29-472: Laguna Hills Mall was a shopping mall in Laguna Hills, California , United States, in southern Orange County that is being redeveloped into a lifestyle center by the owners as Village at Laguna Hills . The enclosed mall closed on December 31, 2018, and was completely demolished in 2023. The exterior stores remain open. A hotel, entertainment venues, apartments, office spaces and a community park will replace
58-444: A female householder with no husband present, and 27.1% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.29. 26.2% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
87-515: A plan to close 11 stores nationwide, which halted construction on its end of the mall and left JCPenney as the only remaining anchor. JCPenney closed in October 2018 which left the mall with no anchors. The mall closed on December 31, 2018. The exterior stores remained open. At a November 2019 City Council meeting, Merlone-Geier unveiled two major changes to the previous plans proposed since 2016: adding housing and reduction of retail space. Previously,
116-485: A positive net income. [REDACTED] 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. [REDACTED] County Route S18, also known as El Toro Road, is a major road in Laguna Hills, encompassing
145-428: A potential of 1,200 to 1,500 more apartments. Laguna Hills, California Laguna Hills ( / l ə ˈ ɡ uː n ə / ; laguna being Spanish for 'lagoon') is a city in southern 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. The population
174-569: Is historically a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. In 2020 , however, Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the city since its incorporation. According to the California Secretary of State , as of February 10, 2019, Laguna Hills has 18,217 registered voters. Of those, 7,002 (38.44%) are registered Republicans, 5,261 (28.88%) are registered Democrats, and 5,143 (28.23%) have no political party preference/are independents. The Laguna Hills Civic Center
203-558: Is served by the Saddleback Valley Unified School District . Laguna Hills students attend a variety of high performing elementary schools; Lomarena Elementary School, San Joaquin Elementary School and Valencia Elementary School. Laguna Hills middle schools are La Paz Intermediate School and Los Alisos Intermediate School in neighboring Mission Viejo. The city has its own high school, Laguna Hills High School ,
232-733: The poverty line , including 5.3% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over. In the California State Legislature , Laguna Hills is in the 38th Senate District , represented by Democrat Catherine Blakespear , and in the 72nd Assembly District , represented by Republican Diane Dixon . In the United States House of Representatives , Laguna Hills is split between California's 40th congressional district , represented by Republican Young Kim , and California's 47th congressional district , represented by Democrat Katie Porter . Laguna Hills
261-483: The "Westside Annexation" (2000) areas. The latter included 149 acres (0.60 km ) 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
290-582: The Sears anchor store. Sears (the mall's original anchor store) closed in July 2014. Renovations started in 2016. The Laguna Hills Mall is scheduled to be renamed "Five Lagunas". According to Laguna Hills' city documents, the renovations include pedestrian plazas, new retail sections, a 988-unit apartment complex, a multi-screen movie theater, new signage, and a 1,500-space parking structure. Macy's closed in March 2018 as part of
319-430: The area. Mountain lion attacks on people have happened in the outlying wilderness parks of Saddleback Valley, but they are very rare. The identity of Saddleback Valley has proven to be of importance throughout the history of major civilizations in the area. Many businesses, schools, places, and other entities in the region have "Saddleback" or "Saddleback Valley" incorporated into their names. Saddleback Church , one of
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#1733085004889348-494: The border of Laguna Hills at the 5 Freeway, up to the 73 Toll Road. In addition to the highways listed above, Alicia Parkway and Oso Parkway (which turns into Pacific Park Drive at the Laguna Hills- Aliso Viejo border) are major north-south thoroughfares and Moulton Parkway is a major east-west thoroughfare. The 2010 United States Census reported that Laguna Hills had a population of 30,344. The population density
377-450: The chain being liquidated and three years later, the store's second level was converted into an upstairs food court. The food court, which operated from 1994 to 2011, was the only part of the general mall on the second level. The Broadway converted into Macy's in May 1996. In May 2013, Merlone Geier Partners purchased the property from Simon Property Group . A year later, Merlone Geier purchased
406-400: The city was 76.83% White , 1.38% African American , 0.44% Native American , 10.20% Asian , 0.15% Pacific Islander , 7.19% from other races , and 3.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.40% of the population. There were 10,895 households, of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had
435-558: 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 km ). Moulton and his partner, Jean Piedra Daguerre, used
464-419: The hilly Crystal Cove State Park in southern Orange County, California . The region primarily encompasses the cities of Mission Viejo , Lake Forest , and Rancho Santa Margarita , as well as the communities of Coto de Caza and Ladera Ranch . The cities of Aliso Viejo , Laguna Woods , Laguna Hills , and Laguna Niguel , as well as some of Orange County's eastern canyon communities, partially reside within
493-801: The mall. The mall opened in phases starting in Spring 1973 with a 214,000-square-foot (19,900 m) Sears as the first anchor open, followed by a 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m) two-level Buffums on September 5, 1973. The Broadway followed, opening in August 1975, and J.C. Penney in 1976. Up to that point, the mall had cost an estimated $ 50 million to build and contained 393,000 sq ft (36,500 m) of retail space in Phase I with 55 stores and 832,000 sq ft (77,300 m) of retail space with 83 stores in Phase II. In May 1991, Buffums closed due to
522-699: The only other location in the region is in San Clemente . Fire protection in Laguna Hills is provided by the Orange County Fire Authority with ambulance service by Care Ambulance Service . There is also the MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center , a hospital equipped with a full emergency room. Law enforcement is provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department . Centers of economic activity include: Laguna Hills
551-639: The population) lived in households, 233 (0.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 136 (0.4%) were institutionalized. There were 10,469 households, of which 3,637 (34.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 6,278 (60.0%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 983 (9.4%) had a female householder with no husband present, 472 (4.5%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 445 (4.3%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 101 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 2,041 households (19.5%) were made up of individuals, and 822 (7.9%) had someone living alone who
580-515: The proposal called for 880,000 square feet (82,000 m) of retail space and 988 residential units. Another reduction was made in office space to make room for the seasonal events. The revised proposal included a new 110,000-square-foot (10,000 m) cinema, 225,000 sq ft (20,900 m) to 300,000 sq ft (28,000 m) of retail, a 125-room hotel, 390,000 sq ft (36,000 m) to 520,000 sq ft (48,000 m) of office space, two three-story parking structures, and
609-527: 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
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#1733085004889638-539: The smallest school in the district built in 1978 and one of the smallest in south Orange County with fewer than 1,700 students. LHHS has been named a National Blue Ribbon School and a California Distinguished School on multiple occasions. Saddleback Valley Saddleback Valley refers to the flat and foothill areas west-southwest of the Saddleback double peak of the Santa Ana Mountains and east-northeast of
667-619: The valley. The southeastern portion of Irvine also encroaches upon the area, but the two are not typically associated with each other. The cityscape within Saddleback Valley is suburban , a remote reach of the Los Angeles metropolitan area . The area is recently developed and on the outskirts of the Southern California megalopolis , so wildlife sightings are more common. Snakes , coyotes , and mountain lions have long inhabited
696-482: Was 1.4%; the rental vacancy rate was 11.2%. 22,307 people (73.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 7,668 people (25.3%) lived in rental housing units. At the 2000 census , there were 31,178 people, 10,895 households and 7,942 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,911.1 inhabitants per square mile (1,896.2/km ). There were 11,303 housing units at an average density of 1,780.4 per square mile (687.4/km ). The racial makeup of
725-497: Was 31,374 at the 2020 census . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17 km ). 6.7 square miles (17 km ) of it is land and 0.025 square miles (0.065 km ) of it (0.37%) is water. 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
754-416: Was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. According to a 2007 estimate, the median household income was $ 89,781 and the median family income was $ 102,191. Males had a median income of $ 59,144 versus $ 38,761 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 36,133. About 3.6% of families and 5.0% of the population were below
783-446: Was 4,532.4 inhabitants per square mile (1,750.0/km ). The racial makeup of Laguna Hills was 22,045 (72.7%) White (61.7% Non-Hispanic White), 420 (1.4%) African American , 101 (0.3%) Native American , 3,829 (12.6%) Asian , 58 (0.2%) Pacific Islander , 2,470 (8.1%) from other races , and 1,421 (4.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6,242 persons (20.6%). The Census reported that 29,975 people (98.8% of
812-721: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86. There were 7,733 families (73.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.25. 6,762 people (22.3%) were under the age of 18; 2,617 people (8.6%) aged 18 to 24; 7,638 people (25.2%) aged 25 to 44; 9,437 people (31.1%) aged 45 to 64; and 3,890 people (12.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. There were 11,046 housing units at an average density of 1,649.9 per square mile (637.0/km ), of which 7,820 (74.7%) were owner-occupied, and 2,649 (25.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate
841-612: Was an existing office building at 24035 El Toro Road – near the Laguna Hills Mall – which was bought and totally renovated by the city. The city moved its City Hall there in 2004, but also rents out space in the building on a commercial basis, providing the city with a positive net income on the building. Laguna Hills is home to one of the California DMV field offices, where driving tests and other services are administered. The office serves much of south Orange County as
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