Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach is an eclectic housing market. There are approximately 7,500 homes in Laguna Beach and no two are alike! Laguna Beach is an active community with award winning schools, art walks, car shows, pet parades and music in the park to name just a few. The Festival of Arts and the Sawdust Festival draw people from all over the world. The local beaches are considered some of the best in the world for surfing or leisurely walks.

An idyllic combination of stunning location, pristine coastline and rich artistic sensibilities makes Laguna Beach one of Southern California’s most culturally dynamic vacation spots and most desirable residential Zip codes. Situated in southwest Orange County, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, Laguna Beach is under nine square miles in size, bordered on one side by seven miles of coastline with more than 20 scenic coves. While the area’s prehistoric settlements date back nearly twelve thousand years, the coast was the historic home of the Tongva peoples. As with many of California’s coastal communities, first contact was with Spanish missionaries in the 1500s. Later part of Mexico, the parcel known as Laguna Beach became part of the United States after the Mexican- American War.

Attracted by the region’s beauty and encouraged by the incentives of the Homestead Act, settlers made their homes along the shore, in the scenic canyons and around freshwater lakes (lagonas). They planted eucalyptus groves and welcomed the tourists who pitched their tents along the beaches each summer. The first post office was established in 1887, hotels and restaurants were built to serve the growing trade and the city of Laguna Beach was incorporated in 1927.

As word of the area’s beauty spread, numerous plein air artists joined the permanent population and galleries opened to display their work. Hollywood filmmakers and privacy-seeking celebrities weren’t far behind. In 1932, the first Festival of the Arts was held and its “living pictures” launched the Pageant of the Masters—annual traditions that continue to the present day.

Over the past century, Laguna Beach has refined its reputation as an art destination, with a world-class art museum, a massive collection of public art, dynamic festivals, art tours and classes, galleries and much more. At the same time, its gorgeous protected shoreline and Mediterranean climate have inspired a vast array of recreational options, making Laguna Beach a truly livable resort town.