About Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach is an affluent seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately 19 miles (31 km) southeast of the county seat of Santa Ana. Laguna Beach is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic beaches and coves, 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 incorporated as the City of Laguna Beach in 1927. The city has remained relatively isolated from urban encroachment by its surrounding hills, limited highway access and a dedicated greenbelt. The entire length of coastline is protected by a Marine Preserve.

Tourism is the primary industry with an estimated 3 million people visiting the community annually. The community hosts several large art events annually including the Pageant of the Masters, Festival of the Arts, Sawdust Festival and Art-A-Fair.

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 was originally 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.

Laguna Beach has a history of historic preservation and environmental stewardship. Craftsman bungalows from the early 1900s dot the downtown and South Laguna areas. Between 1980 and 1981, the city conducted the Laguna Beach Historic Survey, a city-wide block-by-block study which noted the location of pre-1940 buildings and determined which had historic significance. 706 homes and structures in Laguna Beach were classified as historically significant.

Laguna Beach is the only Orange County city protected by a dedicated greenbelt inland, and a dedicated bluebelt seaward. In 1972, local conservationists founded Laguna Greenbelt Incorporated and began a drive to conserve a horseshoe of hills and canyons surrounding Laguna Beach. As of 2011, more than 20,000 contiguous acres of wildlands constituted The Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Jim Dilley Preserve, Crystal Cove State Park and the Aliso-Wood Canyons Wilderness Park.