The quiet, low-key City of Lake Forest, CA, lies near the foothills of southern Orange County and has been transformed in recent years from a sleepy residential community to a bustling business center with a powerful economic engine. The Lake Forest real estate market is one of the h2est in Orange County, with a median home price of 699,000.
The suburban community is made up mostly of tract homes, townhouses and condos and includes two large man-made lakes, from which it gets its name. Located just minutes from many of Orange County’s pristine beaches, Lake Forest, along with its neighbors Mission Viejo and Irvine, is ranked as one of the safest cities in the country.
Lake Forest is a short commute away from Orange County’s economic hubs of Irvine, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach and offers an easy commute to the Inland Empire communities of Riverside and San Bernardino via the 241 toll road.
Lake Forest is home to several of Orange County’s largest employers, including eyewear maker Oakley and national consumer lender loanDepot. However, the city’s biggest claim to fame is probably that it is home to Rick Warren’s well known megachurch Saddleback, which is currently the seventh largest church in the country. More than 20,000 people attend Saddleback on a weekly basis.
Lake Forest is also home to several big box stores, including Home Depot and Walmart, which employ thousands of people. Restaurant chains Del Taco and Johnny Rockets are headquartered in Lake Forest as are footwear manufacturer Etnies and sports-branded clothing manufacturer Tilly’s.
Prior to becoming a city in 1991, the area that is now Lake Forest was a citrus ranch known as El Toro and was part of the Saddleback Valley. The 27,000 acre El Toro Ranch was part of an 1842 Mexican land grant to Jose Serrano and his family and served as the main stagecoach stop between San Diego and Los Angeles in the 1800s.
After World War II, development exploded in this area and the acres of citrus trees were quickly replaced with houses and commercial and industrial developments. To combat this explosive development, Orange County’s first historical park, Heritage Hill, was established and is home to Serrano Adobe, the oldest structure in the area.
In addition to have many large shopping centers itself, Lake Forest is located just steps from the exclusive Irvine Spectrum Center, which boasts high-end stores such as Nordstrom, Apple, and Anthropologie. The open-air mall also features a 21-screen movieplex, Ferris wheel and carousel.
The Foothill Ranch Towne Centre shopping center is Lake Forest’s largest shopping destination and contains more than 100 shops and restaurants, including Target, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, PetSmart, Chipotle, Miguel’s Mexican Cuisine and Peppino’s Italian. The center’s food court offers a mix of cultural dishes, including Mexican, Italian, Vietnamese, Greek, American, Japanese and Thai and a 22-screen movie theater is located at the center of it all.
The Foothill Ranch community organizations old multiple events here every year, including farmers’ markets and food and wine tasting events.
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, which host musical acts throughout most of the year is located minutes away in Irvine.
Great schools and a rich culture are two of the things that make Lake Forest such an important community. In addition to its low crime rate Lake Forest has a high school graduation rate of 91.4 percent, which is significantly higher than the state and national averages.
Lake Forest also offers plenty of activities for kids, including the Etnies outdoor skate park and Pump It Up, an indoor recreation center for children. The bulk of Lake Forest’s fast food eateries, such as McDonalds, Chick-Fil-A and Del Taco boast enclosed play areas for kids as well.
Saddleback Church offers a variety of youth ministries and after school activities and the area features many outdoor parks and hiking trails. The brand new Baker Ranch Park and Barker Ranch Dog Park are state-of-the-art public facilities.
Lake Forest isn’t particularly known for the architecture of its homes. The area is dominated with master planned communities of tract homes, townhouses and condos. Like most of Southern California, the architecture here is dominated by Spanish revival style with red tile roofs and stucco arches.
Many of the condos and townhomes have been designed in a more “American” style with gabled roofs, wood siding and spacious floor plans. Some of Lake Forest’s oldest buildings are assumed to be designed by the country’s greatest architects working out of Chicago in the late 1800's.
Lake Forest’s two man-made lakes are surrounded by condos and townhouses, which make up the bulk of the city’s residential dwellings.
