FOCUS : Home of South County’s Good Life

On paper it is Census Tract 423.09. On the ground it is a heart-shaped section of South County made up of a collection of separate entities looking for identities. Here is an aggregate of neighborhoods and planned communities, each with a distinct personality. Postal codes and loyalties tie some areas to Laguna Hills to the north or Laguna Niguel to the south.

Many area residents are vociferously lobbying for incorporation. The Laguna Hills vote for cityhood was defeated in June, but another attempt may be forthcoming. Laguna Niguel’s vote is scheduled for Nov. 7.

Bordered on the north by Moulton Parkway and Pacific Park Drive, on the east by Interstate 5 Freeway and Crown Valley Parkway and on the west by Alicia Parkway and Aliso Creek, this tract is in some ways an exaggeration of the prototypical new Orange County. For example, it is heavily white (roughly 90%, in contrast with 75% of the county as a whole). Too, it is very affluent, with a median household income of almost $75,000 (in contrast with slightly more than $40,000 countywide).

A wealth of apartment and condominium projects is under way in various sections of this tract, attesting to the expected influx of new residents. That is a sign of the most remarkable demographic aspect of the area: explosive growth.

Just 10 years ago, this was home to 2,500 people; today there are about 12,000 residents, an increase of almost 400%. During that time, the rest of the county population has grown about 20%

That the area will grow is not a question. What remains unseen is the final shape and political resolution of this South County magnet.

Among the civic stars:

RANCHO NIGUEL

The homes at the crest of the hill on the drive south along Crown Valley Parkway between Greenfield Drive and Moulton Parkway are the houses of Rancho Niguel. There are 1,250 private homes along sidewalks here, with facades painted peach, beige or white and all with tile roofs. Along Rancho Niguel Road, signs advertise “Exciting New Town Homes” in complexes called Mirador, Ventanja, Tampico and Mandeville.

Stan Young, a member of the board of the Rancho Niguel Homeowners Assn. (Subdivision 2), says he and his family bought their home for $250,000 two years ago and have happily watched the value of their investment appreciate.

The home across the street from his own on Rancho Grande sold this year for $410,000, he says.

There is a recreation club at Rancho Niguel (simply called “The Club”), which has three pools, tennis courts and other accouterments of the good life, South County style.

“You can’t be a member without living here,” he says, but once someone lives here, “of course (he or she) will want to be a member.”

Rancho Niguel has its own movie theaters, a commercial section as well as the Marian Bergeson Elementary School within walking distance.

NELLIE GAIL RANCH

At the turn from Moulton Parkway onto Pacific Park Drive, a look up to the top of the hill holds a pleasant surprise: horses grazing. This is horse country--in fact, zoning is such that the community can accommodate large equestrian lots.

The animals--combined with tall, verdant trees along Nellie Gail Road and lots of vegetation--give the community a distinctly rural feel. “It’s a frontier community,” says Melody Carruth, an outspoken community leader. “We pride ourselves on this unique appeal. You are in the country here.”

Construction by the Presley Co. began in 1977. There are 1,356 homes on 1,500 acres, 17 miles of horse trails and five parks (with one to be developed). An equestrian center has 64 stalls, and there are five equestrian rings and a variety of trainers.

Nellie Gail Ranch is “a very open community because of the parks and the trails,” says Alan Songstad, president of the homeowners association. “The houses at the beginning of the project began smaller, a combination of custom and production homes. In the last phase, homes were in the 3,000-to-4,000-square-foot range. Custom homes ranged from 3,000 to 10,000 square feet.

“Equestrian activity is permitted on two-thirds of the lots. Fifteen percent of the homes have horses boarded on their own property. The houses range in price from upwards of $600,000 to about $2 million. Older homes sell for about $400,000 to $500,000.”

Nellie Gail is within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District. A site for an elementary school on Nellie Gail Road has been proposed. Now, the ratio is 32 or 33 students per teacher in the district, but the Citizens’ Action Committee to Save Education and the local PTA boards would like to change this ratio to 25 per teacher.

Carruth has lived at Nellie Gail Ranch for 6 1/2 years, and is one of the Ranch residents with an eye toward incorporation as part of what would be a city of Laguna Hills.

According to her, this neighborhood is “definitely in Laguna Hills. It has its own ZIP code. We worked hard to incorporate the community of Laguna Hills. We made the mistake of including Leisure World also, and they defeated the proposal on June 6. We’re developing a new proposal” for future consideration.

Population

Total: (1989 est.) 12,300

1980-89 change: +385.4%

Median Age: 37.3

Racial/ethnic mix: White (non-Latino), 92%; Latino, 4%; Black, less than 1%; Other, 4%

MALES

Median age: 38.3 years

FEMALES

Median age: 36.5 years

Income

Per capita: $23,705

Median household: $74,912

Average household: $88,870

Income Distribution:

Less than $25,000 4%

$25,000-49,999 17%

$50,000-74,999 29%

More than $75,000 50%