Laguna Beach / San Clemente / San Juan Capistrano, CA 90291

Things to do
Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California. It is known
for a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation, and artist community.
The population in the 2010 census was 22,723.
Historically a territory of Paleoindians, the Tongva people and then Mexico, the location became
part of the United States following the Mexican–American War. Laguna Beach was settled in the
1870s, officially founded in 1887 and, in 1927 its current government was incorporated as a city.
In 1944, the city adopted a council-manager form for its government. The city has remained
relatively isolated from urban encroachment by its surrounding hills, limited highway access, and
a dedicated greenbelt. The Laguna Beach coastline is protected by 5.88 miles (9.46 km) of state
marine reserve and an additional 1.21 miles (1.95 km) of state conservation area.
Tourism is the primary industry with an estimated three million people visiting the community
annually. Annual large events include the Pageant of the Masters, Festival of the Arts, Sawdust Art
Festival, Art-A-Fair, Bluewater Music Festival, and Kelpfest.
History
Laguna Beach was the habitation site of a prehistoric paleoindian civilization. In 1933, the first
fossilized skull of a paleoindian found in California was uncovered during construction on St.
Ann’s Drive. Known as “Laguna Woman”, the skull originally was radiocarbon dated to more than
17,000 BP, however, revised measurements suggest it originated during the Holocene era 11,700
years before present. Subsequent research has found several prehistoric encampment sites in
the area.
Historically, the indigenous people of the Laguna Beach area were the Tongva. Aliso Creek served
as a territorial boundary between Gabrieleno and Acjachemen groups, or Juanenos, named by
Spanish missionaries who first encountered them in the 1500s. The area of Laguna Canyon was
named on an 1841 Mexican land grant map as, Cañada de las Lagunas (English:Glen of the
Lagoons). After the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, the area of Alta California was ceded
to the United States. The treaty provided that Mexican land grants be honored and Rancho San
Joaquin, which included north Laguna Beach, was granted to José Antonio Andres Sepúlveda.
Following a drought in 1864, Sepúlveda sold the property to James Irvine.[15] The majority of
Laguna Beach was one of the few parcels of coastal land in Southern California that never was
included in any Mexican land grant.
Settlers arrived after the American Civil War. They were encouraged by the Homestead Act and
Timber Culture Act, which granted up to 160 acres of land to a homesteader who would plant at
least 40 acres of trees. In Laguna Beach, settlers planted groves of eucalyptus trees. In 1871, the
first permanent homestead in the area was occupied by the George and Sarah Thurston family
of Utah on 152 acres of Aliso Creek Canyon. In 1876, the brothers William and Lorenzo Nathan
“Nate” Brooks purchased tracts of land in Bluebird Canyon at present-day Diamond Street. They
subdivided their land, built homes and initiated the small community of Arch Beach. In his book,
History of Orange County, California, Samuel Armor cited permanent homestead of Nate Brooks
as the beginning of the modern day town and described Brooks as the “Father of Laguna Beach.”
The community in Laguna Canyon and around the main beach expanded during the 1880s.
The city officially founded a post office in 1887 under the name Lagona (sic), but the postmaster
in 1904, Nicholas Isch, successfully petitioned for a name correction to Laguna Beach. By then
Laguna Beach already had developed into a tourist destination. Hubbard Goff built a large hotel
at Arch Beach in 1886, which later was moved and added to Joseph Yoch’s Laguna Beach
Hotel built in 1888 on the main beach. Visitors from local cities pitched tents on the beaches for
vacation during the warm summers.
The scenic beauty of the isolated coastline and hills attracted plein-air painters in the early 1900s.
William Wendt, Frank Cuprien, and Edgar Payne among others settled there and formed the
Laguna Beach Art Association. The first art gallery opened in 1918 and later became the Laguna
Beach Art Museum. Precursors to The Festival of the Arts and the Pageant of the Masters began in
1921, and eventually were established in their present day form by Roy Ropp in 1936. Due to its
proximity to Hollywood, Laguna also became a favorite filming location. Starting in 1913, dozens
of silent films were made at local coves with Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.,
and others. Actors and film crews stayed during long production shoots at the Arch Beach Tavern
on the hillside above Moss Street.
The arrival of painters, photographers, filmmakers, and writers established Laguna Beach as a
noted artist community. Although there only were approximately 300 residents in 1920, a large
proportion of them worked in creative fields. The small town remained isolated until 1926 because
the long winding Laguna Canyon road served as the only access. With the completion of the
Pacific Coast Highway in 1926, a population boom was expected. In order to protect the small
town atmosphere of the art colony, residents who called themselves “Lagunatics” pushed for
incorporation. The municipal government for Laguna Beach incorporated as a city on June 29,
1927. The city experienced steady population growth since that time, rising from 1900 residents
in 1927 to more than 10,000 in 1962, and becoming four times larger in area.
Pretend City Children’s Museum
29 Hubble, Irvine • (949) 428-3900 • pretendcity.com
If elementary school age children are having a bit of
difficulty in math, reading or sciences consider a trip
to Pretend City Children’s Museum. This interactive city
provides fun activities allowing your children to learn
concepts in these subjects without the classroom setting.
A well-trained professional leads your child through
this exciting city aiding them in mastery in these oftentough
skills.
Niguel Botanical Preserve
29571 Crown Valley Pkwy, Laguna Niguel
(949) 425-5100 • niguelbotanicalpreserve.org
Niguel Botanical Preserve consists of 18 acres of beautiful
and lush botanical gardens. The mission of this
preserve is to showcase plants and flowers known to
prosper in the Mediterranean climate of the area. The
preserve began as a simple vegetable garden used to
educate locals in methods of horticulture.
ZOOMARS
31791 Los Rios Street, San Juan Capistrano, CA
(949) 331-6550 • zoomars.com
ZOOMARS is a petting zoo with cute and cuddly animals
for your children to pet, feed and observe. Among the
animals are potbellied pigs, llamas, cows and sheep.
Your child is also given the opportunity to feed grapes
to the turkeys, apples to the adorable donkeys and carrots
to the emu. There are also bunnies and Tonka the
tortoise, not to mention the loveable goats. Take your
child for a ride on the mini-train at the playground or for
a ride on ponies.
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