City, Orange County
© McCormack's Guides
Zip Codes: 92607, 92677
Bedroom
community. Upscale. Fairly new. Incorporated as a city in 1989. “Master-planned” community, built from
nothing (See Irvine and Aliso Viejo for more on master plans.) www.mccormacks.com
Laguna
Niguel is built over hills, mesas and valleys that lead down to Dana Point and
Pacific. Trees and shrubs. Country feeling. Population 66,877.
Kids
attend schools in Capistrano District, one of highest scoring in county.
Rankings for local schools land generally in the 80th and 90th percentiles on
statewide comparison and several schools have won awards for academic
accomplishments. See Schools.
Click for regional or detailed map
Two
homicides in 2005, one in 2004, zero in 2003, one in 2002, zero in 2001, one in
2000, zero in 1999, 1998 and 1997, two in 1996, zero in 1995. For previous
years, one, zero, one, five, two. See Crime.
State in
2008 counted 24,908 housing units, of which 13,834 were single detached, 5,007
single attached, 6,051 multiples and 16 mobile homes. Of 23,217 housing units
counted in the 2000 census, 75 percent were owner-occupied, 25 percent rentals.
Although
built from a master plan, Laguna Niguel has a much different feel than Irvine
or Mission Viejo. The hills and valleys forced the developers to spread out the
housing, and the neighborhoods seem to stand as very distinct units. www.mccormacks.com
Laguna
Niguel has its shops and malls but it is not noted for its commerce or light
industry. It has a large federal building that looks vaguely like an Aztec
temple but no colleges or universities.
The town doesn’t lack parks or
amusements or sports but it has not gone in for as many public amenities as
Irvine or Mission Viejo. Laguna Niguel’s chief defining characteristic can be
summed up as “country residential.”
The
building history: 1,300 units in the 1960s, about 3,700 in the 1970s, and about
12,600 units in the 1980s. In the 1990s, Laguna Niguel built about 7,100 units —
a lot of the new and fairly new. The town is just about built out. Many of the
neighborhoods are gated and run by homeowner associations.
Highway 73
(toll road) runs along the north border of the town, Interstate 5 along the
east. Laguna Niguel is serviced by four-lane arterials that crisscross the
hills and collect traffic and deposit it at the freeway. Within the uneven
squares and rectangles formed by these roads are the housing tracts, a mix but
mainly middle-class plus, with some flights up the scale.
Metrolink
station near Interstate 5. Commute trains. To downtown Los Angeles, one hour,
17 minutes; to Oceanside (North San Diego County), 44 minutes. Also Amtrak
trains. www.mccormacks.com
Utility
lines buried, yards and homes well-maintained. About one-fourth of homes have
four bedrooms, a high percentage. Some have views, mainly of countryside, but
near Dana Point, ocean views possible.
Modern
designs and construction practices: walls and ceilings insulated, walk-in
closets, safer wiring, recessed lighting, small lots for many homes.
About two
dozen neighborhood parks, several large regional parks good for hiking. One
park has a lake that is stocked regularly with fish. Community pool. Pacific a
few minutes drive or a long walk. Skate park. Library. Movie complex with eight
screens. Horse, hiking trails. Golf course.
Several
neighborhood shopping plazas with restaurants, supermarkets, coffee shops,
delis, banks, hairdressers, etc. Costco, Wal-Mart and Mervyns.
Just
outside city limits, Saks, Nordstrom and Macys, Barnes and Noble book store. www.mccormacks.com
Community
college (many classes open to public) in Mission Viejo.
In the
1990s, some condos and homes, about 30 in total, had slide problems. If your
prospective house or condo is on a hill or at the base of one, check out soil
stability.
• Courthouse
to be built near the freeway. Laguna Niguel plans to construct a civic center
near the courthouse and expand the town library.
•
Capistrano district got itself into a royal argument when it opened a new high
school and tried to change attendance boundaries of other high schools. Some parents
became quite upset. In the end, superintendent, under fire, retired and in 2006
new one took over, which will probably calm things down. In 2007, district,
which is losing enrollment in some neighborhoods and gaining students in
others, will close Foxborough Elementary in neighboring Aliso Viejo. Reality is
that the district from time to time is going to change boundaries and
occasionally close schools.
Chamber of
commerce (949) 363-0136.
City web
site: www.ci.laguna-niguel.ca.us
