Aliso Viejo, California | |
|---|---|
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 Flag  Seal | |
| Etymology: Spanish for "Old Alder Tree" | |
| Motto: "Live, Work, Learn, Shop and Play."[1] | |
 Location of Aliso Viejo withinOrange County, California | |
  Aliso Viejo Location in California Show map of California Aliso Viejo Aliso Viejo (the United States) Show map of the United States Aliso Viejo Aliso Viejo (North America) Show map of North America | |
| Coordinates:33°34′30″N117°43′32″W / 33.57500°N 117.72556°W /33.57500; -117.72556 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Orange |
| Incorporated | July 1, 2001[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Manager |
| • Mayor | Tiffany Ackley |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Max Duncan |
| • Council members |
|
| • City Manager | David Doyle |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.93 sq mi (17.94 km2) |
| • Land | 6.93 sq mi (17.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Elevation | 410 ft (125 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 52,176 |
| • Density | 7,534/sq mi (2,908.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (PST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP code | 92656, 92698 |
| Area code | 949 |
| FIPS code | 06-00947 |
| GNIS feature IDs | 252532,2409683 |
| Website | avcity |
Aliso Viejo (uh-LEE-so vee-AY-ho;Spanish for "oldalder tree") is a city in theSan Joaquin Hills of southernOrange County, California. It had a population of 52,176 as of the2020 census, up from 47,823 as of the2010 census. It became Orange County's 34th city on July 1, 2001, the only city in Orange County to beincorporated since 2000. It is bordered by the cities ofLaguna Beach on the west and southwest,Laguna Hills on the east,Laguna Niguel on the southeast, andLaguna Woods on the north. It is similarly named to another nearby city,Mission Viejo.
TheAcjachemen are the Indigenous people of Aliso Viejo, who lived in the area for thousands of years. The people established numerous villages alongAliso Creek as well dividing the Acjachemen and the Tongva.[5] With the arrival of settlers, the Acjachemen village sites would later become the southern areas of the Moulton Ranch.[6]
The planned community of Aliso Viejo's original 6,600 acres (2,700 ha) were once part of the 26,000-acre (11,000 ha) Moulton Ranch, owned by the Moulton family, who took title in the 1890s to land originally granted toJuan Avila by the Mexican government in 1842. Over the years, portions of the ranch were sold and becameLeisure World,Laguna Hills andLaguna Niguel.[7]
In 1976, theMission 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 theOrange 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 (1,100 ha) were dedicated to Orange County as part of theAliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park, and 800 acres (320 ha) were set aside for local parks, recreation, schools and community facilities.[7]
The Aliso Viejo Community Association (AVCA) 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.[7]
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 (360 ha) business park and town center, was expected to ultimately provide more than 22,000 jobs. Every home in Aliso Viejo was located within1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) of Pacific Park, to encourage live-and-work opportunities.[7]
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.[8]Carmen Vali-Cave, the co-founder and president of the committee, became the new city's firstmayor.
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 acouncil-manager system of government. Day-to-day operations are handled by a professionalcity 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 nextMayor andMayorpro 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 .
In theCalifornia State Legislature, Aliso Viejo is inthe 37th senatorial district, represented byRepublican Steven Choi, and inthe 72nd Assembly district, represented byRepublican Diane Dixon.[9]
In theUnited States House of Representatives, Aliso Viejo is inCalifornia's 40th congressional district, represented byRepublican Young Kim.[10]
Additionally, in theOrange County Board of Supervisors, Aliso Viejo is in the 5th County District,[11] represented byKatrina Foley since 2025.
Aliso Viejo is a swing city at the presidential level. According to theOrange County Registrar of Voters, as of May 15, 2025, Aliso Viejo has 33,064 registered voters.[12] Of those, 9,210 (33.25%) are registered Republicans, 8,800 (31.77%) are registered Democrats, and 8,388 (30.28%) havedeclined to state a political party/are independents.[13]
The Uniform Crime Report (UCR), 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.[14] The 2023 UCR Data is listed below:
| Aggravated Assault | Homicide | Rape | Robbery | Burglary | Larceny Theft | Motor Vehicle Theft | Arson | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aliso Viejo | 44 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 39 | 267 | 54 | 4 |
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[16] | 56.48%15,754 | 41.30%11,519 | 2.22%619 |
| 2016[17] | 51.63%10,968 | 40.99%8,708 | 7.37%1,566 |
| 2012[18] | 47.27%9,430 | 50.09%9,991 | 2.64%527 |
| 2008[19] | 52.65%10,645 | 45.54%9,207 | 1.81%366 |
| 2004[20] | 40.73%7,648 | 58.39%10,964 | 0.88%166 |
Aliso Viejo is located at33°34′30″N117°43′32″W / 33.57500°N 117.72556°W /33.57500; -117.72556 (33.575096, -117.725431)[21] in theSan Joaquin Hills of Orange County. According to theCensus Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5 square miles (19 km2), all of which is land. Aliso Viejo is one of several cities borderingAliso and Wood Canyons Regional Park.Aliso Creek forms part of the city's boundary withLaguna Niguel to the south, andWood Canyon Creek forms part of the city's western boundary. Much of the city rests on the east slope of theSan Joaquin Hills, which are a coastal mountain range extending for about 15 miles (24 km) along the Pacific coast.
The most common native species: Red Sand Verbena, Pink Sand Verbena, and Big Leaf Maple[22]
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| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7,612 | — | |
| 2000 | 40,166 | 427.7% | |
| 2010 | 47,823 | 19.1% | |
| 2020 | 52,176 | 9.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[23] 1850–1870[24][25] 1880-1890[26] 1900[27] 1910[28] 1920[29] 1930[30] 1940[31] 1950[32] 1960[33] 1970[34] 1980[35] 1990[36]2000[37] 2010[38] 2020[39] | |||
Aliso Viejo first appeared as acensus-designated place in the1980 United States census;[35] and after incorporation in 2001, as a city in the2010 U.S. census.[38]
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1990[40] | Pop 2000[41] | Pop 2010[42] | Pop 2020[39] | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 5,924 | 28,599 | 29,538 | 29,044 | 77.82% | 71.20% | 61.77% | 55.67% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 117 | 790 | 892 | 949 | 1.54% | 1.97% | 1.87% | 1.82% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 28 | 107 | 82 | 48 | 0.37% | 0.27% | 0.17% | 0.09% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 595 | 4,367 | 6,902 | 8,509 | 7.82% | 10.87% | 14.43% | 16.31% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 11 | 78 | 75 | 155 | 0.15% | 0.19% | 0.16% | 0.30% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 8 | 102 | 136 | 323 | 0.11% | 0.25% | 0.28% | 0.62% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x | 1,443 | 2,034 | 3,312 | x | 3.59% | 4.25% | 6.35% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 940 | 4,680 | 8,164 | 9,836 | 12.35% | 11.65% | 17.07% | 18.85% |
| Total | 7,631 | 40,166 | 47,823 | 52,176 | 100.00 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The2020 United States census reported a population of 52,176. The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial counts) was 68.3%White, 2.7%African American, 15.4%Asian.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 18.8%.[43]
The median household income in 2023 was $137,970, and theper capita income was $64,689. About 3.0% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line.[44]
The2010 United States census[45] reported that Aliso Viejo had a population of 47,823. The population density was 6,400.4 inhabitants per square mile (2,471.2/km2). The racial makeup of Aliso Viejo was 34,437 (89.0%)White (77.8% Non-Hispanic White),[46] 967 (2.0%)African American, 151 (0.1%)Native American, 6,996 (14.6%)Asian, 89 (0.2%)Pacific Islander, 2,446 (5.1%) fromother races, and 2,737 (5.7%) from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 8,164 persons (17.1%).
The Census reported that 47,354 people (99.0% of the population) lived in households, 450 (0.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 19 (0%) were institutionalized.
There were 18,204 households, out of which 7,095 (39.0%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 9,358 (51.4%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 1,966 (10.8%) had a female householder with no husband present, 791 (4.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 987 (5.4%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 206 (1.1%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 4,416 households (24.3%) were made up of individuals, and 638 (3.5%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60. There were 12,115families (66.6% of all households); the average family size was 3.16.
The population was spread out, with 12,395 people (25.9%) under the age of 18, 3,739 people (7.8%) aged 18 to 24, 17,138 people (35.8%) aged 25 to 44, 12,003 people (25.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 2,548 people (5.3%) 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 (974.9/km2), of which 11,049 (60.7%) were owner-occupied, and 7,155 (39.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 3.6%. 29,819 people (62.4% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 17,535 people (36.7%) lived in rental housing units.
Companies located in Aliso Viejo include:
According to the city's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[47] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Parcel Service | 1,000 |
| 2 | Pacific Life | 811 |
| 3 | Capistrano Unified School District | 679 |
| 4 | Fluor | 630 |
| 5 | Quest Software | 600 |
| 6 | QLogic | 490 |
| 7 | Renaissance Hotels ClubSport Aliso Viejo | 259 |
| 8 | Pepsi Beverages Company | 215 |
| 9 | Smith Micro Software | 200 |
| 10 | Merit Property Management | 199 |
| 11 | Buy.com | 185 |
| 12 | Lennar | 175 |
| 13 | Target Corporation | 170 |
| 14 | Bausch & Lomb | 160 |
| 15 | Ambry Genetics | 777 |
| 16 | The Covington | 153 |
| 17 | LenSx Laser | 150 |
| 18 | Lowe's | 130 |
Fire protection in Aliso Viejo is provided by theOrange County Fire Authority with ambulance service byCare Ambulance. Law enforcement is provided by theOrange County Sheriff's Department.
Health Care
A tiny portion of the city, the Bells Vireo neighborhood of El Toro Road, are contracted out to theLaguna Beach Unified School District inLaguna Beach. Due to the city's inaccessibility at times, students who live in that portion may choose to attend theCapistrano Unified School District, which includes these schools:
Elementary
Middle school
High school
Orange County Transportation Authority operates local bus service.[53][54]
Water is supplied by the Moulton Niguel Water District,[55] which sources its water from theMetropolitan Water District of Southern California. This water is imported from both the Colorado River and the State Water Project.[56]
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Aliso Viejo travel guide from Wikivoyage| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
