its own neighborhood association under the master association, The Legends at Cascades Community Association. Legally, the homes are condominiums, although most look and live like townhomes with attached two-car garages.

The community has a pool and spa, barbecue area, playground and guest parking. Some homes back up to the hillside, and high-voltage power lines cross the hillside above the entrance, as you can see in the photo.

Other housing

Rancho Hermoso, at 16079 Yarnell Street, is a manufactured home community, so homes listed there are manufactured homes in a park. Check whether the land is included before you buy. Rockwood at the Cascades, at 16601 Foothill Boulevard, is a rental apartment community.

The Legends at Cascades: what the rules say

I work with owners in The Legends at Cascades and keep copies of the master CC&Rs and the association's Rules and Regulations, Policies and Guidelines (February 2008 edition). Here is a plain-English summary of the points buyers and renters ask about most. The rules can change, and each neighborhood association can add its own, so always read the current documents in your escrow or lease package.

Mello-Roos special tax

The Legends at Cascades is inside City of Los Angeles Community Facilities District No. 8 (Legends at Cascades), a Mello-Roos district. The city has levied a special tax there since fiscal year 2008-09, and it appears on the property tax bill in addition to the regular tax and HOA dues. The amount varies by home, so ask for the current figure in the preliminary title report or tax bill before you write an offer. Source: City of Los Angeles levy report, May 2026.

HOA dues

Because there is a master association and separate neighborhood associations, dues depend on which neighborhood a home is in. I do not publish a single number here. Ask for the current dues for the specific home, and read the association's budget and reserve study in the disclosure package.

My work in Rancho Cascades

Since 2022 I have handled leases for owners in The Legends at Cascades on Nicklaus Drive, and as of October 2026 I am the listing agent on a three-bedroom townhome there for lease. That means I know how the community works day to day: guest parking, the garage rule, the pool, and what tenants and owners each need to sign. If you own in Rancho Cascades and are thinking about selling or renting your home, I am glad to give you a straight answer on what it would bring.

Schools, safety and local services

School assignments depend on the exact address. Use the LAUSD Resident School Identifier to see the assigned public schools for any home. For crime information, see the Los Angeles Police Department website. For fire hazard zone status, see ZIMAS from the City of Los Angeles.

More about Sylmar

For ZIP-wide prices, days on market and the housing mix, see my Sylmar 91342 ZIP code guide. Nearby, Angeles Pointe in Lake View Terrace is another 91342 community I have sold in, and Mission Hills 91345 is just to the south.