Mission Viejo 40 Years Old
Letter to the editor

As the city of Mission Viejo prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary, some observations about the nature of the city can be made. First, Mission Viejo is not a “newborn” city facing the problems of building brand-new, costly infrastructure, such as city streets, parks, recreation centers and police and fire facilities in order to meet future population expectations.

Second, it is also a pleasant fact that the city is not a “very old” city of 120 years or more, like Long Beach or Huntington Beach, where large sections of the community infrastructure and buildings are dilapidated or unusable and need to be replaced, also at high costs.

Rather, Mission Viejo at age 40 is a “young to middle-age” city with modern basic infrastructure and services already in place. The city is basically “built up,” and with a population of approximately 100,000 and virtually no unused land available, it is also “built out.”

The good news is that being neither an “infant” nor a “very old” city and approaching “middle age,” the city and its citizens should concentrate on maintaining and upgrading its infrastructure and services, enjoying life and having a positive view of itself and the future.

Michael R. Ferrall, Ph.D.
Mission Viejo