The land now called Laguna Beach was home to the Acjachemen (Juaneno) people for thousands of years before European contact. They lived in seasonal camps along the coast, harvesting shellfish from the tide pools and acorns from the canyon oaks.
Spanish and Mexican Periods
Spanish missionaries arrived in the late 18th century, establishing Mission San Juan Capistrano nearby in 1776. The area became part of various Mexican land grants, though the rugged coastal canyons remained largely unsettled by Europeans.
The Homesteaders
Anglo-American settlers began arriving in the 1870s. The area was initially called "Lagona" (likely a misspelling of "laguna," referring to the coastal lagoon at what is now Main Beach). Early homesteaders farmed the canyon floors and ran cattle on the hillsides.
Artists Colony
In the early 1900s, plein air painters discovered the dramatic coastal light. Artists like Norman St. Claire, Anna Hills, and William Wendt established studios in the canyons. By the 1920s, Laguna Beach had a reputation as a bohemian art colony, attracting painters, writers, and freethinkers from across the country.
The Pageant of the Masters began in 1933 as a way to showcase local art during the Depression, and has run annually (with a few wartime interruptions) ever since.
Incorporation
Laguna Beach incorporated as a city on June 29, 1927. The population was around 1,600. The new city government immediately faced tensions between pro-development and conservation factions that continue to define local politics.
The Greenbelt
In the 1960s-70s, residents organized to protect the surrounding hillsides from development. The result was a permanent greenbelt of protected open space encircling the city, one of the most successful urban conservation efforts in Southern California. Today, over 20,000 acres of wilderness surround the city's 8.84 square miles.
Modern Era
Laguna Beach remains one of the few California coastal cities to resist large-scale commercial development. The village downtown retains a walkable, small-town character. The art community persists, though rising real estate prices have pushed many working artists to studios outside town.