Lake Forest, a planned South County city of 78,000, is located in the scenic Saddleback Valley just east of the 5 Freeway and bordered by Irvine, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills, and Trabuco Canyon. Lake Forest was, until 1991, known as “El Toro” and still runs along a major street of that name. El Toro means “bull” in Spanish and derives from the bulls that roamed Don Serrano’s expansive ranch back in the 1800’s.

Today, two man-made lakes give the city its name along with an abundance of eucalyptus trees.

Growth in Lake Forest homes for sale was spurred on by the presence of the El Toro Marine Base and the support and services it required. That base has since closed and the land is still awaiting development.

Lake Forest has a bit of everything for its residents: wonderful planned communities of Lake Forest Real Estate, shopping, business centers, and some light industrial areas. It’s centrally located Orange County Real Estate is located at the merger of the 5 and 405 freeways, and bordered by the 241 Transportation Corridor making for easier commutes throughout the Orange County, or to neighboring LA or San Diego Counties.

Rick Warren’s “Saddleback Church”, a mega-church that ranks 8^th in the country in size, is located here.  Thousands come each week for services that are often tailored to their own demographic.

Shopping:  “The Arbor” a revitalized new shopping center on El Toro with many well-known retailers and restaurants.  A short drive away is the Irvine Spectrum, a luxury outdoor shopping experience with restaurants, a theater, and even a Ferris wheel!

Lake Forest has quality schools, from pre-K through High School with some schools for technical learning.  A major university is a short distance away at University California at Irvine or students of higher learning can also choose the large community college called Saddleback College, only minutes away.

Lake Forest is known for being near the top of the list each year for the “safest cities in the US” due to its safe streets and low crime rate.

Search our MLS today! If you are searching the MLS for Lake Forest homes for sale or Lake Forest Realtor, please don’t hesitate to call on of our Realtor professionals, 714-469-8198.

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