Mission Viejo ( ;

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

of ; ) is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities ever built under a single project in the United States and is rivaled only by

Highlands Ranch, Colorado Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The p ...

in size. Its population as of 2020 was 93,653. Mission Viejo is suburban in nature and culture, and consists of residential properties, offices and businesses. The city is noted for its tree-lined neighborhoods, receiving recognition from the

National Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communitie ...

. The city's name is a reference to Rancho Mission Viejo, a large Spanish land grant from which the community was founded. The United States Census Bureau defines an

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

of Orange County cities not part of Los Angeles's urban area with Mission Viejo as the principal city: the Mission Viejo– Lake Forest–

Laguna Niguel Laguna Niguel () is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The name Laguna Niguel is derived from the words "Laguna" (Spanish for "lagoon") and "Niguili" (the name of a Native American village once located near Aliso Creek). It al ...

, CA urban area had a population of 646,843 as of the 2020 census, ranked 65th in the United States.

History

Rancho Mission Viejo was purchased by Don Juan Forster, an English-born Mexican ranchero. During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, Forster provided fresh horses to United States military forces which were used on the march of San Diego to invade Los Angeles. Mission Viejo was a hilly region primarily used as cattle and sheep

grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetations in order to feed conversion ratio, convert the otherwise indigestible (by human diges ...

land, since it was of little use to farmers. This city was one of the last regions of Orange County to be urbanized due to its geologic complexity. In 1960, early developers dismissed most of the land in Mission Viejo as simply "undevelopable". Donald Bren, an urban planner who later became the president of the Irvine Company, drafted a master plan which placed roads in the valleys and houses on the hills, and contoured to the geography of the area. The plan worked, and by 1980 much of the city of Mission Viejo was completed. During the late 1970s and the 1980s, houses in Mission Viejo were in such high demand that housing tracts often sold out before construction even began on them. The houses and shopping centers in the city are almost uniformly designed in a Spanish mission style, with "adobe"-like stucco walls and barrel-tile roofs. Many point to Mission Viejo as the first and largest manifestation of Bren's obsession with

Spanish architecture Spanish architecture refers to architecture in any area of what is now Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide, influencing mainly areas of what was once part of the Spanish Empire. The term includes buildings which were constructed within t ...

. Bren's company was also the creator of the developments in Irvine and

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

. The company expanded its operations and went on to build the Lakes project in

Tempe, Arizona Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in O'odham language, O'odham) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in t ...

and Mission Viejo Aurora, and was the initial master planner of

Highlands Ranch Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The p ...

, both located in the Denver, Colorado Metropolitan area. The seal of the city of Mission Viejo was designed and drawn by Carl Glassford, an artist and former resident of the city.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (2.12%) is water. A significant portion of the surface water is held in Lake Mission Viejo, an artificial lake stretching approximately one mile from Olympiad Road to Alicia Parkway along Marguerite Parkway. Mission Viejo is located southeast of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, and northwest of

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. It is bordered by Lake Forest on the northwest, Trabuco Canyon on the northeast,

Rancho Santa Margarita Rancho Santa Margarita was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in the Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains, in present day San Luis Obispo County, California, San Luis Obispo County, central California. The List of Ranchos of Cali ...

and Ladera Ranch on the east, San Juan Capistrano on the south, and

and Laguna Hills on the west.

Climate

Mission Viejo enjoys a borderline

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BSh/Csa''), with mild temperatures and plentiful sunshine year-round. Rainfall totals, which average around annually are focused primarily in the months from November to March. Summer is very dry and virtually rainless. Due to the city's proximity to the ocean, nighttime and morning clouds are fairly common, especially in May and June, a weather phenomenon commonly known as

June Gloom June Gloom is a mainly Southern California term for a weather pattern that results in cloud cover, cloudy, overcast skies with cool temperatures during the late spring and early summer. While the marine layer is most common in the month of June ...

or May Gray. Like most of Southern California, the city is prone to dry

Santa Ana winds The Santa Ana winds, occasionally referred to as the devil winds, are strong, extremely dry katabatic winds that originate inland and affect coastal Southern California and northern Baja California. They originate from cool, dry high-pressure ...

, bringing hot air from inland and punctuating the normally mild temperatures with noticeable jumps. For example, temperatures have reached highs of and above throughout many months of the year, occasionally into autumn. From 2012 to 2016, California experienced the worst drought in a century. In 2016, California experienced more rainfall than expected and ended most of the drought. Orange County was the last to have drought restrictions lifted.

Demographics

Mission Viejo first appeared as an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in the 1970 U.S. Census; and was designated as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the

1980 U.S. Census The 1980 United States census, conducted by the United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 226,545,805, an increase of 11.4% over the 203,184,772 persons Enumeration, enumerated dur ...

. After incorporation, it appeared as a city in the 1990 U.S. Census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Mission Viejo had a population of 93,653. There were 5,057 (5.4%) persons under the age of 5, 18,824 (20.3%) persons under the age of 18, and 19,948 (21.3%) persons over the age of 65. In the census, 47,295 (50.5%) of people were female while 46,358 (49.5%) were male. The Mission Viejo–Lake Forest–Laguna Niguel, CA

had a population of 646,843 as of 2020, making it the 65th most populous in the United States.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Mission Viejo had a population of 93,305. The population density was . The racial makeup of Mission Viejo was 74,493 (79.8%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

(68.9% Non-Hispanic White), 1,210 (1.3%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 379 (0.4%) Native American, 8,462 (9.1%) Asian, 153 (0.2%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 4,332 (4.6%) from other races, and 4,276 (4.6%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 15,877 persons (17.0%). The Census reported that 92,363 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 859 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 83 (0.1%) were institutionalized. There were 33,208 households, out of which 11,767 (35.4%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 20,792 (62.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 2,967 (8.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 1,306 (3.9%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,211 (3.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 225 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,314 households (19.0%) were made up of individuals, and 2,949 (8.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78. There were 25,065

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(75.5% of all households); the average family size was 3.18. The population was spread out, with 21,270 people (22.8%) under the age of 18, 7,852 people (8.4%) aged 18 to 24, 21,648 people (23.2%) aged 25 to 44, 29,003 people (31.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 13,532 people (14.5%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.2 males. There were 34,228 housing units at an average density of , of which 25,859 (77.9%) were owner-occupied, and 7,349 (22.1%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 72,390 people (77.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 19,973 people (21.4%) lived in rental housing units. According to the 2010 United States census, Mission Viejo had a median household income of $96,088, with 5.3% of the population living below the federal poverty line. The Mission Viejo- Lake Forest-

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

urban area (which also includes the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point,

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, and environ ...

, Laguna Hills,

Laguna Woods Laguna Woods (''Laguna'' being ) is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 17,644 at the 2020 census, up from 16,192 at the 2010 census, with a median age of 74.5 (as of 2021). Laguna Woods became Orange Coun ...

and San Juan Capistrano) had a population of 583,681 at the 2010 Census.

2000

At the 2000

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 93,102 people, 32,449 households and 25,212 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 32,986 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 79.7%

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.6%

, 0.4% Native American, 8.3% Asian, 0.1%

, 6.2% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 15.9% of the population. There were 32,449 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.22. Age distribution was 27.1% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males. According to a 2008 estimate, the

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $93,330, and the median family income was $113,439. Males had a median income of $74,703 versus $53,196 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $41,459. 1.9% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Mission Viejo California photo D Ramey Logan

According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city were: Marie Callender's has its corporate headquarters in the Marie Callender's Corporate Support Center in Mission Viejo.

Arts and culture

The Shops at Mission Viejo and the Kaleidoscope Center serve as the city's two main shopping, dining and entertainment centers. Both cater to an upper middle class customer demographic and feature family-oriented facilities and services. Mission Viejo also hosts a number of athletic events such as 5K runs and triathlons throughout the year. The city holds a variety of annually recurring events to celebrate holidays including a street fair and fireworks for Independence Day and public decorations and interactive activities for children during the winter holiday season featuring representation for multiple popular religions.

Sports

Mission Viejo has a major youth athletic facility, Mission Viejo Youth Athletic Park. The park consists of eight baseball fields and five soccer fields. It is host t
Little League District 68AYSO Region 84
and four competitive soccer clubs: Pateadores Soccer Club, Mission Viejo Soccer Club, West Coast Futbol Club, and Saddleback United Soccer Club. The Mission Viejo Nadadores Swimming and Mission Viejo Nadadores Diving Team won a string of national championships and produced a number of Olympians and world record holders in the 1970s and 1980s. Olympians included Shirley Babashoff, Brian Goodell, Larson Jenson, Maryanne Graham, Nicole Kramer, Casy Converse, Marcia Morey, Dara Torres, and

Greg Louganis Gregory Efthimios Louganis (; born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic Diving (sport), diver who won gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics on the springboard and platform. He is the only man and the second ...

. Mission Viejo hosted the Road Cycling Events during the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

held in Los Angeles. The old O'Neill Road was renamed Olympiad Rd. in honor of the Olympic events in 1984. In 2004, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the 1984 Olympics Cycling Road Race, the City of Mission Viejo dedicated a permanent start/finish line and historic markers which are installed on Olympiad Road near the entrance to Lake Mission Viejo. There is also a soccer facility, now used by the town's youth soccer program, that was used as a training field by the United States men's national soccer team before and during the

1994 FIFA World Cup The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...

, hosted by the United States. The Saddleback College ballpark hosted the Mission Viejo Vigilantes minor league baseball team of the

Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. Its member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002. The league was fou ...

from 1996 to 2001. Now the ballpark has a semi-pro collegiate team, the Orange County Fire. Mission Viejo is also the hometown of NFL quarterback

Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...

pitcher Phil Hughes, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

first baseman Adam LaRoche, former

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

pitcher Don August,

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

outfielder Allen Craig, Top Shot Season 4 Champion Chris Cheng, and PBA Tour Champion Scott Norton.

Parks and recreation

Mission Viejo has numerous recreational areas, such as the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center. The city has about two parks per square mile, and three golf courses. At the center of the city is a man-made lake, Lake Mission Viejo, accessible to a private association of Mission Viejo residents, with custom waterfront homes, condominiums, boat and paddle board rentals, fishing, and swim beaches. Lake Mission Viejo also holds events such as music concerts and movie screenings, usually complimentary for members and typically during the summer season.

Discover Mission Viejo GeoTour

Geocaching Geocaching (, ) is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called ''geocaches'' or ''caches'', at sp ...

, a popular 21st century treasure hunting game, is prevalent in Mission Viejo and surrounding cities. On June 10, 2023, the City of Mission Viejo launched

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

's first GeoTour consisting of 27 unique and creative geocaches hidden across the city, with most placed along the Oso Creek Trail system and city recreation facilities. The purpose is meant as a tourism draw, with the geotour being SoCal's first, and a potential economic boost for the city. Using a "passport", seekers can visit and find the GeoTour geocaches. A complementary trackable geocoin is issued to those who find at least 24 out of the 27 geocaches, which can be picked up at the Norman P. Murray Center.

Government

Of the 58,677 registered voters in the city, 24,639 (42.0%) are Republicans, 16,477 (28.1%) are Democrats, 15,002 (25.6%) have no party preference, and the remaining are registered with a minor party. Mission Viejo is a general law city, which operates under a council-manager form of government. The Mission Viejo City Council consists of five members elected at-large to staggered four-year terms. Each year, the City Council elects a Mayor and a Mayor Pro Tem amongst themselves to serve for one calendar year. The Mayor, who has equal legislative power with fellow members of the City Council, serves as the ceremonial leader of the city and as the presiding officer of the bi-weekly City Council meetings. The current members of the City Council are

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Bob Ruesch,

Mayor Pro Tem ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to 'for the time being' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a '' locum tenens'' ('placeholder'). The phrase is ...

Wendy Bucknum, Brian Goodell, Patricia "Trish" Kelley, and Cynthia Vasquez. In county government, Mission Viejo is located in the 3rd District, currently represented by

Donald P. Wagner Donald P. Wagner (born December 3, 1960) is an American politician, currently serving as a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors for the 3rd district and chair. He previously served as mayor of Irvine, California and as a Republican P ...

. In the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...

, Mission Viejo is in and in . Federally, Mission Viejo is located in California's 40th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R+2 and is represented by Republican

Young Kim Young Oak Kim (, born October 18, 1962) is a South Korean-born American politician and businesswoman serving as the U.S. representative for California's 40th congressional district, previously representing the 39th congressional district fr ...

Education

Mission Viejo is served by two school districts, the

Capistrano Unified School District Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) is the largest school district in Orange County, California, United States. It is the 9th largest district in the state and the 78th largest in the country. The district currently has 54,036 students a ...

and Saddleback Valley Unified School District. Capistrano Unified serves the eastern, northeastern, and southern portions of the city with eight schools. Students from western Mission Viejo (north of Oso Parkway and west of Marguerite until Alicia Parkway) attend Saddleback Valley's

Mission Viejo High School Mission Viejo High School is a four-year comprehensive education, comprehensive State school, public secondary education in the United States, high school located in Mission Viejo, California, United States, as part of the Saddleback Valley Unifi ...

. Far northern Mission Viejo attends Saddleback Valley's Trabuco Hills High School, though most of that school has students from Rancho Santa Margarita and Lake Forest. A few residents attend Tesoro High School in Las Flores or the private

Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS) is a coeducational college preparatory Roman Catholic high school located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States. SMCHS is owned and operated by the Diocese of Orange, and was opened i ...

in Rancho Santa Margarita. Silverado High School, Mira Monte High School, and Pathfinder are continuation and adult schools within the city. Silverado High School provides a day school environment while Mira Monte, which shares the same campus, is strictly independent study.

Saddleback College Saddleback College is a public community college in Mission Viejo, California. It is part of the California Community College system and awards over 300 associate degrees, academic certificates, and occupational skills awards in 190 programs. ...

, near The Shops at Mission Viejo and Capistrano Valley High School, is a large community college in the southern half of the city. In addition, the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

Chapman University Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California, United States. Encompassing eleven colleges, the university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The school maintains its foundi ...

Soka University of America Soka University of America (SUA) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California. Originally founded in 1987, it was established on its current campus in 2001 by Daisaku ...

, and

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

Irvine Campus
), are nearby in adjacent cities. La Tierra Elementary shut down in June 2009 due to budget cuts. It was chosen due to its small size and minimal student body. The school will remain closed until further notice. Mission Viejo residents refer to La Tierra as "The Little School with a Big Heart". Students there are reassigned to Del Cerro Elementary. O'Neill Elementary, the city's first elementary school, closed in June 2009 also due to budget cuts in SVUSD. Students in the Deane Home community surrounding the school will be moved to nearby De Portola Elementary. Students living in the homes north of the lake will be moved to Melinda Heights Elementary in Rancho Santa Margarita. Elementary Capistrano Unified
Barcelona Hills Elementary School
closed on June 30, 2012
Bathgate Elementary SchoolCarl Hankey K-8 SchoolCastille Elementary SchoolPhilip J Reilly Elementary SchoolViejo Elementary School
Saddleback Valley Unified
Cordillera Elementary School
closed in June 2020
Del Cerro Elementary SchoolDel Lago Elementary SchoolDe Portola Elementary SchoolGlen Yermo Elementary SchoolLa Tierra Elementary School
��closed in June 2009
Linda Vista Elementary SchoolMontevideo Elementary SchoolO'Neill Elementary School
��closed in June 2009 Private
Carden Academy

Al Ridah Academy
��an Islamic Elementary School
Oxford Preparatory Academy
Middle school
Carl Hankey Middle School
��CUSD
Newhart Middle School
��CUSD * La Paz Intermediate School—SVUSD
Los Alisos Intermediate School
��SVUSD High school * Capistrano Valley High School—CUSD * Halstrom High School (formerly Futures High School)—CUSD *

—SVUSD * Trabuco Hills High School—SVUSD * Laguna Hills High School— SVUSD * El Toro High School— SVUSD College *

Infrastructure

Transportation

Buses

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) operates the 82, 85, 86, 89, and 91 bus routes in Laguna Niguel. The City of Mission Viejo operated MV Shuttle route 182. The 85 and 182 bus lines provides connecting service to the Metrolink train station.

Rail

The Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station near I-5 in

is served by the Orange County Line and

Inland Empire–Orange County Line The Inland Empire–Orange County (IEOC) Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink in Southern California. It runs from San Bernardino through Orange County to Oceanside in northern San Diego County. When the line opened it became the f ...

of Metrolink commuter rail, providing service to points in

, Riverside,

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

and

Counties. The

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Pacific Surfliner The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo. The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is Amtrak's third-busiest service (exceeded in ridership only ...

served Laguna Niguel from 2007 to 2012, but has since ceased to stop here. Amtrak continues to serve the nearby Irvine and San Juan Capistrano stations.

Highways

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

travels within Mission Viejo's city limits and has five interchanges within the city: Avery Parkway, Crown Valley Parkway, Oso Parkway, La Paz Road, and Alicia Parkway. California 241

California State Route 241 State Route 241 (SR 241) is one of the two state highways in California that are controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads for their entire lengths (the other being California State Route 261, SR 261, both in Orange Coun ...

travels within Mission Viejo's city limits and has one interchange within the city at Los Alisos Boulevard. California 73

A very short portion of

California State Route 73 State Route 73 (SR 73) is an approximately state highway in Orange County, California. The southernmost of the highway is a toll road operated by the Transportation Corridor Agencies, San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency name ...

travels within Mission Viejo's city limits. There is a Mission Viejo population and elevation road sign directly beneath the northbound onramp that roughly marks the official city limits which travels down the center of Via Escolar to the rail tracks on either side of the interstate. The entrance to SR 73 from I-5 northbound is located in the nearby city of San Juan Capistrano as well as the off ramp from SR 73 to I-5 in the southbound direction. There are no exits or entrances to SR 73 within Mission Viejo. Orange County S18

County Route S18, also known as El Toro Road, travels within Mission Viejo's city limits between Marguerite Parkway / Saddleback Church and Glen Ranch Canyon Road in the most northern part of the city. The original route for U.S. Highway 101 previously ran through Mission Viejo on what is now El Paseo and Camino Capistrano. A historical marker was placed by the City of Mission Viejo commemorating the historic road route which is located about 0.15 miles south of the intersection of Oso Parkway and Cabot Road, although it is located in the nearby city of

. It was at the time the only major road connecting

and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. It was abandoned when Interstate 5 was completed in the 1950s and has since been mostly removed to make way for interstate expansions and housing or commercial developments. There is a bridge on Camino Capistrano that crosses over Oso Creek that was built for U.S. 101 and dates back to 1938.

Health care

Mission Hospital is the largest hospital in south Orange County and serves as the area's regional trauma center. It also offers one of two Children's Hospital of Orange County locations providing care for children.

Notable people

* Lee J. Ames (1921–2011), illustrator and writer known for the ''Draw 50...'' learn-to-draw books * Griffin Canning (born 1996), player for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

* Allen Craig (born 1984), former

player * Javin DeLaurier (born 1998), basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

* Kevin Fagan (born 1956), syndicated cartoonist for ''

Drabble A drabble is a short work of fiction of precisely one hundred words in length."Winner ...

'' *

Dave Farrell David Michael Farrell (born February 8, 1977), also known by his stage name Phoenix, is an American musician, best known as the bassist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also a member of Tasty Snax, a ska punk band. Early life Farrell wa ...

(born 1977), bassist for

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

. * Brian Finneran (born 1976), former

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

wide receiver * Eddie Fisher (born 1973), musician, drummer for the band

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado, formed in 2002. The lineup currently consists of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals, piano), Zach Filkins (guitar, viola), Drew Brown (musician), Drew Brown (guitar), Brent Kutzle ( ...

Julie Foudy Julie Maurine Foudy ( ; born January 23, 1971) is an American retired soccer midfielder, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. She played for the United States women's national soccer team from 1988 to 2004 ...

(born 1971), former soccer player, member of

National Soccer Hall of Fame The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a public-private partnership among FC Dallas, the City of Frisco, Frisco Independent School District, and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and currently located in Toyota Stadium (Texas), Toyota Stadium in Frisco, T ...

* Debbie Friedman (1951–2011), singer and songwriter * Kelly George (born 1982), Miss Arkansas USA 2007 * Globelamp song artist known as Elizabeth Le Fey * Brian Goodell (born 1959), swimmer, gold medalist in

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

and world-record holder, Mayor of Mission Viejo in 2020 *

Kina Grannis Kina Kasuya Grannis (born August 4, 1985) is an American guitarist, singer and Internet personalities, YouTuber. Grannis was the winner of the 2008 Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest, earning a recording contract with Interscope Records and ha ...

(born 1985), singer and songwriter * Jordan Harvey (born 1984), former soccer player * Kyle Hendricks (born 1989) Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

David Henrie David Clayton Henrie ( ; born July 11, 1989) is an American actor, writer, and director. He is noted for playing Ted Mosby's future son Luke on ''How I Met Your Mother''; Justin Russo in ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' and its sequel '' Wizards B ...

(born 1989), actor, ''

Wizards of Waverly Place ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage wi ...

'' * Andrew J. Hinshaw (1923–2016), member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

(1975–1977) * Phil Hughes (born 1986), former Major League Baseball pitcher * Chandler Hutchison (born 1996), professional basketball player * Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (born 1978), fighter, former UFC Light-Heavyweight champion *

Florence Griffith Joyner Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (born Florence Delorez Griffith; December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete and the fastest woman ever recorded. She was married to Al Joyner, a 198 ...

(1959–1998), track-and-field gold medalist in

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

* Brianna Keilar (born 1980),

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

correspondent * Eugene F. Lally (1934–2014), aerospace engineer, photographer, entrepreneur * Adam LaRoche (born 1979), former Major League Baseball first baseman * Pinky Lee (1907–1993), burlesque comic and children's television host *

Michael López-Alegría Michael López-Alegría (born Miguel Eladio López Alegría on May 30, 1958) is an astronaut, test pilot and commercial astronaut with dual nationality, American and Spanish; a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and one International Space ...

(born 1958), astronaut *

(born 1960), Olympic gold medalist in

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

* Todd Marinovich (born 1969), former National Football League quarterback * Mike Martir (born 1981), former professional Canadian football quarterback * Tyler Matzek (born 1990), Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

* Tanner Bibee (born 1999), Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

* Megan McClung (1972–2006), first female

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

officer killed in combat during the

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

Courtland Mead Courtland Mead is an American former actor, noted for his performances as a child actor during the 1990s. Career Mead began acting at the age of 2, playing minor characters. His first noted achievement was when he played the part of young John ...

(born 1987), actor * Noah Munck (born 1996), actor, ''

iCarly ''iCarly'' is an American teen sitcom created by Dan Schneider, which originally aired on Nickelodeon from September 8, 2007, to November 23, 2012. The series tells the story of Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove), a teenager who creates and hosts ...

'' * Yiliang "Peter" Peng (born 1993) better known as "Doublelift", former professional ''League of Legends'' AD Carry for

Team Liquid Team Liquid is a multi-regional professional esports organization based in the Netherlands that was founded in 2000. They signed their first professional players with the release of '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty''. In 2012, Team Liquid acq ...

* Raymond Persinger (born 1959), sculptor *

(born 1986), former National Football League quarterback *

Kaitlin Sandeno Kaitlin Shea Sandeno (born March 13, 1983) is an American former competition swimmer who is an Olympic gold medalist, world champion and former world record-holder. Sandeno was a member of the American team that set a new world record in the 4� ...

(born 1983), former competition swimmer * Patrick Sandoval (born 1996), Major League Baseball pitcher for the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

(1970–1994), pornographic actress * Allison Scurich (born 1986), former soccer player * Larry Sherry (1935–2006), former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, MVP of 1959 World Series * Emily Skinner (born 2002), actress *

Matt Sorum Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. ...

(born 1960), drummer for

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

from 1990 to 1997 *

Kristy Swanson Kristy Swanson (born December 19, 1969) is an American actress. She is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and appeared in the 1996 film ''The Phantom''. Her first starring role was in ...

(born 1969), actress * Cameron Tringale (born 1987), pro golfer * Irv Weinstein (1930–2017), news anchor, relocated to Mission Viejo in the last years of his life * Lea Moreno Young (born 1977), actress

References

External links

* {{authority control Venues of the 1984 Summer Olympics Cities in Orange County, California Incorporated cities and towns in California Planned communities in California Olympic cycling venues