Laguna Beach, Orange County, California, United States

The region was originally known to the Spanish as "La Cañada de Las Lagunas" which means "The Canyon of the Small Lakes", in reference to two lakes found near the head of Laguna Canyon. However, in confusion with the word "Lagoon", Laguna Beach was nearly misnamed "Lagoona" by the State of California. While it was still an unincorporated community, the Postmaster, Nicholas Isch, journeyed to Sacramento to rectify the mistake, and the original Spanish spelling was retained.
Laguna Beach was incorporated as a General Law City in 1927 and has experienced a slow but steady population growth since that time. Laguna Beach was the point of origin and base of operations for the Brotherhood of Eternal Love (The Laguna Brotherhood) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Timothy Leary lived with and acted as a spiritual guide to the Brotherhood, until his arrest for possession of marijuana. Leary was 'busted' by Laguna Beach police officer Neil Purcell on December 26, 1968 on Woodland Drive, just south of the intersection with the Roosevelt Drive footpath.