All of the coastal towns offer their own flavors, and Laguna Beach definitely brings its own set of characteristics to the wider area. With an emphasis on the finer things in life, curious and cultured people will find no end of activities to do and scenery to see. There are homes available here that come with every luxury available, from advanced kitchens to home movie theaters. In California, there are places that are just naturally associated with the successful people of the area, and Laguna Beach is definitely one of them. Movoto would like you to keep a few words in facts and words in mind before you consider moving here.
The prices here are definitely in line with the demand to live in this amazing place by the ocean. In the coastal zip code of 92651, you can expect to pay an average of about $2.75 million for a single family home with some homes for sale at just under $20 million. Your neighbors will be almost exclusively White (91%), with about the same percentage being college educated. Of those who live near the beach, 65% are 40 and over. Household sizes are small at about 2 to 3 people, and about a third makes over $150,000 a year. Most people either work in education or finance. If you want to live farther inland at zip code 92652, then the prices are much lower at about $775,000 a home. Laguna obviously attracts lots of tourists, so the rental market may be something to consider as well. As you might imagine, Laguna Beach is not uniformly for the rich, and there are some patchy areas here. Generally the biggest crime you'll need to worry about is theft as opposed to any type of violence.
Laguna Beach is best known for being breathtaking. The ocean is beautiful regardless of where you are on the coast, but there's another quality in Laguna Beach's hills that make this word more fitting. The slope of the city gives you a better vantage point of the sun-dappled water than its flatter neighbors. You can walk around both on the main streets with endless amounts of shops and restaurants as well as wind your way between the homes and still have excellent views practically everywhere you go. And when it rains (which lately is unfortunately extremely rare) all of Orange County is turned into a wonderland. You can see snow on the distant mountains and lush greenery on the hills and beyond. It makes Laguna Beach CA just that much more scenic.
You can sum up the culture with a few words: active, artsy, and organic. It's a crime to stay indoors if you live practically anywhere in Southern California, but Laguna Beach especially encourages you to get out and about. There are always people out walking or enjoying the water, and not just because this is a somewhat popular tourist destination. There’s hiking on a choice of many trails, biking on the paths, plus a variety of activities in the water from swimming to boogie boarding. In terms of activity on the beach, you can expect there to be a fair amount of people from the surrounding neighborhoods coming to enjoy the finery in Laguna Beach. Summers will not be very fun if you want some more of a sleepy beach town.
From the locals selling their art on the street to the Wyland gallery taking center stage on its main strip, there's a lot of emphasis placed on beauty. In order to sell art to this picky community, the pieces have to connect with the people. That's why you'll find a major concentration on all things water. From sunsets to sea life, artists try to portray the ocean in ever more creative and colorful ways. This is not to say that you won't find every kind of art here too, as there is still variety, but you can see why the sea commands the attention. You also can expect that pretty much every shop here will have its own personality. You'll find one-of-a-kind treasures everywhere you go from furniture to accessories. You'll have the best in choices to decorate yourself, your home, your car, and practically anything else you can think of.
Like many of the well off areas, Laguna Beach CA cares about what they eat and they like the organic foods. It's not to say that you won't find fast food here, but you'll find many more expensive supermarkets similar to Whole Foods. You'll likely find that food, whether it's home cooked or a Saturday night dinner out on the town, is talked about often. Southern California attracts some of the best chefs all dying to live in the beautiful weather and take surfing lessons on the side. There's a farmer's market every Saturday with endless amounts of fresh produce, and a lot of restaurants who support the farm-to-table movement as well. Health and wellness are major points of focus in this area in general.
