Foothill Ranch
Foothill Ranch, California, part of Lake Forest, CA, has about 11,000 residents. Until 2000, the two communities were separate, but Lake Forest annexed Foothill Ranch. Residents of Foothill Ranch can pursue higher education opportunities at nearby universities. Those wanting to be cosmetologists find Marinello School of Beauty located in Lake Forest. Other students can travel to nearby Irvine, CA, about seven miles away, for education at Brandman University for associate degrees and credits that easily transfer to other institutions. Students also find Irvine Valley College in Irvine, where students earn their associate degrees and often transfer to four-year colleges. Still other students choose to attend Concordia University in Irvine, where they can obtain associate and bachelor degrees at this college operated by the Lutheran Church. Still others choose to travel to Mission Viejo to attend Saddleback College to pursue more than 300 associate degrees and certificate programs. Students also can travel to Orange, CA, to attend Santiago Canyon College. By far the largest college in the area, however, is the University of California at Irvine.
Many companies are headquartered in the Foothill Ranch region of Lake Forest. Among them is Oakley Incorporated, which manufactures sunglasses and goggles, along with watches, apparel, backpacks, and shoes. Wet Seal, a young woman's clothing manufacturer, is also located here. Emergen-C, producing vitamin products and energy products, is also headquartered here. Aluminum manufacturer Kaiser Aluminum is also headquartered in this part of the city, as is ProBoards, an Internet software producer. Hugely popular Saddleback Church is also located here.