Laguna Niguel, California

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.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 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.

The median income for a household in the city was $80,733, and the median income for a family was $93,613. Males had a median income of $68,640 versus $40,487 for females. The per capita income for the city was $39,167. 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.

[edit] History

Laguna Niguel is located on what used to be the Mexican land grant of Juan Avila. When California became a United States territory in 1848, he had to legally battle to retain ownsherip of the land, which cost him significantly. He retained ownership until 1865. 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. Laguna Niguel's present-day existence started in the 1960's as a planned community was being built. This continued into the 1970's. As more people arrived there, the area moved toward Orange County incorporation. On December 1, 1989, Laguna Niguel became an incorporated city in Orange County and became its 29th city.

[edit] Education

The city is served by the Capistrano Unified School District.

It is served by:

Elementary Schools

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

Middle Schools

Niguel Hills Middle School
Aliso Viejo Middle School

High Schools

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

Saddleback College

[edit] Points of Interest

Over one-third of Laguna Niguel is designated as open space. Major parks in Laguna Niguel include:

Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park
Badlands Park
Laguna Niguel Regional Park

[edit] Neighborhoods

Laguna Niguel is home to many upscale neighborhoods including Bear Brand Ranch and Monarch Point which offer city, canyon, and ocean views with most home values exceeding $3,000,000 [1][2] . Other major neighborhoods include Rancho Niguel, Kite Hill, and San Joaquin Hills. As of July 2006, the average home price in Laguna Niguel is $817,500.[3]