The Village

What it’s like

The Village is downtown Laguna Beach. Main Beach sits at the west end of Broadway. Federal elevation data puts points on Ocean Avenue and Glenneyre Street at about 15 and 30 feet above sea level, low ground compared with the hillside neighborhoods behind. The Coastal Commission lists swimming, basketball courts and volleyball at Main Beach. Galleries and restaurants sit a few blocks inland.

Laguna Beach began as an art colony. Visit Laguna Beach lists gallery exhibits, the Laguna Art Museum at 307 Cliff Drive and a First Thursdays Art Walk. The Laguna Beach Farmers Market meets every Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon in the Lumberyard lot at 521 Forest Avenue. The Laguna Beach Library is at 363 Glenneyre Street. The summer art festivals sit along Laguna Canyon Road: the Festival of Arts, with the Pageant of the Masters, is at 650 Laguna Canyon Road and the Sawdust Art Festival is at 935 Laguna Canyon Road. See the events guide for festival dates.

Homes mix with the shops. realatrends.com describes a mix of residential and commercial properties, with cottages and condominiums among the shops, and files single-family houses, duplexes, triplexes and condos under the Village.

Realatrends Real Estate keeps its office at 1178 Glenneyre Street in the Village. Neighboring areas include North Laguna along Cliff Drive, Top of the World up the hill and the hillside streets of Mystic Hills.

Getting around

The Coastal Route trolley runs through downtown. On weekends the Canyon Route runs from Lot 16 at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road to downtown on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., every 30 minutes. Summer has a separate schedule. Read the getting around guide for routes and stops.

Street meters take cards, coins and the Laguna Beach Parking App. Lot 6, the Glenneyre parking structure, Lot 11 at Forest and Laguna Canyon, and Lot 12 at Lumberyard have electric vehicle charging. City enforcement runs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Parking tightens from Memorial Day through Labor Day, most of all within a quarter mile of Main Beach and the Village.

Residents have two permit options. Select downtown addresses qualify for the city’s Residential Permit. City residents can also buy a Shopper Permit, up to four per household, which covers city meters for the posted time and lots 1 through 9 and 22. The parking guide has the rest.

State Route 133 starts as Broadway in the Village, climbs through Laguna Canyon to the 73 toll road and reaches Interstates 405 and 5 in Irvine. By road from Main Beach, Irvine Spectrum is about 10 miles, John Wayne Airport about 15, downtown Los Angeles about 50 and downtown San Diego about 70.

Things to know before you buy or rent

Many older cottages have limited parking or street parking only. Ask where you would park before you commit to a floor plan.

Downtown is one of the places where the city’s short-term lodging rules still allow new units. The city allows new short-term lodging only in certain commercial zones and downtown districts, under a use permit, with a cap of 300 units citywide. An operator also needs a short-term lodging license, a business license and a transient occupancy tax registration. Existing permits run with the property, so ask the seller for the permit paperwork. The short-term rentals guide has the rules.

Homes share blocks with restaurants and galleries, so ask the city which zone covers the address. The city’s list of 22 evacuation management zones calls this area Downtown, zone LAB10, with its own map.

See the homes for sale in the Village on realatrends.com, and use the moving checklist to plan your first week.