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Orange County California Real EstateOrange County Communities & Real Estate News 
Aliso Viejo Real Estate
Aliso Viejo is Orange County's newest city and incorporated on July 1, 2001. Aliso Viejo was the first planned community in California. With a master plan developed in 1979, Aliso Viejo provides for a balance between projected jobs and projected residential workforce. It was designed to make it possible to live, work and play in the same community. The City of Aliso Viejo encompasses 6.9 square miles and is located at the southern end of Orange County. It is approximately 10 miles from John Wayne Airport via the San Joaquin Hills transportation corridor, 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, 20 miles south of Santa Ana, the County Seat, and 3 miles inland of the Pacific Ocean. Aliso Viejo was originally part of the 22,000 acre
Moulton Ranch. The Moulton family took title in the 1890's to land
originally granted to Juan Avila by the Mexican government in 1842.
In 1976, Mission Viejo Company purchased the last 6,600 acres for
a new planned community that is now part of the City of
Aliso Viejo.
The first residential units were offered in March of 1982 and the
first residents arrived in November of the same year. Search
for Aliso Viejo Homes & Real Estate Laguna Beach Real EstateLaguna Beach and her adjoining community, South
Laguna, are true costal gems and unique in Orange
County for their
dramatic topography. This includes steep coastal mountains that
plunge into the sea and over thirty individual coves and beaches
along an eight-and-a-half mile stretch from Three Arch
Bay on the
south to Crystal Cove on the North. Search
for Laguna Beach Homes & Real Estate Mission Viejo Real EstateThe land upon which Mission Viejo is developed was part of the 52,000-acre Rancho Mission Viejo. The chain of title to the land dates back to July 27, 1769, when a Spaniard named Gaspar de Portola led an expeditionary force from Mexico across the southern border of the ranch and claimed the land for Spain. Seven years later, the ranch witnessed the first attempt to found Mission San Juan Capistrano. Although lack of water forced the friars to relocate and the whereabouts of this old mission remain a mystery, the name Mission Viejo bears testimony to this structure's sojourn in San Juan Canyon more than two hundred years ago. After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, a new flag flew over California and a new spirit filled the air. The missions, which had been established to further the spread of the Christian faith, became secularized, and their vast landholdings were granted as ranches to prominent citizens. One man who happened to be standing in the right place at the right time was an English trader named John Forster. John or Juan, as the name reads on the old land grant, married the Mexican governor's sister and acquired the three ranchos historically known as El Trabuco, Mission Viejo, and Los Potreros. But fate frowned on Don Juan Forster. Fencing 205,000 acres drained his capital, droughts destroyed his cattle, and futile efforts to attract settlers dried up his last remaining credit. When Forster died, his estate was in shambles, and his sons were forced to sell. In 1907, an Irish cattleman named Richard O'Neill
acquired an undivided interest in Rancho El Trabuco and Rancho
Mission Viejo. When a 1963 study indicated that urbanization was
spreading south from the Los Angeles area, his grandchildren, Richard
O'Neill and Alice O'Neill Avery, decided to sell 10,000 acres.
Donald Bren, Philip J. Reilly, and James Toepfer purchased the
property and organized the Mission Viejo Company. In 1965, a master
plan for Mission Viejo was approved by the Orange County
Board of Supervisors. One year later, Forster's dream of attracting settlers
became a reality as families stood in line to pay $21,000 for homes
on his former cattle range. In April 1966, these pioneering residents
moved into the new neighborhoods near the intersection of La Paz
Road and Chrisanta Drive. Search
for Mission Viejo Homes & Real Estate San Clement Real EstateSan Clemente is a coastal community
located halfway between San Diego and Los Angles at the southern
tip of Orange County. It is located on the Pacific
Ocean and is bordered by Camp
Pendleton Marine Base on the South, Cleveland
National Forest on the East and San Juan / Dana
Point on the North. Search
for San Clemente Homes & Real Estate Laguna Hills Real EstateLaguna Hills is built on one of the major land grants developed during the Rancho Era. Following Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821, those who had served in the government or who had friends in authority, were given vast lands for cattle grazing. Rancho Lomas de Santiago, Rancho San Joaquin, and Rancho Niguel covered much of the western portion of the Saddleback Valley. Don Juan Avila was granted the 13,000 Rancho Niguel on which Laguna Hills is located. In 1874, Lewis Moulton purchased Rancho Niguel from Don Juan Avila and increased the original grant to 22,000 acres. Moulton and his partner, Jean Piedra Daguerre, used the ranch to raise sheep and cattle. The Moulton Ranch was eventually subdivided in the early 1960's, part of which is recognized as Laguna Hills. Incorporation efforts began in 1987 and on March 5, 1991, the goal of incorporation was finally achieved with 86% of the residents voting in favor of forming the City of Laguna Hills. On December 20, 1991, Laguna Hills officially became a City. On November 14, 1995, the City Council approved
annexation of the North Laguna Hills area, which became part of
the incorporated City on July 1, 1996. On September 18, 2000, with
the overwhelming support from the 1,800 residents, the “Westside” Annexation
Area officially became part of the incorporated City. The annexation
added 149 acres of residential land, which includes the Aliso Viejo
Community Association’s Sheep Hills Park. Search
for Laguna Hills Homes & Real Estate Nellie Gail Ranch Real EstateNellie Gail Ranch Is an exclusive
area in Laguna Hills with luxury homes and large estates. The homes
of Nellie Gail Ranch range
from
$450,000.00
to over $4.5 million. Large square footage and panoramic views
are the norm for this area. Search
for Nellie Gail Ranch Homes & Real Estate Dana Point Real EstateIncorporated in 1989, the City of Dana Point is named after Richard Henry Dana Jr. (1815-1882), a Harvard-trained lawyer, seaman, and author of the classic sea journal, Two Years Before the Mast (1840). In his journal, Dana documents his voyage from Boston around Cape Horn to California on the merchant ship, Pilgrim. Therein, Dana describes the area once known as Capistrano Bay, as "the most romantic spot on the California coast." Today, Capistrano Bay is known as Dana Point. Dana Point is home to 35,110 residents and is characterized by nearly seven miles of prominent coastal bluffs and rolling hills along the Pacific Ocean. Most noteworthy of these bluffs is a unique promontory known as the "Headlands" which overlooks Dana Point Harbor, one of the most significant man-made alterations of the Orange County coastline. Dana Point Harbor provides slips and mooring for over 2,500 boats along with over 50 specialty shops and restaurants. The Harbor attracts thousands of visitors annually for shopping, sport fishing, walking, bicycling, parasailing and a host of recreational activities. The Dana Point Harbor is also considered the gateway to Doheny State Park, one of California’s most popular beach facilities. The 62-acre State Park offers camping, picnicking, swimming, surfing, bicycling, tide pool exploration and more. Dana Point provides over 1,400 hotel rooms ranging in accommodations and services from economy to five star hotels. Convention and meeting facilities are available at the larger resort facilities, and all provide access to Dana Point’s unique coastal amenities. Located in southern Orange County, California, Dana Point is approximately one-half way between Los Angeles and San Diego, and is bordered by the cities of Laguna Niguel and Laguna Beach to the north, San Juan Capistrano to the east, and San Clemente to the south. Search for Dana Point Homes & Real Estate |
