Laguna Hills

History

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 . 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 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. Interstate 5 travels along the eastern border of Laguna Hills, forming the border with Lake Forest and Mission Viejo. I-5 has five interchanges in the city, from south to north: Oso Parkway, La Paz Road, Alicia Parkway, El Toro Road (Highway S18), and Lake Forest Drive. County Route S18, also known as El Toro Road, is a major road in Laguna Hills,…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  74,190
• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  68,411
• Black Phoebe

  Sayornis nigricans (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  58,644
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  52,899
• Allen's Hummingbird

  Selasphorus sasin (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  47,361
• Lesser Goldfinch

  Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822) · Aves
  45,849
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  45,660
• Anna's Hummingbird

  Calypte anna (R.Lesson, 1829) · Aves
  45,089

Most recent

• M 2.63 — 2026-09-23
  9 km WNW of Anza, CA
• M 2.94 — 2026-09-17
  4 km SSE of Compton, CA
• M 2.56 — 2026-09-13
  27 km SSE of Malibu, CA
• M 2.65 — 2026-09-12
  4 km E of Lennox, CA
• M 3.31 — 2026-09-12
  26 km ESE of Avalon, CA
• M 2.95 — 2026-09-12
  26 km ESE of Avalon, CA