Laguna Niguel is considered Orange County's "Countryside by the Oceanside." It is a family oriented community with its vast rolling hills and scattered residential housing. Incorporated in 1989, about a third of the city's land is reserved for wildlife and natural landscaping. Residents are a quick five minute drive away to the ocean, yet they are located far away enough that they don't get a lot of the "beach town" traffic and tourism. Most of the housing is upscale that is fairly new. However, you can still find plenty homes that were built in the 1960's and 1970's. There is a large gated community known as Bear Brand Ranch where the city's million-dollar homes can be found.

Overall crime rate in Laguna Niguel is low. The city is served by the Capistrano District, which is one of the highest scoring in the county and among the 90th percentile compared statewide.

There are plenty of parks around Laguna Niguel. The Niguel Regional Park is well known for its lakes, biking, hiking, and fishing. There are even some bike trails that can take you all the way into Dana Point, if you're of the mind. Laguna Niguel also provides seasonal community activities like concerts it the parks, summer activities for kids and adults.