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Community Corner

Gracie Goes Back in Time to Learn Some Laguna Niguel History

History teacher Phillip Andrews shares his knowledge of the way Laguna Niguel used to look.

My history teacher this year is Mr. Phillip Andrews. I found out he grew up in Laguna Niguel, and it made me curious about Laguna Niguel's history and what Laguna Niguel was like when he was my age.

Mr. Andrews has lived in Laguna Niguel since he was born. He remembers growing up here in the '60s and '70s, and it was like living in a small town. He said, "They used to , and in the hills there were cattle and sheep tended by Basque sheepherders. Almost every community activity took place at the beach, where even during the Fourth of July you knew every person there."

Some of his best memories were waking up in the morning with a couple hundred sheep in his backyard and spending endless hours at the beach.

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I asked him what he did as a kid for fun. Mr. Andrews told me that there used to be three lakes in the hills between Laguna Niguel and Dana Point that they used to hike to. Laguna Niguel also used to operate a mini bus that had surf racks that would take all the kids to Salt Creek Beach.  In those days, he said, "you could park right on the beach; Crown Valley used to be a two-lane dirt road. There were rolling hills from Crown Valley to El Toro."

The only school open in Laguna Niguel at the time was , but was built during his elementary school days, so he finished there. was built in the mid-'70s and he attended there, as well as . He went to college in Los Angeles but has since moved back to South Orange County, where he still lives, teaches and loves to surf.

Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I asked him which Laguna Niguel he thought was better. There has been so much growth since he grew up here, he felt it was kind of a trade-off. 

"When I grew up here, we were so isolated. We had to drive all the way to Laguna Beach just to go grocery shopping." 

He prefers the Laguna Niguel he grew up in. He has great memories of all the open space and knowing every family in town.

"No one locked their doors.  It was the most perfect place I could ever imagine growing up in.  I was very lucky."

I feel lucky to grow up in Laguna Niguel, too. It is still like a small town to me, and we may not know everyone, but we sure do run into friends everywhere we go. Mr. Andrews taught me a lot about the town I am growing up in. Even though I cannot go back into the past, when I look outside, I can close my eyes and imagine the rolling hills instead of the houses.  I open my eyes and see the Laguna Niguel I am growing up in. , wonderful people and awesome I hope some day I can tell my town's history to a future generation of kids like me.

To see some photos of Laguna Niguel in the '60s and '70s, check out the photos I found courtesy of the Orange County Archives.

There is also a Facebook page called "You Know You Grew Up in Laguna Niguel If ... " at facebook.com/groups/239581786075458/#!/groups/239581786075458/

Thanks, Mr. Andrews, for teaching me some Laguna Niguel history!

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