Laguna Hills History & Facts

Laguna Hills is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Laguna Woods—are similarly named.

Laguna 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-acre Rancho Niguel on which Laguna Hills is located.

In 1894, Lewis Moulton purchased Rancho Niguel from Don Juan Avila and increased the original grant to 22,000 acres (89 km2). Moulton and his partner, Jean Piedra Daguerre, used the ranch to raise sheep and cattle. The Moulton Ranch was eventually subdivided in the early 1960s, and part of the division became today's Laguna Hills.

Incorporation efforts began in 1987 and on March 5, 1991, 86% of the residents voted in favor of forming the City of Laguna Hills. On December 20, 1991, Laguna Hills officially became a City. Subsequent annexations have included the North Laguna Hills (1996) and the "Westside Annexation" (2000) areas. The latter included 149 acres (0.60 km2) of residential land, including the Aliso Viejo Community Association's Sheep Hills Park.

In 2004, Laguna Hills' City Hall was moved to an existing office building at 24035 El Toro Road, which was bought and renovated by the city. The city also rents out commercial space in the building, providing the city with a positive net income.

Famous Peoples From Laguna Hills

Steve Gibson

Steven "Steve Tiberius" Gibson (born 26 March 1955) is an American software engineer, security researcher, and IT security proponent. In the early 1980s, Gibson worked on light pen technology for use with Apple and Atari systems. In 1985, he founded Gibson Research Corporation, best known for its SpinRite software.

Gibson started working on computers as a teenager, and got his first computing job with Stanford University's artificial intelligence lab when he was 15 years old. Gibson writes he studied electrical engineering and computer science at the University of California, Berkeley while the alumni directory shows he did not.

Laguna Hills Points of Interest

The Actors Workshop
StressBusters Wellness Day Spa
Laguna Hills Farmers Market
Big Air Trampoline Park
Luisa Chocolatiere