Aliso Viejo, California


Aliso Viejo is a city in the San Joaquin Hills of southern Orange County, California. It had a population of 52,176 as of the 2020 census, up from 47,823 as of the 2010 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. It is similarly named to another nearby city, Mission Viejo.
WWW Official Site

History

The Acjachemen are the Indigenous people of Aliso Viejo, who lived in the area for thousands of years. The people established numerous villages along Aliso Creek as well dividing the Acjachemen and the Tongva. With the arrival of settlers, the Acjachemen village sites would later become the southern areas of the Moulton Ranch.
The planned community of Aliso Viejo's original were once part of the 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, were dedicated to Orange County as part of the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, and 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 business park and town center, was expected to ultimately provide more than 22,000 jobs. Every home in Aliso Viejo was located within of 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.
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, Federal, and County Representation

In the California State Legislature, Aliso Viejo is in, and in.
In the United States House of Representatives, Aliso Viejo is in.
Additionally, in the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Aliso Viejo is in the 5th County District, represented by Katrina Foley since 2025.

Politics

Aliso Viejo is a swing city at the presidential level. According to the, as of May 15, 2025, Aliso Viejo has 33,064 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.

Crime

The Uniform Crime Report, collected annually by the FBI, compiles police statistics from local and state law enforcement agencies across the nation. The UCR records Part I and Part II crimes. Part I crimes become known to law enforcement and are considered the most serious crimes including homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and arson. Part II crimes only include arrest data. The 2023 UCR Data is listed below:
Aggravated
Assault		HomicideRapeRobberyBurglaryLarceny
Theft		Motor
Vehicle Theft		Arson
Aliso Viejo44001339267544

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.

Biogeography

The most common native species: Red Sand Verbena, Pink Sand Verbena, and Big Leaf Maple

Demographics

Aliso Viejo first appeared as a census-designated place in the 1980 United States census; and after incorporation in 2001, as a city in the 2010 U.S. census.

2020

The 2020 United States census reported a population of 52,176. The racial makeup was 68.3% White, 2.7% African American, 15.4% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.8%.
The median household income in 2023 was $137,970, and the per capita income was $64,689. About 3.0% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Aliso Viejo had a population of 47,823. The population density was. 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, 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.

Economy

Companies located in Aliso Viejo include:

Top employers

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 Hotels ClubSport Aliso Viejo259
8Pepsi Beverages Company215
9Smith Micro Software200
10Merit Property Management199
11Buy.com185
12Lennar175
13Target Corporation170
14Bausch & Lomb160
15Ambry Genetics777
16The Covington153
17LenSx Laser150
18Lowe's130

Points of interest

  • The Aliso Viejo Library, a branch of the Orange County Public Library system, opened on January 31, 1998 and was closed for tenant improvements on April 15, 2024.Aliso Viejo Golf Course was designed by Nicklaus Design in 1999 and became the Aliso Viejo Country Club with a redesign in 2005.Soka University of America was dedicated on May 3, 2001, with a 103-acre campus and 18 buildings, a $250 million project.Soka Performing Arts Center, a 1,000-seat concert hall with acoustics designed by Yasuhisa Toyota ; opened in September 2011.

Sports teams

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.
Health Care

Education

Public K–12

A tiny portion of the city, the Bells Vireo neighborhood of El Toro Road, are contracted out to the Laguna Beach Unified School District in Laguna Beach. Due to the city's inaccessibility at times, students who live in that portion may choose to attend the Capistrano Unified School District, which includes these schools:
Elementary
Middle school
High school

Private K–12

  • VanDamme Academy
  • St. Mary and All Angels School
  • Aliso Viejo Christian School

Higher education

Infrastructure

Transportation

Orange County Transportation Authority operates local bus service.

Water

Water is supplied by the Moulton Niguel Water District, which sources its water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. This water is imported from both the Colorado River and the State Water Project.

Notable people