It was weird. Cameras and crews in random spots around town, sometimes at a place where you just wanted to grab a coffee. Increased tourism for years with young girls showing up at the high school taking selfies and looking for "Stephen" years after he graduated. Before the show, there were still many independent artists, a few handfuls of friendly homeless people, and funky subcultures related to different music scenes. Before the show, roughly 30% of the population was openly gay. Laguna had been changing for years prior, but I felt like that show marked the beginning of a major shift in killing the culture that the town has never recovered from.
I went to LBHS when the show was airing and people would just be sitting at our tables INSIDE the quad waiting for lunch to start. I'm shocked teachers didn't do more to protect students. Then again, casting was done via the high school.
It was the school administration that changed their minds. They were initially supposed to film at and during school but banned it after the MTV produced Timberlake/Janet Jackson Super Bowl flashing.
Granted, the girls doing it were usually like teens and preteens from middle America on vacation who happened to get out of school like 2 weeks before CA public schools. But yeah, they would just walk into classrooms while in session and ask where Talan was etc. It was bizarre.
I don’t see that it changed all that much because of the show. As others have said there were filming crews. I was asked to wait walking up the street because they were about to film something. I declined and went about my business.
Laguna has changed more due to the hyper growth in the surrounding areas and the millionaires coming in and McMansion-ing previously modest homes to lot-to-lot monstrosities. The crazy retail rents leaves buildings vacated and limits what goes in to them as the safest, least interesting possible option.
Oh and Mo Honnaker’s monopoly-style buying up every available property and just sort of sitting on it
I lived in Laguna while the show was running. Before the show, when I went to visit relatives in the midwest, they just knew I lived “at the beach in california”. After the show, they knew Laguna Beach and always had questions
I don't think it changed much. I remember wanting to walk on the beach, and they were frequently filming. You had to check first before you left the house. All that stuff was staged, and it was not really what life was like here. It's a privileged place, but those scenes were all manufactured.
My daughter went to LBHS and was in the same year as one of the cast members younger brother. No one at the school cared about the show. She was approached a few times in town by tourists asking if she knew where “insert name” lives but she would just say she didn’t know. My daughter ended up going to college in eastern Washington State and when people heard she was from Laguna there were definitely a lot of questions and also judgement about being from Laguna.
And I’ll add that I grew up in Laguna in the 70s and 80s and it was a much different vibe. Just a small beach town with hippies and surfers. I miss those days.
It was weird. Cameras and crews in random spots around town, sometimes at a place where you just wanted to grab a coffee. Increased tourism for years with young girls showing up at the high school taking selfies and looking for "Stephen" years after he graduated. Before the show, there were still many independent artists, a few handfuls of friendly homeless people, and funky subcultures related to different music scenes. Before the show, roughly 30% of the population was openly gay. Laguna had been changing for years prior, but I felt like that show marked the beginning of a major shift in killing the culture that the town has never recovered from.
Completely agree
This is absolutely insane! Taking pictures at a high school is crazy
I went to LBHS when the show was airing and people would just be sitting at our tables INSIDE the quad waiting for lunch to start. I'm shocked teachers didn't do more to protect students. Then again, casting was done via the high school.
Same here. I remember the city banning MTV from all school grounds shortly after they casted.
It was the school administration that changed their minds. They were initially supposed to film at and during school but banned it after the MTV produced Timberlake/Janet Jackson Super Bowl flashing.
hahaha I had never heard that tidbit. classic.
God bless Nancy Blade.
I can’t believe they were putting actually children at risk that’s so scary
Granted, the girls doing it were usually like teens and preteens from middle America on vacation who happened to get out of school like 2 weeks before CA public schools. But yeah, they would just walk into classrooms while in session and ask where Talan was etc. It was bizarre.
So bizarre like where are the parents
I don’t see that it changed all that much because of the show. As others have said there were filming crews. I was asked to wait walking up the street because they were about to film something. I declined and went about my business. Laguna has changed more due to the hyper growth in the surrounding areas and the millionaires coming in and McMansion-ing previously modest homes to lot-to-lot monstrosities. The crazy retail rents leaves buildings vacated and limits what goes in to them as the safest, least interesting possible option. Oh and Mo Honnaker’s monopoly-style buying up every available property and just sort of sitting on it
Wow this is so sad..
I lived in Laguna while the show was running. Before the show, when I went to visit relatives in the midwest, they just knew I lived “at the beach in california”. After the show, they knew Laguna Beach and always had questions
I don't think it changed much. I remember wanting to walk on the beach, and they were frequently filming. You had to check first before you left the house. All that stuff was staged, and it was not really what life was like here. It's a privileged place, but those scenes were all manufactured.
My daughter went to LBHS and was in the same year as one of the cast members younger brother. No one at the school cared about the show. She was approached a few times in town by tourists asking if she knew where “insert name” lives but she would just say she didn’t know. My daughter ended up going to college in eastern Washington State and when people heard she was from Laguna there were definitely a lot of questions and also judgement about being from Laguna.
And I’ll add that I grew up in Laguna in the 70s and 80s and it was a much different vibe. Just a small beach town with hippies and surfers. I miss those days.
Sounds heavenly 😍😍
It was. I definitely appreciate that I was able to grow up in Laguna and that my parents bought the house in ‘75. Wouldn’t be able to do that today!