Lake Forest Homes for Sale

Known for more than a century as El Toro, Lake Forest is rated one of the safest cities in the United States. Private research firm Morgan Quitno ranked Lake Forest, which has a population of 77,264, the 15th safest city in the United States, while another firm ranked it 10th-safest in the US.

The city, which incorporated in 1991, took its name from two man-made lakes as well as a series of Eucalyptus groves in the area. Area property owner Dwight Whiting planted 400 acres of Eucalyptus groves in the 1900s with harvesting them for lumber in mind. In the late 1960s, the Occidental Petroleum company developed a residential community throughout the groves.

Lake Forest Homes for Sale

Economy

Several companies are headquartered in Lake Forest, including Oakley, Inc., an eyewear manufacturer; Panasonic Avionics, an in-flight entertainment provider; Kaiser Aluminum, a metals company; Greenlight Wireless Corp., a telecommunications software developer; Johnny Rockets and Del Taco restaurant chains; and Apria Healthcare medical equipment manufacturer. The city is famous for being home to Rick Warren´s megachurch, Saddleback Church, which is the eighth-largest church in the United States.

Arts and Leisure

Lake Forest offers two county parks – Whiting Ranch and Heritage Hill. The latter is home to some of the oldest buildings in Orange County. Between them, the Sun & Sail Club and Lake Forest Beach and Tennis Club feature tennis courts, gyms, basketball courts, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, multiple swimming pools, saunas, hot tubs and clubhouses.

Every summer, the city hosts a summer concert at Pittsford Park, as well as a Fourth of July 5K run and a fireworks display over the Sun & Sail Club. There are a number of shopping centers in the area that cater to visitors and residents alike.

Real Estate

The average price of a Lake Forest home for the week ending January 9, 2013 was $364,441, up 0.1 percent over the same period last year.

Latest Lake Forest Homes for Sale:

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