Lake Forest, California

Infobox Settlement
official_name = City of Lake Forest, California
settlement_type = City


imagesize =
image_caption =
image_

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mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location of Lake Forest within Orange County, California.


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_name1 = California
subdivision_name2 = Orange
government_type =
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Mark Tettemer
incorporation_date = December 20, 1991
established_date =
area_magnitude = 1 E8
area_total_km2 = 32.7
area_land_km2 = 32.3
area_water_km2 = 0.3
area_total_sq_mi = 12.6
area_land_sq_mi = 12.5
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1
elevation_m = 148
elevation_ft = 400
latd = 33 |latm = 38 |lats = 30 |latNS = N
longd = 117 |longm = 41 |longs = 27 |longEW = W
population_as_of = 2007
population_total = 78243
population_density_km2 = 2422.4
timezone = PST
utc_offset = -8
timezone_DST = PDT
utc_offset_DST = -7
latitude = 33°38'30" N
longitude = 117°41'27" W
postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 92609, 92610, 92630, 92679
area_code = 949
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 06-39496
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1656503
footnotes =
website = [http://www.city-lakeforest.com/ http://www.city-lakeforest.com/]
other =

Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 78,243 as of 2007. [ [http://blogs.ocregister.com/lansner/archives/2007/05/03/ Gives information on 2007 populations of cities.] ] With 6,274 people per square mile, it is the most densely populated city in South County to this day.

Lake Forest incorporated as a new city on December 20, 1991. Residents voted to name the city Lake Forest, after two expensive master planned residential communities, denying the longer claim to the territory by the community of El Toro. Since being founded, it has expanded its limits to include the newer communities of Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills. The multiplicity of names often creates confusion: some people in the Portola Hills neighborhood, for example, can receive mail addressed to them at Portola Hills, Lake Forest, or Trabuco Canyon. The ZIP code 92679 is a Trabuco Canyon zip code even though not a single area in the ZIP code is Trabuco Canyon. This might be because since 92679 is assigned to the northeastern area of Rancho Santa Margarita and the southern area of Lake Forest it would be too confusing for the postal services because two cities are both served by that ZIP code. Lake Forest (along with its neighboring cities Mission Viejo and Irvine) is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country. The private research firm Morgan Quitno ranked Lake Forest as the 15th safest city and another firm later ranked Lake Forest 10th in 2007 in the United States.

The city has two lakes from which the city gets its name. The lakes are man-made and custom homes ranging from large to small, and condominiums line their shores. The Lake Forest Beach and Tennis Club and Sun and Sail Club feature tennis courts, gyms, basketball courts, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, multiple swimming pools, saunas, swimmings, hot tubs and club houses for social events.

El Toro Road at the Interstate 5 Freeway was the epicenter of the Saddleback Valley from the late 1800s to the late 1900s. However, the area gradually deteriorated, and most of the shops closed or moved to other cities. After years of planning, the City has worked with the property owners of some aging strip malls and developed the "Arbor at Lake Forest" commercial district. The new center can now compete with the more upscale shopping centers and cities that surround Lake Forest like Mission Viejo, Irvine, and Laguna Hills. Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills brought new homes to Lake Forest in the farthest east portion of the city.

The city hosts the headquarters of eyewear manufacturer Oakley, Inc.; in flight entertainment provider Panasonic Avionics; hard-drive maker Western Digital; telecommunications software developer Greenlight Wireless Corp.; barbecue retailer Barbeques Galore; medical equipment maker Apria Healthcare; and skateboarding companies Sole Technology, Inc., Etnies, and Tilly's; among others. In addition, one of the county's most famous churches and the largest independent church in California, Saddleback Church (pastor, Rick Warren), is located in Lake Forest.

Lake Forest's central proximity to surrounding areas and immediate access to the Santa Ana and San Diego Freeways (Interstates 5 and 405, respectively), Irvine's Business Spectrum, Irvine Spectrum Center and the short drive to Laguna Beach makes it a very desirable place to live. In 2007 the city synchronized its traffic lights, and (to the dismay of many Mission Viejo commuters who drove through Lake Forest to Irvine) shortened drive times up and down Bake Parkway, Lake Forest Drive and El Toro Road in order to alleviate congestion between Foothill and I-5.

In 1994, Kathryn McCullough became the mayor of Lake Forest, and the first African American mayor of any city in Orange County. She currently serves as a member of the City Council.

Parks and Education

Lake Forest is also home to two county parks. Whiting Ranch in the eastern part of the city was the site of an infamous mountain lion mauling in 2004 that captured the West Coast news media. [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/01/09/national/main592433.shtml CBS news article on the attack.] ]

Heritage Hill historical park is home to some of the oldest buildings in the county, including the Serrano Adobe, the old El Toro School House, and St. Georges Episcopal Church.

Lake Forest has one high school, El Toro High School. The high school was opened in 1973. It has established itself as one of the top schools in Southern California, along with the other three comprehensive high schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. The mascot is a bull and its teams are known as the Chargers. School colors are blue and gold.

Lake Forest is served by two libraries of the Orange County Public Library, one of which is the El Toro Branch located at 24672 Raymond Way. El Toro was opened in April 1981 and today has approximately 18,000 registered users and circulates roughly 29,000 items per month. The other is the Foothill Ranch Branch located at 27002 Cabriole Way.

Geography

Lake Forest is located at coor dms|33|38|30|N|117|41|27|W|city (33.641642, -117.690733)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.7 km² (12.6 mi²). 32.3 km² (12.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.95%) is water.

El Toro/Lake Forest/Portola is located in the heart of the Saddleback Valley. It is also in the northern section of South Orange County.

It has two man-made lakes identified by the clubhouses on the lakes: the Beach and Tennis Club (Hidden Lakes, formerly Lake I) and the Sun and Sail Club (Lake II).

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 58,707 people, 20,008 households, and 14,745 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,814.8/km² (4,698.8/mi²). There were 20,486 housing units at an average density of 633.3/km² (1,639.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.02% White, 1.83% African American, 0.50% Native American, 9.70% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 7.51% from other races, and 4.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.59% of the population.

There were 20,008 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $91,457, and the median income for a family was $100,940. [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US0633000&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US06%7C16000US0633000&_street=&_county=lake+forest&_cityTown=lake+forest&_state=04000US06&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2006_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=] Males had a median income of $52,019 versus $37,100 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,583. About 3.2% of families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government & Politics

Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was located one mile (1.6 km) from the city of Lake Forest in the city of Irvine. At one time, El Toro was considered a military town, but the city blossomed independently in the 1980s and 1990s and the base closed in 1999.

Of the 40,352 registered voters in Lake Forest; 25.8% are Democrats and 53.4% are Republicans. The remaining 20.8% either declined to state political affiliation or are registered with one of the many minor political parties. Richard Dixon serves as Lake Forest's mayor and Mark Tettemer is Mayor Pro Tem. The three other city council members are Kathryn McCullough, Marcia Rudolph, and Peter Herzog.

In the state legislature Lake Forest is located in the 33rd Senate District, represented by Republican Dick Ackerman, and in the 70th Assembly District, represented by Republican Chuck DeVore. Federally, Lake Forest is located in California's 48th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +8 [cite web | title = Will Gerrymandered Districts Stem the Wave of Voter Unrest? | publisher = Campaign Legal Center Blog | url=http://www.clcblog.org/blog_item-85.html | accessdate = 2008-02-10] and is represented by Republican John Campbell.

Notable residents

*Erika Cook, Winner of the reality television show "Endurance 4"
*Ginger Reyes, American rock bassist with the bands Smashing Pumpkins and Halo Friendlies
*Chris Jacobsen (CJ), Season 3 contestant of the reality television show "Top Chef"
*Dan Huard, employee at Digg and Revision3

References

External links

* [http://www.city-lakeforest.com/ Official City of Lake Forest Homepage]
* [http://www.friendsofportola.org/ Friends of Portola] is a website that discusses issues affecting the Portola Hills area of the City of Lake Forest
* [http://www.lakeforesthills.wordpress.com/ Lake Forest Hills] is a weblog about the communities of Foothill Ranch, Lake Forest, and Portola Hills
* [http://www.etniesskatepark.com/ The Etnies Skatepark Of Lake Forest]