Lake Forest

City in Orange County, California

View of Lake Forest, California
Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 3.0

Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California, with 85,858 residents (2020 Census). It sits at 486 ft (148 m) above sea level. The nearest town is Mission Viejo, 3.3 miles S.

About Lake Forest

Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 85,858 at the 2020 census.

Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Before incorporation, the community had been known as El Toro (in Spanish, "the bull"). In 2000, Lake Forest voted to expand its city limits to include the master-planned developments of Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills. This expansion brought new homes and commercial centers to the city's northeastern boundary.

Lake Forest has two lakes from which the city gets its name. The lakes are man-made, and condominiums and custom homes ranging from large to small line their shores. Neighborhood associations manage the lakes (Lake 1, known as the Lake Forest Beach and Tennis Club, and Lake 2, the Sun and Sail Club.) Each facility features tennis courts, gyms, basketball courts, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, multiple swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs and club houses for social events.

The "forest" for which the city is also named lies in the area between Ridge Route, Jeronimo, Lake Forest and Serrano roads, and consists mostly of eucalyptus trees. It is also man-made, and was created in the first decade of the 1900s when a local landowner, Dwight Whiting, planted 400 acres (1.6 km2) of eucalyptus groves in the vicinity of Serrano Creek as part of a lumber operation intended to draw development to the area. In the late 1960s, the Occidental Petroleum company developed a residential community in and around the eucalyptus groves, which had long since expanded and grown much denser.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Forest weather: 7-day forecast

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Live webcams in Lake Forest

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Living in Lake Forest

Median household income
$135,175
Median home value
$937,000
Median rent
$2,672/mo
Median age
40.2
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Map of Lake Forest

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Lake Forest Street View

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Lake Forest, CA population

Lake Forest had 85,858 residents in the 2020 Census.

2020 Census85,858
Density5,137 per sq mi (1,983 per km²)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Lake Forest at a glance

StateCalifornia (CA)
CountyOrange County
TypeCity
Population85,858 (2020)
Land area16.71 sq mi (43.3 km²)
Water area0.08 sq mi (0.20 km²)
Elevation486 ft (148 m)
Coordinates33.6549° N, 117.6758° W
ZIP codes92630, 92610, 92691
Official websitecity-lakeforest.com
Census code (GEOID)0639496

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Lake Forest

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Lake Forest

What county is Lake Forest in?

Lake Forest is in Orange County, California.

What is the population of Lake Forest, CA?

85,858 people lived in Lake Forest at the 2020 Census.

What is the ZIP code of Lake Forest, CA?

The main ZIP code is 92630. Other ZIP codes: 92610, 92691.

What is the elevation of Lake Forest?

486 feet (148 m) above sea level.

What towns are near Lake Forest?

Mission Viejo (3.3 mi), Laguna Woods (4.3 mi), Laguna Hills (4.6 mi), Modjeska (4.6 mi), Rancho Santa Margarita (4.7 mi).

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