Laguna Hills, California

==History==
Laguna Hills is built on one of the major land grants developed during the [[Ranchos of California|''rancho'']] era. Following [[Mexico]]'s [[Mexican War of Independence|independence]] from [[Spanish Empire|Spain]] in 1821, those who had served in the government or who had friends in authority, were given vast lands for cattle grazing. [[Rancho Lomas de Santiago]], [[Rancho San Joaquin]], and [[Rancho Niguel]] covered much of the western portion of the [[Saddleback Valley]]. Don Juan Avila was granted the 13,000-acre Rancho Niguel on which Laguna Hills is located.

In 1894, Lewis Moulton purchased Rancho Niguel from Don Juan Avila and increased the original grant to {{convert|22000|acre|km2}}. Moulton and his partner, Jean Piedra Daguerre, used the ranch to raise sheep and cattle. The Moulton Ranch was eventually subdivided in the early 1960s, and part of the division became today's Laguna Hills.

Incorporation efforts began in 1987 and on March 5, 1991, 86% of the residents voted in favor of forming the City of Laguna Hills. On December 20, 1991, Laguna Hills officially became a City. Subsequent annexations have included the North Laguna Hills (1996) and the "Westside Annexation" (2000) areas. The latter included {{convert|149|acre|km2}} of residential land, including the [[Aliso Viejo]] Community Association's [[Sheep Hills, California|Sheep Hills]] Park.<ref>[http://www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us/about/default.aspM]{{dead link|date=September 2013}}</ref>

In 2004, Laguna Hills' [[City Hall]] was moved to an existing office building at 24035 [[California county routes in zone S|El Toro Road]], which was bought and renovated by the city. The city also rents out commercial space in the building, providing the city with a positive net income.<ref name=strong>[http://strongcitiesstrongstate.com/success/laguna-hills/civic-center-business-enterprise Civic Center as a Business Enterprise] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131214102649/http://strongcitiesstrongstate.com/success/laguna-hills/civic-center-business-enterprise |date=December 14, 2013 }} on the ''Strong Cities'' website</ref>

===Transportation===
====Roads====
[[File:I-5 (CA).svg|27px|link=Interstate 5 in California]] [[Interstate 5 in California|Interstate 5]] travels along the eastern border of Laguna Hills, forming the border with [[Lake Forest, California|Lake Forest]] and [[Mission Viejo, California|Mission Viejo]]. I-5 has five interchanges in the city, from south to north: Oso Parkway, La Paz Road, Alicia Parkway, El Toro Road (Highway S18), and Lake Forest Drive.

[[File:Orange County S18.svg|27px|link=California county routes in zone S#S18]] County Route S18, also known as El Toro Road, is a major road in Laguna Hills, encompassing the border of Laguna Hills at the 5 Freeway, up to the 73 Toll Road.

In addition to the highways listed above, Alicia Parkway and Oso Parkway (which turns into Pacific Park Drive at the Laguna Hills-[[Aliso Viejo, California|Aliso Viejo]] border) are major north-south thoroughfares and Moulton Parkway is a major east-west thoroughfare.