Aliso Viejo
I watched Aliso Viejo being developed. In fact, I sold one of the first re-sales in this beautiful city in Orange County, California. It had a population of 47,823 as of the 2010 census, up from 40,166 as of the 2000 census. It became Orange County's 34th city on July 1, 2001, the only city in the county to incorporate since 2000. It is bordered by the cities of Laguna Beach on the west and southwest, Laguna Hills on the east, Laguna Niguel on the southeast, and Laguna Woodson the north.
History
Aliso Viejo had been an unincorporated community since around 1990, and incorporated as a city in 2001 due to the efforts of the Aliso Viejo Cityhood 2000 Committee, which was responsible for introducing an initiative on the ballot for the 2001 special election. Voters passed the initiative with 93.3% in favor of incorporation.
Government
Aliso Viejo is a general law city with a council-manager system of government. Day-to-day operations are handled by a professional city manager overseen by a volunteer city council.
The City Council of Aliso Viejo consists of five members serving staggered four-year terms. Each year, the Council votes for its next Mayor and Mayor pro them.
The Seal of the City of Aliso Viejo was adopted in 2001 at incorporation. The seal features several mountains, a boat, a tree, and several buildings. Also, the seal features the slogan "Since 2001", in celebration of the city's incorporation date.
Geography
According to the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 square miles, all of which is land. Aliso Viejo is one of several cities bordering Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park. Aliso Creek forms part of the city's boundary with Laguna Niguel to the south, and Wood Canyon Creek forms part of the city's western boundary. Much of the city rests on the east slope of the San Joaquin Hills, which are a coastal mountain range extending for about 15 miles along the Pacific coast.
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Aliso Viejo had a population of 47,823. The racial makeup of Aliso Viejo was 34,437 White, 967 African American, 151 Native American, 6,996 Asian, 89 Pacific Islander, 2,446 from other races, and 2,737 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,164 persons. Read more
As of the census of 2000, there were 40,166 people, 16,147 households, and 10,689 families residing in what was, at the time, a Census Designated Place (CDP). The population density was 3,927.7 inhabitants per square mile. There were 16,608 housing units at an average density of 1,624.0 per square mile.
The racial makeup of the CDP was 78.16% White, 10.99% Asian, 2.06% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 3.51% from other races, and 4.66% from two or more races. 11.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 16,147 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.01.
The population was distributed with 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 48.8% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 3.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the CDP was $92,280, and the median income for a family was $99,853. Males had a median income of $61,316 versus $44,190 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $35,244. About 2.3% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Aliso Viejo is known for having the headquarters of many large companies, including:
- 3tera, a cloud computing software vendor
- AND1, an athletic shoe manufacturer
- Airbag Industries, a web design & development company
- Buy.com, an online retailer
- Centon Electronics, Inc., a computer Memory manufacturer as well as flash based storage devices
- eEye Digital Security, a digital security company
- Fluor Corporation, an international construction contractor for petrochemical, infrastructure, and environmental projects, headquartered in Aliso Viejo until it was relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex suburb of Irving, Texas in March 2006. Some divisions still reside in Aliso Viejo.
- Ketel One, a vodka company
- Marie Callender's, a restaurant chain
- Pacific Life, an insurance company
- QLogic, a network storage manufacturer
- Quest Software, a software manufacturer
- Smith Micro Software, a software developer
- Tamiya America, US subsidiary of the manufacturer of model cars Tamiya Corporation, headquartered in Aliso Viejo until it was relocated to Irvine, CA.
- UST Global, an IT services and business process outsourcing company
- USWeb, an Internet marketing company
- Valeant, a pharmaceutical company
Points of interest
Renaissance ClubSport, is a $65 million property which opened in July 2008. The Renaissance ClubSport is Marriott's second hotel and fitness resort created in conjunction with Leisure Sports, Inc. (ClubSport) to fulfill the growing demand by local residents and hotel guests for a healthier lifestyle.
- The Aliso Viejo Town Center is the main gathering place for both the young and old residents. It features a movie theater, a wide variety of casual dining restaurants, PetSmart, aBarnes & Noble, Ralphs as well as other shops.
- Sports teams The Orange County Gladiators are an American Basketball Association (ABA) expansion team starting in November 2007. They will play their home games at Aliso Niguel High School.
Emergency services
Fire protection in Aliso Viejo is provided by the Orange County Fire Authority with ambulance service by Doctor's Ambulance. Law enforcement is provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Education
The city is served by Capistrano Unified School District, which includes these schools:
Elementary
- Canyon Vista Elementary School
- Don Juan Avila Elementary School
- Oak Grove Elementary School
- Wood Canyon Elementary School
Middle school
- Aliso Viejo Middle School
- Don Juan Avila Middle School
High school
- Aliso Niguel High School
Aliso Viejo also has private schools, including VanDamme Academy, St. Mary and All Angels School, Aliso Viejo Christian School, and a university, Soka University of America.
Notable Natives and Residents
- Farzad Bonyadi, professional poker player
- Ryan Coiner, Major League Soccer player for the Columbus Crew
- Ryan Getzlaf, center for the Anaheim Ducks
- Jim Gilchrist, politician and founder of the Minuteman Project
- Kenneth Kizer, CEO and former Secretary of Health in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- Ivan Koumaev, contestant on the reality series So You Think You Can Dance
- Marc Maiffret, computer security expert/computer hacker
- Toni Turner, author
- Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez, author
- Alicia Leigh Willis, American actress who plays Courtney Matthews on General Hospital.
- Kyla Ross, USA Gymnastics Junior National Team member; 2009 Junior U.S. National Champion and 2009 Junior Pan American Games Champion
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