Lake Forest is an inland city in southern Orange County, California and home to an estimated 87,000 residents spread across 18 square miles.
Despite the area having previously been known as "El Toro" for over 150 years, residents at the time of incorporation (1991) chose the "Lake Forest" name in honor of the areas two man-made lakes and the remnants of town pioneer Dwight Whiting's eucalyptus forest.
Two large housing developments, Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills, were not included at the city’s incorporation. The city council voted to expand city limits to include Foothill Ranch and Portola Hills in 2000.
Responsible money management is a point of pride for Lake Forest's leaders. In an unusual act of transparency, the city government's website displays its budget and financial statements as an interactive, infographic-based dashboard.
Further, Lake Forest became a debt-free city in 2018, one of very few debt-free cities in California, despite building a slew of local amenities from civic buildings to sports parks.
Green space is also important in Lake Forest. The town maintains 31 municipal parks (nearly two per square mile), including three that are ADA accessible.
The city also features the Etnies Skatepark, which is the largest staffed public skateboard park in North America, hosting over 60,000 visitors per year.
