City of Laguna Niguel
—  City  —
Seal
Location of Laguna Niguel within Orange County, California.
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
Government
- Mayor	Robert Ming
Area
- Total	14.7 sq mi (38.1 km2)
- Land	14.7 sq mi (38.0 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	397 ft (121 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	61,891
- Density	4,221.7/sq mi (1,630.0/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	92607, 92677
Area code(s)	949
FIPS code	06-39248
GNIS feature ID	1660875
Website	http://ci.laguna-niguel.ca.us

Laguna Niguel is a city located in southern Orange County, California. The name "Laguna Niguel" is derived from the Spanish word "Laguna" which means lagoon, and the word "Nigueli" which was the name of a Juaneño Indian village that was once located on Aliso Creek.^{[citation needed]} The population was 61,891 at the 2000 census. The city was primarily built after 1980 as an unincorporated master planned community located in the San Joaquin Hills near Laguna Beach. It borders Laguna Beach, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, and Aliso Viejo. Laguna Niguel has been the host of the 'Mooning of the Amtrak' for 30 years as of July 2009.

History

Laguna Niguel is located on the Rancho Niguel Mexican land grant of Juan Avila. He retained ownership until 1865, when a severe drought killed off most of his cattle. Lewis Moulton, owner of the Moulton Company, bought the area of modern-day Laguna Niguel in 1895, along with significant other portions of the surrounding area from farmers that were hard pressed to earn a living due to a local drought in the area.

In 1959, the Laguna Niguel Corporation, started by Cabot, Cabot & Forbes from Boston, made Laguna Niguel one of the first master planned communities in California. Victor Gruen and Associates, a Vienna architect, developed a community plan for 7,100 acres (29 km²). The Avco Community Developer in 1969 continued the plan, which by then held 6,500 residents.

The construction of the San Diego, I-5, Freeway in 1959 allowed more people to arrive. The first communities developed in Laguna Niguel were right along the coast, touching the southern border of Laguna Beach. These communities were called Monarch Bay and the Monarch Bay Terrace built between 1960 and 1962.

In 1973, Laguna Niguel Regional Park opened, and in 1974 a one-million square-foot ziggurat building was given to the United States government.

On December 1, 1989, Laguna Niguel became an incorporated city in Orange County and became its 29th city.

Geography

Laguna Niguel is located at (33.531938, -117.702503). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.1 km² (14.7 mi²). 38.0 km² (14.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.41%) is water.

Laguna Niguel occupies a hilly basin near the southern end of the San Joaquin Hills, a small coastal mountain range in southern Orange County. On the west is 650-foot (200 m) Niguel Hill, which separates the city from Aliso Canyon, an immense gorge cut by Aliso Creek, one of the county's primary watercourses. The Aliso Canyon area is home to Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park, a large wilderness area in the southern county. Although the creek itself only brushes the northwestern border of the city, a major tributary, Sulphur Creek, drains most of northern Laguna Niguel. Sulphur Creek runs through Crown Valley in eastern Laguna Niguel, Crown Valley Park, Laguna Niguel Regional Park and Sulphur Creek Reservoir (Laguna Niguel Lake). The two parks and the lake lie just north of the geographic center of the city.

Low ridges dissect much of the Laguna Niguel area. Most of these mountain ridges, some of them attaining heights of one or two hundred feet, run northeast to southwest, delineating the hydrography of the area. Laguna Niguel's other primary drainage, Salt Creek, has two forks in the southern half of the city, flowing southwards to the Pacific Ocean. Laguna Niguel itself has no border on the ocean. The city of Dana Point to the south separates Laguna Niguel and the Pacific. On the east side, Laguna Niguel is separated from San Juan Capistrano by a significant ridge running along Trabuco Creek. To the north lie Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills.

Crown Valley and Alicia Parkways are the primary thoroughfares in the city. Crown Valley Parkway runs along Sulphur Creek and the northern fork of Salt Creek, bisecting the city northeast to southwest. Alicia Parkway, mostly a north-south road, follows Aliso Creek to where it joins Crown Valley Parkway in close proximity to Crown Valley Park and the city center. California State Route 73 runs north of the city, diverging from Interstate 5 just northeast of Laguna Niguel. Moulton Parkway/Street of the Golden Lantern runs along the eastern boundary of Laguna Niguel. Pacific Island Drive/Camino del Avión follow parts of the west and south boundaries, respectively. Another major road, Niguel Road, runs roughly parallel and east of Crown Valley Parkway along the Salt Creek canyon. Marina Hills Drive is the largest crossing between Niguel Road and Golden Lantern, and Aliso Creek Road runs east-west through northern Laguna Niguel.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 61,891 people, 23,217 households, and 16,785 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,630.0/km² (4,221.0/mi²). There were 23,885 housing units at an average density of 629.1/km² (1,629.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.50% White, 1.25% African American, 0.29% Native American, 7.73% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.48% from other races, and 3.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.38% of the population.

There were 23,217 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

According to the Census Bureau's 2008 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $98,072, and the median income for a family was $110,963. Males had a median income of $68,640 versus $40,487 for females. The per capita income for the city was $50,980. About 2.8% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In the state legislature Laguna Niguel is located in the 33rd Senate District, represented by Republican Mimi Walters, and in the 73rd Assembly District, represented by Republican Diane Harkey. Federally, Laguna Niguel is located in California's 48th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +8 and is represented by Republican John Campbell. In The Orange County Board of Supervisors Laguna Niguel is part of the 5th District and represented by Patricia C. Bates.

Climate

Like much of Southern California, Laguna Niguel has pleasant weather year-round. On average, August is the hottest month and December the coolest. The highest recorded temperature is 108°F, which occurred in 1963, and the lowest such temperature is 21°F, which was recorded in 1949. Precipitation is sparse in Laguna Niguel, as only five months out of the year receive rainfall greater than one inch. The highest monthly rainfall on average occurs in February and is 2.96 inches.

Notable buildings

In 1971, a one-million square-foot ziggurat building, originally built for Rockwell International and presently owned by the United States government, was designed by Los Angeles-based architect William Pereira. The Chet Holifield Federal Building, as it is now known, is home to millions of microfilms as documents of land agreements between the American government and the original Indian Tribes of the southwest United States. It is also home to the Western Regional Department of Homeland Security and the California Service Center of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The building was used for the 1995 movie Outbreak, where it served as the exterior for the Center for Disease Control headquarters. Earlier, the building was featured in an ending scene for the 1975 sci-fi movie Death Race 2000.

Education

The city is served by the Capistrano Unified School District.

It is served by:

Elementary Schools

• Moulton Elementary School
• Marian Bergeson Elementary
• Crown Valley Elementary School
• Hidden Hills Elementary School
• Laguna Niguel Elementary School
• Malcolm Elementary School
• George White Elementary School

Middle Schools

• Niguel Hills Middle School
• Aliso Viejo Middle School (in Aliso Viejo)

High Schools

• Aliso Niguel High School (in Aliso Viejo)
• Dana Hills High School (in Dana Point)

Colleges (Served by the South Orange County Community College District)

• Saddleback College (in Mission Viejo)
• Chapman University (in Orange)
• Soka University of America (in Aliso Viejo)
• University of California, Irvine (in Irvine)
• California State University, Fullerton (in Irvine)
• California State University, Fullerton (in Fullerton)

Private Schools

• St. Anne School

Points of interest

Over one-third of Laguna Niguel is designated as open space.^{[citation needed]} Major parks in the city include:

• Aliso/Wood Canyons Regional Park
• Badlands Park
• Laguna Niguel Regional Park

Neighborhoods

Laguna Niguel is home to many upscale neighborhoods including Bear Brand Ranch, Ocean Ranch, Coronado Pointe, South Peak, Crest de Ville, Niguel Coast, Palmilla, and Monarch Point, which offer city, canyon, and ocean views. Other major neighborhoods include Rancho Niguel, Marina Hills, Niguel West, Niguel Summit, Beacon Hill, El Niguel Heights, Kite Hill, and San Joaquin Hills.

External links

• City of Laguna Niguel official website
• Congressman John Campbell
• State Senator Mimi Walters
• State Assemblywoman Diane Harkey