Home to one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, Dana Point is a picturesque city located in southern Orange County, California. Located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego and within easy driving distance of Southern California’s hottest attractions, Dana Point has long been a popular local destination for surfing. 

What is the community of Dana Point like?  

Southern California is known for its surfing culture and Dana Point is the essence of it all. Home to around 33,500 residents, Dana Point is the place where small-town charms meet modern-day luxuries. The charming city offers a year-round getaway to escape big-city congestion and enjoy the most picturesque Californian beaches, exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities, and a plethora of local landmarks.  
Nestled on a cliffside in idyllic south Orange County, Dana Point offers the best of Californian surfing landscapes. It is home to one of Orange County’s most immaculate beaches – the Salt Creek Beach, which is located adjacent to the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Laguna-Niguel hotel complex and the championship Monarch Beach Golf Links. Sitting conveniently at its southern end is the Monarch Bay Beach Club that offers exclusive members-only dining and drinks. 
When in Dana Point, don’t miss a chance to get on a whale-and-dolphin watching cruise to see why Dana Point has been called the “Dolphin and Whale Watching Capital of the World”. With over 450,000 dolphins, Dana Point has more dolphins per square mile than anywhere else in the world. It is also one of the best places in the world to view the largest animal to have ever lived on earth: the magnificent blue whale. 
You would also love a stroll along the picturesque Dana Point Harbor, which is home to a massive 2,500-slip marina and houses a plethora of specialty shopping and dining experiences, as well as the beautiful Baby Beach, which offers excellent swimming conditions and stunning cliffside panoramic views.   
Other exciting attractions in Dana Point include the Ocean Institute - one of Dana Point Harbor's most unique natural attractions, offering a variety of marine and nature experiences for everyone – and an opportunity to enjoy safe, fun, and memorable parasailing adventures along the beautiful Pacific Ocean coastline, thanks to Dana Point Parasail, a premiere parasailing company operating out of Dana Point Harbor. 

What is Real Estate like in Dana Point?     

Real estate in Dana Point has shown an average growth of 4.62% per year since the year 2000. Since 2000, the prices of homes in Dana Point have appreciated by a strong 158.19%. National real estate firm, EXP, categorizes Dana Point’s housing market as ‘somewhat competitive’. The sale prices of homes in Dana Point have experienced growth of more than 2.1% since April last year.   
The median home price in Dana Point is $1,686,500. Currently, there are 161 active homes for sale in Dana Point, and normally it takes 59 days for a listed home to get off the market. The average cost to rent a house in Dana Point is $2,988 per month. At present, there are 14,905 homes and apartments in the city, 63.5% of which are owned, and the remaining 36.5% are rented.      

How is the economic landscape of Dana Point?    

Over the last year, Dana Point’s job market has grown by 0.6%, while its unemployment rate stands at a decent 5.4%. The US average is 6%. Also, the city’s job market is expected to grow by 31.9% over the next ten years.  
On average, a Dana Point resident earns around $51,400 per annum, substantially higher than the US average of $28500. The city’s median household income of almost $84,400 per resident is also much greater than the US average of approximately $53000. Most of the residents of Dana Point work in construction, manufacturing, retail, finance, education, accommodation, professional and technical services, and healthcare.    

How are the schools in Dana Point?     

Dana Point is covered by Capistrano Unified School District, which encompasses 63 schools and 53,833 enrolled students. The cross-country program at Dana Hills High School won California state titles in 1988, 2007, 2008, and 2009. 
When it comes to higher education, lies 21 miles from one of California's most iconic universities - the University of California, Irvine (UCI). Established in 1965, UCI is regarded as one of the Public Ivies, meaning that it is considered to be one of the few public universities in the U.S. whose quality of education parallels that of the Ivy League. The university offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and professional degrees, and roughly 30,000 undergraduates and 6,000 graduate students were enrolled at UCI as of Fall 2019. To put UCI in true perspective, it is pertinent to mention that the university has produced seven Nobel Prize laureates and seven Pulitzer Prize winners – a staggering feat for any educational institution in the world.       

Dana Point in a nutshell        

In a nutshell, Dana Point is a gorgeous city boasting some of the most picturesque beaches in California. The city is synonymous with South California’s enviable surfing culture and offers an incredible array of beach activities, as well as other outdoor recreational opportunities. Should you choose to move to California, Dana Point would make an ideal place to call home.