Aliso Viejo, California

Aliso Viejo (Spanish for "Old Sycamore") is a city in the San Joaquin Hills of southern Orange County, California. It had a population of 47,823 as of the 2010 census, up from 40,166 as of the 2000 census. It became Orange County's 34th city on July 1, 2001, the only city in Orange County to be incorporated since 2000. It is bordered by the cities of Laguna Beach on the west and southwest, Laguna Hills on the east, Laguna Niguel on the southeast, and Laguna Woods on the north.

History

The planned community of Aliso Viejo's original were once part of the Moulton Ranch, owned by the Moulton family, who took title in the 1890s to land originally granted to Juan Avila by the Mexican government in 1842. Over the years, portions of the ranch were sold and became Leisure World, Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel. In 1976, the Mission Viejo Company purchased the remaining 6,600 acres to create a new planned community – Aliso Viejo – with a master plan for 20,000 homes for a planned population of 50,000. The master plan was approved by the Orange County in 1979, and homes were first offered for sale in March 1982. Aliso Viejo's first family moved in that November. As part of the project, were dedicated to Orange County as part of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, and were set aside for local parks, recreation, schools and community facilities. The Aliso Viejo Community Association (AVCA) was set up to manage the local parks and community open space. It was the first community-wide association of its kind in California and has the unique ability to provide a full-range of community services and facilities.

Aliso Viejo was the first planned community in California to plan a balance between the projected resident work force and the number of projected jobs within its borders. Pacific Park, the centrally located business park and town center, was expected to ultimately provide more than 22,000 jobs. Every home in Aliso Viejo was located within of Pacific Park, to encourage live-and-work opportunities."Aliso Viejo ... for today and tomorrow" Mission Viejo Company

Incorporation

Aliso Viejo had been an unincorporated community since 1979, and incorporated as a city in 2001 due to the efforts of the Aliso Viejo Cityhood 2000 Committee, which was responsible for introducing an initiative on the ballot for the 2001 special election. Voters passed the initiative with 93.3% in favor of incorporation. Carmen Vali-Cave, the co-founder and president of the committee, became the new city's first mayor.

The seal of the city of Aliso Viejo was adopted in 2001 at incorporation. The seal features several mountains, a sunset, a tree, and several buildings. Also, the seal features the slogan "July 2001", in celebration of the city's incorporation date.

African American John Steward:''
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Board of Director, Division Six, Moulton Niguel Water District; Former Member Compton Unified School District Board of Trustees, is Co-founder/Chief Petitioner to Incorporate the City of Aliso Viejo, CA.

John Steward provided organizational skills and political insights to the formation of the Aliso Viejo Citizen Action League which was the genesis of the Aliso Viejo Cityhood Committee.

Aliso Viejo is a general law city with a council-manager system of government. Day-to-day operations are handled by a professional city manager overseen by a volunteer city council. The City Council of Aliso Viejo consists of five members serving staggered four-year terms. Each year, the Council votes for its next Mayor and Mayor ''pro tem''. The current City Council consists of Mayor Mike Munzing, Mayor Pro-Tem Tiffany Ackley, and Council Members David C. Harrington, Ross Chun, and William Phillips .

State and federal representation

In the California State Legislature, Aliso Viejo is in , and in .

In the United States House of Representatives, Aliso Viejo is in .

Politics

Aliso Viejo is a swing city at the presidential level. According to the California Secretary of State, as of October 22, 2018, Aliso Viejo has 27,699 registered voters. Of those, 9,210 (33.25%) are registered Republicans, 8,800 (31.77%) are registered Democrats, and 8,388 (30.28%) have declined to state a political party/are independents.

Geography

Aliso Viejo is located at (33.575096, -117.725431) in the San Joaquin Hills of Orange County. According to the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of which is land. Aliso Viejo is one of several cities bordering Aliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park. Aliso Creek forms part of the city's boundary with Laguna Niguel to the south, and Wood Canyon Creek forms part of the city's western boundary. Much of the city rests on the east slope of the San Joaquin Hills, which are a coastal mountain range extending for about along the Pacific coast.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States Census reported a population of 52,176. The racial makeup was 68.3% White, 2.7% African American, 15.4% Asian, and 18.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Aliso Viejo had a population of 47,823. The population density was . The racial makeup of Aliso Viejo was 34,437 (89.0%) White (77.8% Non-Hispanic White), 967 (2.0%) African American, 151 (0.1%) Native American, 6,996 (14.6%) Asian, 89 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 2,446 (5.1%) from other races, and 2,737 (5.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,164 persons (17.1%).

The Census reported that 47,354 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 450 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 19 (0%) were institutionalized.

There were 18,204 households, out of which 7,095 (39.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 9,358 (51.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,966 (10.8%) h