Best Place Real Estate

 “Lake Forest Rocks on the 4th“.  That’s the theme of this year’s 4th of July Parade put on by the City of Lake Forest.  The Parade is the City’s biggest annual event and it gets better every year.  I volunteer on the Parade Committee and I think The Parade will be extra fun this year.  The Parade begins at the intersection of Toledo and Ridge Route and then goes up Lake Forest Drive to Serrano Road.  It starts at 10AM, but it is best to get there early.  Enjoy the Parade and then have a fun and safe 4th of July!

If you have a question for the City of Lake Forest or need to report a problem, go to GovPopulous.  This system has proven to be very effective because our City Manager not only reads all inputs but also holds his staff accountable for responding to all of them.

Periodically the City conducts a Resident and Business Satisfaction survey.  The last one was done in 2006.  Overall, the rate of satisfaction by residents for City services was 91% and for quality of life was 95%.  For businesses, the overall rate of satisfaction for City services was 86% and 79% of the businesses rated the business climate in Lake Forest as excellent or good.  And the City is constantly working to be even better.  GovPopulous is another way the City keeps in touch with the needs of its residents and businesses.  To use GovPopulous, go to: www.city-lakeforest.com/govpopulous.

Yes, we have them.  They are in Heritage Hill Historical Park on the corner of Lake Forest and Serrano.  Along with the Serrano Adobe (1863) and the Harvey Bennett Ranch House (1908) is El Toro’s first church, St. George’s Episcopal Mission (1891), and the first schoolhouse, the El Toro Grammar School (1890).

Come celebrate our local history at Rancho Days Fiesta at Heritage Hill this Saturday, May 17.  It is fun for the whole family and an opportunity to visit Lake Forest’s old historical homes.

Now is your chance to be in the annual Lake Forest 4th of July parade!  This year the theme is “Lake Forest Rocks on the 4th” and there is still time to enter to participate.  Entry forms need to be submitted to City Hall by June 6, 2008.

Volunteering on the Parade Committee is another great way to participate.  I have done it for about five years and it is a fun way to give back to the community.  The committee works with The City to plan and organized the parade.  We are always looking for more volunteers, so if you are interested, come to our next meeting, this Monday, May 12th at City Hall, 25550 Commercentre Drive (off Bake).  We meet at 6PM and a light dinner is served.  Come and see what it is all about.

Lake Forest is now a host city for bluebird nesting boxes.  I just read this in The Mainsheet, which is the monthly publication of the Lake Forest II Master Homeoners Association.  The article reported that bluebird boxes will be hung in trees in some of the City’s parks.  I love the idea of helping the bluebird population and even more so that the City of Lake Forest has agreed to host the boxes for the Southern California Bluebird Club.

I was showing property the other day to a young man who is moving from North Orange County.  He wanted to see condos for sale in Lake Forest and Laguna Hills.  While we were out looking, he told me that a few years ago he would not have even considered Lake Forest.  But now with The Arbor on El Toro and all the great dining and shopping available in the City, he would love to live in Lake Forest.  I myself have noticed that people are now coming to Lake Forest specifically for the new restaurants and shopping.  My personal favorites in The Arbor are Boneheads and Home Goods.  We are now a “destination” city!

They City is having an Opening Celebration this Saturday, April 19, from 11:00 to 4:oo at The Arbor on El Toro.  Come join the fun and see for yourself how far Lake Forest has come.

So many of us are interested in protecting the environment and ourselves with the use of “green” buildings.  The City of Lake Forest supports this effort and has provided an excellent resource for information on going green on its website.  The site includes a list of “5 Things Everyone Can Do To Go Green”.  Even if everyone did only one or two on the list, Lake Forest would be “greener”.

Enjoy “A Taste of Lake Forest” and try your luck at “Casino Night”, Saturday, April 5.  The event will be at the Sun & Sail Club (corner of Lake Forest and Toledo) from 6PM to 10PM.  You will have an opportunity to win many great prizes while you taste delicious food provided by our local restaurants.  This is the annual fundraiser for Soroptimist International of Lake Forest, a women’s service organization supporting the community since 1973.  Tickets are $45 and include $200 in chips, 2 drink tickets and your “Taste of Lake Forest”. For reservations and more information, you can call me or email: SoroptimistsLakeForest@yahoo.com .

Apparently the Orange County Board of Supervisors is now branding Orange County as the “OC”.   The thing is, I have never heard anyone from Orange County refer to it as the “OC”.  Maybe the Supervisors got the idea from the TV show, “The OC”.  I never saw the show, but I heard that it gave a very false idea of what people here are like. 

We now have departments such as OC Public Works, OC Waste and Recycling, OC Community Resources, OC This and OC That.  It seems they were building on their new slogan “OC: Our Community, Our Commitment”.   While I don’t know about the commitment, I do know that our community calls it “Orange County”.  It is like San Francisco.  People who live in San Francisco don’t refer to it as “SF” or “Frisco”.  They call it “San Francisco”.  When I tell people where I live or where I am from, I say I live in Orange County or I am from Orange County.  I like the name “Orange County”.

The title of my blog site is “Best Place Real Estate”, “because Orange County is the best place in the world to live”.  And that is  “Orange County”, not the”OC”.

One of the things I like about Lake Forest is the number of city sponsored events.   One tradition is the annual Snowfest.  This year snow will be in Lake Forest on January 26.  No need to drive to the mountains, snow will be just around the corner.  This will be a fun time for the whole family.

The City sponsors many other events and excursions.  Not only is Lake Forest a great community, there is always something to do!