FOCUS : The Riviera...Southern California Style

Nestled between the Pacific Coast Highway and the San Diego Freeway is the residential and quasi-resort community of Laguna Niguel.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel--opened in August 1984--with its opulent air, Mediterranean exterior and Italian decor, gives a visitor that riviera feeling. The hotel hugs the top of the cliffs, providing a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. The Ritz also generates tax revenues of $2.5 million per year.

In February the California Coastal Commission approved the construction of the $300-million Monarch Beach Resort. Building on the ocean bluff is scheduled to begin in September for a 1991 opening. On its 165 acres the Monarch will include a convention center, opera theater, ice skating rink and an electric tram that will transport guests between the buildings.

The Laguna Niguel Regional Park, with its 80 acres and 36-acre lake, is now on the popular and recently-extended Aliso Creek bicycle trail.

COMMUNITY PROFILE: LAGUNA NIGUEL

Population

By sex and age In thousands

Median Age: 42.7 years

Employment status

Employed persons: 5,943

Unemployed: 206

Not in labor force: 3,300

Per capita income: $13,022

Education

Adults over 25 Years of school completed:

Median years completed: 14.3

Statistics

Population: (1987 est.): 16,236

Median household income: $47,742

Median home value: $136,102

Racial/ethnic mix: white, 96.1%; Latino, 4.2 %; black, 0.4 %; other, 3.6%

(Total is more than 100% because racial/ethnic breakdowns overlap)

Statistics: Donnelley Demographics