The City of Laguna Niguel is an affluent master planned community located in the coastal San Joaquin Hills of South Orange County. The city of Dana Point to the south separates Laguna Niguel and the Pacific. Onthe east side, Laguna Niguel is separated from San Juan Capistrano by a significant ridge running along Trabuco Creek. To the north is Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills. Laguna Niguel is also bordered by Laguna Beach and Mission Viejo.
Newer communities in Laguna Niguel include:
The City 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 Niguel Hill, a 650-foot hill which separates the city from Aliso Canyon, which is a huge gorge cut by Aliso Creek, one of the country’s primary watercourses. The Aliso Canyon area is home to Aliso and Woods Canyon Regional Park, a large wilderness area in the southern county. Over one-third of Laguna Niguel is designated for open space. The City has two communty parks, 23 neighborhood parks, 3 mini-parks, 1 dog park, 2 county regional parks and the new Laguna Niguel skate and soccer park.
Laguna Niguel was one of the first master planned communities in California, being established as the Laguna Niguel Corporation in 1959 by Cabot, Cabot and Forbes. Victor Gruen and Associates was chosen to develop a community plan for an approximate 7,100-acre site. In Monarch Bay and Laguna Terrace, land sales began in 1961. In 1971, Avco Community Developer acquired the Laguna Niguel Plan and started the development of the original Master Plan. In 1989, a vote incorporated the master planned community into a city and it became the 29th city in Orange County on December 1, 1989.
