Laguna Hills, CA Real Estate

Laguna Hills is an upscale bedroom community located south of Interstate 5, between Lake Forest and Laguna Beach. This area is home to the regional Laguna Hills Mall, anchored by Sears, Macy's, and JC Penney.

Saddleback Memorial, the largest hospital in south Orange County is in Laguna Hills.
Available housing in Laguna Hills is over 50% single family, detached homes, and around 25% condos and 25% apartments.

The real estate market in Laguna Hills roared to life in the late 1960s with real estate construction of about 6,000 residential home units. In the 1970s and 80’s, another 15,000 homes and condos went up. Today, Laguna Hills is home to more than 25,000 residents and offers affordable real estate options including single family detached homes, 3 bedroom, 4 bedroom, 5 bedroom, 6 bedrooms homes, condominiums, townhouses, luxury and high end homes as well as property for custom home building.

Nellie Gail Ranch is one of the best known areas of Laguna Hills and its most exclusive. The ranch sits on a promontory within the city and is a contrast to the higher density neighborhoods that surround it. Nellie Gail is a Planned Unit Development of 1355 lots on 1350 acres and consists of a mixture of tract and custom houses in an equestrian setting, with homes ranging from 1,700 to more than 10,000 square feet.

It is one of only a few communities left in Orange County zoned for large lots and equestrian trails, and joins only Anaheim Hills, Villa Park, and Orange Park Acres as communities that have strict limits on the density of homes. The community includes several large parks, miles of equestrian trails and arenas, as well as substantial open space with acres of trees.

Quail Creek is a development of primarily condos in Laguna Hills. Laguna Hills is also a good area for upscale apartment developments. The Prado apartment complex was recently remodeled.

Senior living is an important aspect of Laguna Hills, with Laguna Woods, just to the South of Laguna Hills proper, comprised mostly of senior communities in its 4 square miles including Leisure World, a well established gated community exclusively for senior citizens. Laguna Woods has very active and vigilant homeowners associations governing many aspects of living in this area.

Laguna Hills is served by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. Laguna Hills students attend a variety of high performing elementary schools, and for middle school attend either La Paz Intermediate School or Los Alisos Intermediate School in neighboring Mission Viejo. The city has its own high school, Laguna Hills High School, the smallest school in the district and one of the smallest in south Orange County with under 2,000 students. Saddleback Community College is nearby in Mission Viejo.

Fossil Reef Park is located on Via Lomas between Moulton Parkway and Alicia Parkway. It is a one-acre portion of an 18 million-year old tropical shell reef. Formed in what was once a shallow bay, it contains fossils of scallops, clams, and tube worms. Mudstones of the same age, found nearby, hold fossil whales and shark teeth. Later, as the Santa Ana Mountains rose, the bay rose as well and took these fossils with it.

Another historical park, Cousteau Park at Alicia Parkway and Cousteau Street is a fossil site with over 42 species of Ice Age mammoths, mastodons, giant sloths, saber-toothed cats, long-horn bison, camels, wolves, and horses. The fossils were originally discovered by high school students in the 1960’s.

The closest commuter rail service is at Metrolink’s Laguna Niguel-Mission Viejo station, with service north to Los Angeles and south to Oceanside.