Laguna Village

Laguna Village is the area between North Laguna and South Laguna which starts on Broadway and ends by Victoria Beach.  However, when people refer to The Village they are mainly referring to the Main Beach neighborhood which is the area close enough to downtown that they can enjoy walkability to the beaches, restaurants, and shopping.  Tourists mostly come to Laguna Beach to visit the downtown area so most vacation rentals are found in this neighborhood.  The downtown area of Laguna Village is home to the oldest historic homes in Laguna Beach.  Although Laguna Beach consists of an average of 23,000 residents, many of whom live here only part-time, the city is flooded with about 6,000,000 tourists a year, increasing traffic and pedestrians in the Main Beach neighborhood.  For this reason, some residents prefer to live at the outer edges of the city or up the hills.

Within the Laguna Village area, there are other clearly defined neighborhoods with their own unique characteristics and price points.  The Temple Hills neighborhood is defined as the hilly and windy residential area between Thalia and Top of the World.  Temple Hills is desirable to many residents because it consists mostly of custom homes, on larger size lots, and many enjoy the ocean and the best sunset views in town.  The hill and lack of sidewalks along the road make it more of a hike than a walk to town and the beaches but residents appreciate that the neighborhood is very central and close to Thalia Beach, downtown, and an easy drive to local public schools and Alta Laguna Park.  The Top of the World neighborhood is found up from Thalia through Temple Hills or Park Ave to Top of the World.  This area is flat and home to Alta Laguna Park which has tennis courts, playgrounds, and a large field that has hiking trails connecting to Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park.  Just down from Top of the World to Park Ave, you will find the Park Avenue Estates neighborhood which enjoys mostly canyon views with newer larger homes on larger lots.  The Mystic Hills neighborhood is a favorite because it sits above downtown and provides exceptional and expansive ocean views with more single-level homes available than in most other parts of Laguna Beach.

The Lower Bluebird neighborhood is near Bluebird Park which has a large playground and grounds nice enough for regularly held open summer concerts where residents come together to enjoy the music, fresh air, picnic, and a little dancing.  Up the winding and narrow streets of Bluebird, you will find yourself in a woodsy area that many say feels like some European landscape they once visited.  The homes in this area don’t typically have panoramic ocean views but may enjoy the advantage of more backyard space, and being surrounded by lush green hills.  Up Bluebird, you will find the Rancho Laguna neighborhood which is one of the highest hillside points of Laguna Beach and is actually home to a local farm.

Bluebird splits and leads to the coveted Woods Cove neighborhood known for its cottages, custom homes, walkability, and panoramic ocean views.  From Woods Cove, you can access Alta Vista, which is the neighborhood between Summit Ridge to Arch Beach Heights. The Summit Ridge neighborhood has mostly smaller to mid-sized custom homes perched on the hills with excellent ocean views as does the Alta Vista neighborhood.  The residents in this area enjoy the quietness provided by being far enough away from visitors and traffic.  The homes in these hills are often multi-level to take full advantage of the views.  The Upper Diamond neighborhood is below this hill and enjoys some of the same perks with more walkability which is highly desirable to many.  The Arch Beach Heights neighborhood is at the top of the hill near Moulton Meadows Park which offers trails, tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground and a soccer field.  The homes in this area have the most similarity of Laguna Beach neighborhoods, having a standard lot size of 2,500 sq ft. and double lots of 5,000 sq ft.  The homes are mostly built above the garage with the kitchen and living space on the second or third floor to maximize views.  The southern entrance or exit of Arch Beach Heights is through the Portafina neighborhood which consists mostly of larger custom homes, on larger lots, with ocean views.  The high incline of the street and sidewalks make it a favorite daily hike or weekend bike challenge for many.  Towards the bottom of the hill, you will find the Upper Victoria Beach neighborhood and the oceanside Victoria Beach neighborhood whose residents basically live at the beach.

The Laguna Village beaches include Agate, Bluebird, Brooks, Cleo, Cress, Oak, Main Beach, Moss Point, Mountain Rd, Pearl, Sleepy Hollow, St. Ann’s, Thalia, Victoria Beach, and Woods Cove. The parks include Bluebird and Moulton Meadows Park.