Aliso Viejo, California


Aliso Viejo 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 6,600 acres were once part of the 26,000-acre 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, 2,600 acres were dedicated to Orange County as part of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, and 800 acres were set aside for local parks, recreation, schools and community facilities. The Aliso Viejo Community Association 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 900-acre business park and town center, was expected to ultimately provide more than 22,000 jobs. Every home in Aliso Viejo was located about 1 1/2 miles from Pacific Park, to encourage live-and-work opportunities.

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: ,
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 are registered Republicans, 8,800 are registered Democrats, and 8,388 have declined to state a political party/are independents.
YearDemocraticRepublicanThird Parties
201651.63% 10,96840.99% 8,7087.37% 1,566
201247.27% 9,43050.09% 9,9912.64% 527
200852.65% 10,64545.54% 9,2071.81% 366
200440.73% 7,64858.39% 10,9640.88% 166

Geography

Aliso Viejo is located at 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

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Aliso Viejo had a population of 47,823. The population density was 6,400.4 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Aliso Viejo was 34,437 White, 967 African American, 151 Native American, 6,996 Asian, 89 Pacific Islander, 2,446 from other races, and 2,737 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8,164 persons.
The Census reported that 47,354 people lived in households, 450 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 19 were institutionalized.
There were 18,204 households, out of which 7,095 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 9,358 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,966 had a female householder with no husband present, 791 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 987 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 206 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,416 households were made up of individuals and 638 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60. There were 12,115 families ; the average family size was 3.16.
The population was spread out with 12,395 people under the age of 18, 3,739 people aged 18 to 24, 17,138 people aged 25 to 44, 12,003 people aged 45 to 64, and 2,548 people who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
There were 18,867 housing units at an average density of 2,525.1 per square mile, of which 11,049 were owner-occupied, and 7,155 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.6%. 29,819 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,535 people lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,166 people, 16,147 households, and 10,689 families residing in what was, at the time, a Census Designated Place. The population density was 3,927.7 inhabitants per square mile. There were 16,608 housing units at an average density of 1,624.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 78.16% White, 10.99% Asian, 2.06% Black or African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 3.51% from other races, and 4.66% from two or more races. 11.65% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 16,147 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.01.
The population was distributed with 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 48.8% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 3.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the CDP was $92,280, and the median income for a family was $99,853. Males had a median income of $61,316 versus $44,190 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $35,244. About 2.3% of families and 2.8% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Companies located in Aliso Viejo include:
According to the City's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of employees
1United Parcel Service1,000
2Pacific Life811
3Capistrano Unified School District679
4Fluor630
5Quest Software600
6QLogic490
7Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo259
8Pepsi Beverages Company215
9Smith Micro Software200
10Merit Property Management199
11Buy.com185
12Lennar175
13Target170
14Bausch & Lomb160
15Ambry Genetics777
16The Covington153
17LenSx Laser150
18Lowe's130

Points of interest

"Dihydrogen monoxide" incident

Aliso Viejo city officials famously came close to banning polystyrene cups in 2004 after hearing that "dihydrogen monoxide" was used in their production, oblivious to the fact that this substance is actually plain water. A paralegal working for the city found the dhmo.org parody website and subsequently proposed the ban.

William Freund murder-suicide

In October 2005, the city gained national media attention once again when 19-year-old resident William Freund donned a cape and mask, and murdered two of his neighbors, 22-year-old Christina Smith and her father Vernon, before killing himself. Freund was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at age 16. Freund was an alumnus of Aliso Viejo's only high school, Aliso Niguel High School. On November 17, 2006, the family of the two victims sued Freund's parents for "wrongful death and emotional distress."

School dance ban

In September 2006, Charles Salter, the principal of Aliso Niguel High School, Aliso Viejo's high school, gained widespread media attention when he banned all school dances until further notice. Salter came under fire for his decision. The decision was based on the school's "Welcome Back Dance", at which several students arrived intoxicated, while others engaged in "freak dancing", which Salter views as inappropriate at a school dance. At the end of the month, Salter stood his ground and cancelled the school's annual Homecoming Dance, which gained both Salter and the school notoriety. A story on the school was featured on the national television program, Geraldo at Large and the BBC also covered the dance ban. In late November, it was announced that the dances would return to the school, but under new rules that banned "freak dancing."

Mail distribution center

In 2008–early 2009, Aliso Viejo residents were protesting the United States Postal Service's plan to build a large mail distribution facility. The proposed facility would have up to 500 employees and USPS trucks traveling over residential streets 24 hours per day. Residents were concerned about damage to city streets, traffic and the trucks traveling through city neighborhoods. On March 9, 2009, the USPS announced that it would not move forward with plans to build the distribution facility due to the economic outlook at the time.

Emergency services

Fire protection in Aliso Viejo is provided by the Orange County Fire Authority with ambulance service by Care Ambulance. Law enforcement is provided by the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Education

Public K-12

The city is served by Capistrano Unified School District, which includes these schools:
Elementary
Middle school
High school