Lake Forest
Not only is Lake Forest (FKA El Toro) affordable, but, it has possibly one of the best Private Club House and Facilities in Orange County – bar none. I offer Lake Forest as a housing alternative to Irvine by telling clients that they can get 20% more for 20% less by driving one more exit south of Irvine. The population was 77,264 at the 2010 census.
Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Since being incorporated, it has expanded its limits to include the communities of Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills. Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills are master planned developments that brought new homes and commercial centers to the Eastern boundary of Lake Forest throughout the 1990s. Lake Forest (along with its neighboring cities Mission Viejo and Irvine) is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country. The private research firm Morgan Quitno ranked Lake Forest as the 15th safest city and another firm later ranked Lake Forest 10th in 2007 in the United States.
The city has two lakes from which the city gets its name. The lakes are man-made, and condominiums and custom homes ranging from large to small 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. The "forest" for which the city is also named lies in the area between Ridge Route, Jeronimo, Lake Forest and Serrano roads, and consists mostly of Eucalyptus trees. It began in the 1900s when a local landowner, Dwight Whiting, planted 400 acres of Eucalyptus groves in the vicinity of Serrano Creek as part of a lumber operation. In the late 1960s, the Occidental Petroleum company developed a residential community in and around the Eucalyptus groves which had long since expanded and grown much more dense.
El Toro Road at the Interstate 5 Freeway was the epicenter of the Saddleback Valley from the late 19th century to the end of the 20th century. However, the area gradually deteriorated, and most of the shops closed or moved to other cities. After years of planning, the City has worked with the property owners of some ageing strip malls and developed the "Arbor at Lake Forest" commercial district. The new center can now compete with large shopping centers in cities that surround Lake Forest.
Notable Businesses and Organizations
The city is home to the headquarters of eyewear manufacturer Oakley, Inc.; metals company Kaiser Aluminum, in-flight entertainment provider Panasonic Avionics; Karem Aircraft an aircraft company developing UAV's with major aircraft companies; telecommunications software developer Greenlight Wireless Corp.; barbecue retailer Barbeques Galore; restaurant chain Johnny Rockets; medical equipment maker Apria Healthcare; and skateboarding companies Sole Technology, Inc., Etnies, and Tilly's; among others. It is also the home of the corporate headquarters for Eagle Community Credit Union, a credit union focused on serving postal and federal employees who live or work in Orange County.
However, along with Oakley, the city is probably best known as the home of Rick Warren's famed megachurch, Saddleback Church, currently the eighth-largest church in the United States. Read more
Parks and education
Lake Forest is also home to two county parks. Whiting Ranch in the eastern part of the city was the site of an infamous mountain lion mauling in 2004 that captured the attention of the West Coast news media.
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.
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 mascot is a bull and its teams are known as the Chargers. School colors are blue and gold.
Lake Forest is served by two libraries of the Orange County Public Library.
Lake Forest also has Etnies Skatepark, which is the largest public skatepark with over 40,000 square feet.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.9 square miles. 17.8 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square miles of it 0.48% is water.
Lake Forest is bordered by Irvine on the west, Laguna Hills on the southwest, Mission Viejo on the southeast, Trabuco Canyon on the east, and Limestone Canyon Regional Park on the north.
El Toro/Lake Forest/Portola is located in the heart of the Saddleback Valley. It is also in the northern section of South Orange County.
It has two man-made lakes identified by the clubhouses on the lakes — the Beach and Tennis Club (Hidden Lakes, formerly Lake I) and the Sun and Sail Club (Lake II).
Demographics
The 2010 United States Census reported that Lake Forest had a population of 77,264. The racial makeup of Lake Forest was 54,341 White, 1,295 African American, 384 Native American, 10,115 Asian, 191 Pacific Islander, 7,267 from other races, and 3,671 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19,024 persons.
As of the census of 2000, there were 58,707 people, 20,008 households, and 14,745 families residing in the city.
The population density was 4,698.8 inhabitants per square mile. There were 20,486 housing units at an average density of 1,639.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 76.02% White, 1.83% African American, 0.50% Native American, 9.70% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 7.51% from other races, and 4.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.59% of the population.
There were 20,008 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $86,285, and the median income for a family was $96,133. Males had a median income of $52,019 versus $37,100 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,583. About 3.2% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
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 after the base closed in 1999.
Of the 40,352 registered voters in Lake Forest; 25.8% are Democrats and 53.4% are Republicans. The remaining 20.8% either declined to state political affiliation or are registered with one of the many minor political parties.
In the state legislature Lake Forest is located in the 33rd Senate District.
Culture
The city of Lake Forest puts on an annual summer concert at Pittsford park. Other public events include the Fourth of July 5K run and fireworks display over the lake at the Sun & Sail club.
Popular hang-outs for Lake Forest includes: "Regal" (the Foothill Town Center's Regal Cinemas Stadium 22) The Spectrum (the Irvine Spectrum Center, an outdoor shopping center in neighboring Irvine, CA)
Notable Residents
- Ginger Reyes, American rock bassist with the bands Smashing Pumpkins and Halo Friendlies
- Christine Woods, actress in the ABC network television show FlashForward.
- Elaine Youngs, Olympic volleyball champion
- Austin Romine, catcher for El Toro High School's baseball team, was drafted to the Tampa Yankees in 2007.
- Kaitlin Sandeno, Olympic swimming champion, El Toro High School grad
- Hardcore music act, HORSE the Band
- Brad Bufanda, actor
- One of the baby’s who played Tabitha Stephens (of Bewitched fame) was raised in Lake Forest.
Demographics
Government and politics
Culture
Notable Residents
- Ginger Reyes, American rock bassist with the bands Smashing Pumpkins and Halo Friendlies
- Christine Woods, actress in the ABC network television show FlashForward.
- Elaine Youngs, Olympic volleyball champion
- Austin Romine, catcher for El Toro High School's baseball team, was drafted to the Tampa Yankees in 2007.
- Kaitlin Sandeno, Olympic swimming champion, El Toro High School grad
- Hardcore music act, HORSE the Band
- Brad Bufanda, actor
- One of the baby’s who played Tabitha Stephens (of Bewitched fame) was raised in Lake Forest.
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