Aliso Viejo

History

The Acjachemen are the Indigenous people of Aliso Viejo, who lived in the area for thousands of years. The people established numerous villages along Aliso Creek as well dividing the Acjachemen and the Tongva. With the arrival of settlers, the Acjachemen village sites would later become the southern areas of the Moulton Ranch. The planned community of Aliso Viejo's original were once part of the Moulton Ranch, owned by the Moulton family, who took title in the 1890s to Rancho Niguel, originally granted to Juan Avila by the Mexican government in 1842. Over the years, portions of the ranch were sold and became Leisure World, Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel.

Geography

Aliso Viejo is located at (33.575096, -117.725431) in the San Joaquin Hills of Orange County. According to the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , 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 along the Pacific coast. The most common native species: Red Sand Verbena, Pink Sand Verbena, and Big Leaf Maple

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  80,547
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  74,254
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  64,720
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  57,604
• Allen's Hummingbird

  Selasphorus sasin (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  52,660
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  50,282
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50,136
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  49,284

Largest nearby schools

• California Connections Academy Southern California
  Other · San Juan Capistrano · 5,141 students · 30.2:1 ratio
• San Juan Hills High
  High · San Juan Capistrano · 2,857 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Aliso Niguel High
  High · Aliso Viejo · 2,774 students · 24.3:1 ratio
• Trabuco Hills High
  High · Mission Viejo · 2,579 students · 23.2:1 ratio
• Tesoro High
  High · Las Flores · 2,217 students · 24.1:1 ratio
• Corona del Mar High
  High · Newport Beach · 2,059 students · 22.4:1 ratio
• El Toro High
  High · Lake Forest · 2,031 students · 23.1:1 ratio
• Capistrano Valley High
  High · Mission Viejo · 2,029 students · 22.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.77 — 2026-10-15
  3 km NNW of San Jacinto, CA
• M 2.71 — 2026-10-11
  4 km E of San Jacinto, CA
• M 3.16 — 2026-10-09
  2 km SW of Signal Hill, CA
• M 2.7 — 2026-10-08
  2 km WNW of Fontana, CA
• M 2.51 — 2026-10-05
  31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
• M 2.81 — 2026-10-05
  32 km SW of Dana Point, CA