Emerald Forest is 17 custom estates behind a gate on two cul-de-sacs in North Ranch, where the loudest thing most mornings is a mower on the fairway and the neighbors change about once a year. It suits a buyer who wants half an acre or more, a 5,000 to 8,000 square foot house with real views, and Westlake High, inside a community small enough that a new face is noticed. Expect about $4.4M to $7.0M based on sales in 2024 and 2025.
Turn off Lakeview Canyon Road, clear the gate, and the road splits into Oxley Place and Bridgetown Place, two short dead ends with nothing beyond them but oaks, fairways and the hills behind North Ranch. There is no through traffic because there is nowhere to go through to. The golf course sits green below the back terraces of the homes that face it, and a house coming on the market is an event the whole street hears about before the sign goes up.
| Homes | 17 custom estates, 4 to 6 bedrooms |
|---|---|
| Built | 1994 to 2022, most in the late 1990s |
| Price range | About $4.4M to $7.0M (2024 and 2025 sales) |
| Size | Roughly 5,000 to 8,100 square feet, a few larger |
| Lots | Half an acre to just over an acre |
| HOA | About $342 to $460 per month |
| Gated | Yes |
| Schools | Westlake Hills Elementary, Colina Middle, Westlake High |
Two cul-de-sacs, one gate, and the golf course below
Emerald Forest is about as private as North Ranch gets without buying acreage. Seventeen homes share roughly 18 acres, the streets end in circles, and the only cars that pass are the ones that live there. Lots run from half an acre to just over an acre, so houses sit back from each other behind mature oaks. The premium sellers talk about, and buyers pay for, is the view: unobstructed golf course and mountain views from the homes that back to the course.
Turnover is the defining trait. With roughly one sale a year, this is a neighborhood people settle into for decades, not a place to trade in and out of. That is a strength if you want stable neighbors and a weakness if you are hoping to pick your lot. You wait for the house that comes up, not the one you had in mind.
It is not a walk-to-coffee street. Everything is a short drive: Lindero Canyon Road for Costco, Target and Smart and Final, The Oaks for the bigger shopping trip, and North Ranch Country Club next door for golf, nine tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, a 13,500 square foot athletic center and three heated pools. Club membership is separate from the HOA.
If you are weighing the gated North Ranch pockets against each other, we usually put Emerald Forest beside Island Forest and High Country for the estate scale, and Crescent Oaks is worth a look as well.
The homes: custom builds, mostly late 1990s Mediterranean
There is no builder tract look here. Fourteen of the 17 homes went up between 1994 and 2000, two more in 2007, and one in 2022, each on its own plan. The dominant vocabulary is Mediterranean, including a single-story estate or two. Recent sales have run from about 5,100 to 8,100 square feet with 4 to 6 bedrooms, and a couple of the homes that have not traded recently are closer to 9,000.
Inside, expect the full North Ranch program: theaters, fitness rooms, pools and spas, sport courts, and outdoor rooms built around the view. The lots are large enough that the house, the pool and a usable yard all fit without compromise, which is harder to find in Westlake Village than most buyers assume.
Pricing from 2024 and 2025 sales sits at about $4.4M to $7.0M, with the top of that range set by new construction and the bottom by a home dating to the late 1990s. For how that compares to the rest of the city, see our Westlake Village home values page.
Schools: Westlake Hills, Colina and Westlake High
Emerald Forest is on the Ventura County side of Westlake Village, so it is in Conejo Valley Unified. The assigned schools are Westlake Hills Elementary, Colina Middle School and Westlake High School.
Westlake Hills is a small K through 5 campus of about 375 students on Medicine Bow Court, rated 9 out of 10 on GreatSchools, with a GATE program, and ranked sixth among the district's elementary schools by U.S. News. The district as a whole runs 27 schools and about 16,000 students at a 21 to 1 ratio.
One caution: elementary boundaries in North Ranch shift street by street between Westlake Hills, Lang Ranch and Westlake Elementary. Emerald Forest falls to Westlake Hills, but confirm the assignment with the district for any specific home before you count on it.
Before you buy: what we tell clients
You are buying in Thousand Oaks. The mailing address says Westlake Village and the ZIP is 91362, but all 17 homes are inside the City of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County. City services, permits and the tax roll follow the city, not the postmark.
Comps are thin. With one sale a year and homes that range from 1994 to 2022 and 5,000 to 9,000 square feet, appraisers reach outside the gate into the wider North Ranch custom market. Build extra time into escrow for appraisal support, and expect pricing to lean on judgment rather than a neat set of matched sales.
Dues vary by home. Recent sales carried about $342 to $460 per month to the Emerald Forest HOA, which is managed by Emmons Company. Confirm the figure for the specific house, ask whether a North Ranch master association assessment applies on top, and read the reserve study. Seventeen owners splitting a gate and a private road means a thin reserve becomes a special assessment quickly.
Golf adjacency cuts both ways. The course view is the premium, and it comes with early morning maintenance and the occasional errant ball. Stand in the yard at 7 a.m. before you fall in love with the sunset.
Budget beyond the mortgage. A 6,000 to 8,000 square foot house on an acre with a pool and a theater carries utility, landscape and upkeep costs that dwarf the HOA number. Buyers moving up from a 3,500 square foot home are often surprised.
Emerald Forest fits a family or a couple who wants a big, private house with views, strong schools and a gate, and who is comfortable waiting for the right one. If timing matters more than this exact street, we can usually find the same scale in neighboring pockets. Start with our Westlake Village neighborhood guides.
Owning in Emerald Forest
What a typical home costs to own
About $35,051/month
- Principal and interest$29,713
- Property tax (about 1.1% of price, Ventura County)$4,996
- HOA$342
Estimate for a $5.45M home, near the middle of the recent range here, with 20% down at 7.24% (30 year fixed, Freddie Mac, October 29, 2026). Homeowners insurance is extra and varies with fire zone, so get a quote early. Your lender's figures will differ.
Westlake Village market, latest data
- Median sale price$1.67M
- Change over 12 months+14.9%
- Typical days on market45
Citywide, three months ending May 2026. Westlake Village home values
Our experience here
We sell across this part of the Conejo Valley, including the neighborhoods around Emerald Forest, and are glad to talk through how it compares.
Westlake Village home prices, the last five years
Questions people ask about Emerald Forest
Is Emerald Forest in Westlake Village or Thousand Oaks?
Both, in a sense. Every home in Emerald Forest carries a Westlake Village mailing address with ZIP 91362, but all 17 sit inside the City of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County. City services, permits and property taxes follow Thousand Oaks and Ventura County, and the schools are Conejo Valley Unified.
How much do homes in Emerald Forest cost?
Sales in 2024 and 2025 ran from about $4.4M to $7.0M. The low end was a late 1990s home of about 5,100 square feet; the high end was new construction. With only 17 homes and roughly one sale a year, each listing tends to set its own price rather than follow a recent comp.
Is Emerald Forest gated?
Yes. Emerald Forest is a gated community of 17 custom estates on Oxley Place and Bridgetown Place, entered from Lakeview Canyon Road in North Ranch. Both streets are cul-de-sacs with no through traffic. Confirm the current gate operation and access rules in the HOA documents during escrow.
What are the HOA dues in Emerald Forest?
Recent sales carried dues of about $342 to $460 per month to the Emerald Forest HOA, managed by Emmons Company. Dues vary by home, so verify the figure for the specific property, and ask whether a separate North Ranch master association assessment applies on top of it.
What schools serve Emerald Forest?
Westlake Hills Elementary, Colina Middle School and Westlake High School, all in Conejo Valley Unified. Westlake Hills is a small K through 5 campus rated 9 out of 10 on GreatSchools. Because North Ranch elementary boundaries shift by street, confirm the assignment with the district for any specific home.
How big are the lots and homes in Emerald Forest?
Lots run from about half an acre to just over an acre. Homes are custom builds, mostly from 1994 to 2000 with a few newer, and recent sales ranged from roughly 5,100 to 8,100 square feet with 4 to 6 bedrooms. A couple of the homes are closer to 9,000 square feet.
Thinking about Emerald Forest?
Whether you are weighing a move here or wondering what your home would bring, Davis and the team are happy to talk it through, street by street. No obligation.
Sources
- City of Thousand Oaks GIS, HOA registry
- City of Thousand Oaks GIS, parcels
- Conejo Valley USD elementary attendance boundaries
- GreatSchools, Westlake Hills Elementary
- U.S. News, Conejo Valley Unified elementary schools
- RubyHome, Emerald Forest community page
- Homes.com, Westlake Village local guide
- Living near North Ranch Country Club
Facts checked October 2026.
