Laguna Beach redirects here. For other uses, see Laguna Beach (disambiguation)

City of Laguna Beach, California
Seal
Location of Laguna Beach within Orange County, California.
Coordinates: 33°31′53″N 117°46′9″W / 33.53139, -117.76917
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
Government
- Mayor	Toni Iseman
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	92600-92699
Area code(s)	949
FIPS code	06-39178
GNIS feature ID	1660874
Website: http://www.lagunabeachcity.net

Laguna Beach is a seaside resort and artistic community located in southern Orange County, California, approximately 24 miles (39 km) southeast of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 23,727 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Laguna Beach is located at 33°31'53" North, 117°46'9" West (33.531525, -117.769043)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.2 km² (9.7 mi²). 22.9 km² (8.9 mi²) of it is land and 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 9.24% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 23,727 people, 11,511 households, and 5,778 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,035.1/km² (2,681.5/mi²). There were 12,965 housing units at an average density of 565.6/km² (1,465.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.99% White, 0.80% African American, 0.36% Native American, 2.08% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 2.21% from other races, and 2.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.62% of the population.

There were 11,511 households out of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.8% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.69.

In the city the population was spread out with 15.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $75,808, and the median income for a family was $100,778. Males had a median income of $66,221 versus $46,138 for females. The per capita income for the city was $58,732. About 2.8% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

As with many coastal areas in Southern California, real estate in Laguna Beach is extremely expensive. The median home price has skyrocketed to $2,000,000. This has forced many potential home buyers out of the local market. This has been good and bad for local residents. Good because they can now sell their home for a lot more than they could have several years ago. Bad because most of the residents are middle to upper-middle class and on their incomes, many simply can't afford to buy a new home at the current median price. Like many other Southern California residents, residents of Laguna Beach are "House Rich" and/or "Money Poor" (ie. asset rich/income poor), which simply means that their homes are worth a significant amount of money but based on their median incomes, they wouldn't be able to afford a new home at the current median price or for the amount that their current home is worth.

Laguna Beach has been a magnet for the rich and famous dating back to the glamour days of Hollywood, with many movie stars living or vacationing in the area.

Government and Politics

Condos on the beach at Laguna Beach

Of the 17,084 registered voters in Laguna Beach; 35.8% are Democrats and 41.2% are Republicans. The remaining 23% either declined to state political affiliation or are registered with one of the many minor political parties.

Although there are more registered Republicans, Laguna Beach is one of the most liberal cities in Orange County, and voted for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry over President Bush in 2004 by a margin of 57%-42%^[1]. It was one of only three places in the generally conservative Orange County not to have a majority supporting the Republican Party. The other two cities were Laguna Woods (which consists almost entirely of a retirement community) and Santa Ana, the county's most ethnically diverse city.

The entire city of Laguna Beach lies within California's 48th congressional district, which is represented by Republican Congressman John Campbell. The city also lies in the 35th State Senate District, which is represented by Republican Senator Tom Harman, and in the 70th State Assembly District, which is represented by Republican Assemblyman Chuck DeVore.

Toni Iseman serves as Laguna Beach's mayor and Jane Egly as Mayor Pro Tem. The other three city council members are Kelly Boyd, Cheryl Kinsman, and Elizabeth Schneider.

Panorama looking South from Aliso Beach Park, Laguna Beach, CA.

Environment

Laguna Beach has long been known as the one of the most environmentally aware cities in Southern California. In Feb, 2007 the City Council unanimously voted to join the U.S. Mayors Climate Initiative.

Education

• Elementary Schools
  • Top of the World Elementary
  • El Morro Elementary

• Junior High Schools
  • Thurston Middle School

• High Schools
  • Laguna Beach High School

Emergency services

Fire protection in Laguna Beach is provided by the Laguna Beach Fire Department with ambulance service by Doctor's Ambulance. Law enforcement is provided by the Laguna Beach Police Department. Marine safety services are provided jointly by Laguna Beach City Lifeguards in north Laguna Beach and by U.S. Ocean Safety LIfeguards in south Laguna Beach.

Media Activity

MTV

In 2004, MTV created a reality television show titled "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County", which has aired on MTV for 3 seasons. The show follows the lives of several young Laguna Beach residents as they finish high school and begin the next chapter of their lives. It had a very succesful first two seasons and became the second highest rated MTV show. It made regular teenagers Stephen Colletti, Kristin Cavallari, and Lauren "LC" Conrad into popular celebrities. However, in its third season, the cast from the first two seasons were replaced. Because of negative audience reactions to the new cast, the ratings significantly fell during the show's third season, and it eventually got cancelled

See also

• Newport Beach, California
• Huntington Beach, California

References

1. ^ California Elections and Voter Information (PDF)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Laguna Beach, California

• Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau - Tourism
• Laguna Beach Hotels
• photos & information
• Laguna Beach Weather and Live cams

Municipalities and communities of Orange County, California
County seat: Santa Ana
Cities	Aliso Viejo | Anaheim | Brea | Buena Park | Costa Mesa | Cypress | Dana Point | Fountain Valley | Fullerton | Garden Grove | Huntington Beach | Irvine | La Habra | La Palma | Laguna Beach | Laguna Hills | Laguna Niguel | Laguna Woods | Lake Forest | Los Alamitos | Mission Viejo | Newport Beach | Orange | Placentia | Rancho Santa Margarita | San Clemente | San Juan Capistrano | Santa Ana | Seal Beach | Stanton | Tustin | Villa Park | Westminster | Yorba Linda
CDPs	Coto de Caza | Las Flores | Rossmoor | Tustin Foothills
Unincorporated communities	Dove Canyon | Ladera Ranch | Midway City | Modjeska Canyon | Orange Park Acres | Santa Ana Heights | Santiago Canyon | Silverado | Sunset Beach | Trabuco Canyon

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