Laguna Hills: Laguna Hills is a city located in southern Orange County, California. Located off El Toro Road in the northern most portion of the city is the new Laguna Hills Civic Center and City Hall. This area also is home to the Laguna Hills Mall, bringing vast wealth to the small city's finances by having a major mall in its borders. The mall is anchored by Sears, Macy's, and JC Penney, The mall caters primarily to the community of senior citizens, Laguna Woods Village.
Incorporation efforts began in 1987 and on March 5, 1991, the goal of incorporation was finally achieved with Nellie Gail's Ranch
The ranch sits on a promontory within the city and is a contrast to the higher density neighborhoods that surround it. It is one of the better-known upscale communities in the state and is not gated. Nellie Gail is a Planned Unit Development of 1407 lots on 1350 acres (5.5 km²) and consists of a mixture of tract and custom houses in an equestrian setting, with homes ranging from 1,700 to more than 10,000 square feet (160 to 930 m²). It is one of only a few communities left in Orange County zoned for large lots and equestrian trails, and joins only Anaheim Hills, Villa Park, and Orange Park Acres in their respective communities that limit the density of the homes in the county.
The community includes several large parks, miles of equestrian trails and arenas, as well as substantial open space with acres of trees.
Nellie Gail's reputation as an upscale California community is softened by its equestrian setting and residential focus, unlike that of the Beverly Hills or Newport Beach. The community also shuns what it perceives as the flashy, commercial "nouveau riche" reputation of other wealthy communities in the area.
The Nellie Gail Ranch has also been mentioned in movies such as "Wild Things" (1998) and even newspaper comics like Bill Keane's "The Family Circus." Such references usually make fun of the wealth of the Ranch's inhabitants. Personal residences have also been featured in advertisements for Lexus and other luxury car brands.
