Laguna Beach, CA Real Estate

Laguna Beach Homes for Sale

The average Laguna Beach home price is $500,000. Sales range from $500,000 to several million dollars.

The Community of Laguna Beach

Laguna Beach, California is located in southern Orange County on the coastline. It is bordered on the north by Newport Beach and Corona del Mar, on the east by Laguna Hills and on the south by Dana Point. This is approximately 48 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 75 miles north of San Diego. The total area is 7.8 square miles.

Mansions and quaint cottages line bluffs above sandy coves along the seven mile, scenic coastline of Laguna Beach. For over 100 years, tourists have flocked to a little piece of paradise to scuba dive, to paint the colors of nature which seem more vibrant there and to enjoy natural beauty not seen elsewhere.

Laguna got its name long ago from the Ute-Azteca Indian word for lakes, Lagonas. Spaniards who arrived later called it Canada de las Lagunas (Canyon of the Lakes) and in 1904, the area became known as Laguna Beach.

Around the same time artist Norman St. Claire traveled from San Francisco by train and stage to capture the scenery on canvas. His artist friends were so impressed with his paintings and reports of a balmy year-round climate that they joined him. The plein-air artists who painted in the style of French impressionists, settled and by the late 1920’s, half of the residents were artists.

Following the artists came the Hollywood film makers who found Laguna to be every bit as appealing on the silver screen as it was painted on canvas. Many of Hollywood’s famous stars like Bette Davis, Mary Pickford, Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin and Mickey Rooney maintained homes in Laguna Beach. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Steinbeck also went to Laguna for inspiration and relaxation, frequenting landmarks like the White House and the Cabrillo Ballroom.

Laguna’s universal allure is best expressed on a famous gate built in 1935 (which still stands on the corner of Forest and Park Avenues); it reads “This gate hangs well and hinders none, refresh and rest, then travel on."