Lake Forest, CA Real Estate

Lake Forest

Lake Forest is relatively new city in southern Orange County, formed in 1991 when the unincorporated areas of Lake Forest and El Toro were formed into a city. In 2000, the planned community of Foothill Ranch was annexed to Lake Forest. The Portola Hills community is also now part of Lake Forest. In house hunting terms, Lake Forest is generally the area West of the 241 Toll Road.

The multiplicity of names often creates confusion: some people in the Portola Hills neighborhood, for example, can receive mail addressed to them at Portola Hills, Lake Forest, or Trabuco Canyon. The zip code 92679 is a Trabuco Canyon zip code even though not a single area in the zip code is Trabuco Canyon. This might be because since 92679 is assigned to the northeastern area of Rancho Santa Margarita and the southern area of Lake Forest it would be too confusing for the postal services because 2 cities are both served by that zip code.

Lake Forest (along with its neighboring cities Mission Viejo and Irvine) is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country. A survey ranked Lake Forest as the 10th safest city in the United States in 2007.

The city has two lakes from which the city gets its name. The lakes are man-made and custom homes ranging from large to small, and condominiums line their shores. The Lake Forest Beach and Tennis Club and Sun and Sail Club feature tennis courts, gyms, basketball courts, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, multiple swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs and club houses for social events.

After years of planning, the City has worked with the property owners of some aging strip malls and developed the "Arbor at Lake Forest" commercial district. The new center can now compete with the more upscale shopping centers and cities that surround Lake Forest like Mission Viejo, Irvine, and Laguna Hills. Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills brought new homes to Lake Forest in the farthest east portion of the city.

Lake Forest's central proximity to surrounding areas and immediate access to the Santa Ana and San Diego Freeways (Interstates 5 and 405, respectively), Irvine's Business Spectrum, Irvine Spectrum Center and the short drive to Laguna Beach makes it a very desirable place to live. In 2007 the city synchronized its traffic lights, and (to the dismay of many Mission Viejo commuters who drove through Lake Forest to Irvine) shortened drive times up and down Bake Parkway, Lake Forest Boulevard and El Toro Road in order to alleviate congestion between Foothill and I-5.

Lake Forest is also home to two county parks. Whiting Ranch is somewhat of a wilderness area. Heritage Hill historical park is home to some of the oldest buildings in the county, including the Serrano Adobe, the old El Toro School House, and St. Georges Episcopal Church.

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was located one mile from the city of Lake Forest in the city of Irvine. At one time, El Toro was considered a military town, but the city blossomed independently in the 1980s and 1990s and the base closed in 1999.

Lake Forest has one high school, El Toro High School. The high school was opened in 1973. It has established itself as one of the top schools in Southern California, along with the other three comprehensive high schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District.

The nearest commuter rail station is the combined Amtrak and Metrolink facility in Irvine with service to Los Angeles and San Diego.