Orange_County__California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Orange County, California Orange County, California Orange County, California Map Cities in Orange County Orange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,846,293, though a July 2008 estimate placed the population at 3,010,759, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County.[1] The county is famous for its tourism, the home of such attractions as Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm, as well as several beaches along more than 40 miles (64 km) of coastline. It is also recognized for its nationally known centers of religious worship, such as Crystal Cathedral, Saddleback Church, and Calvary Chapel. It is often portrayed in the media as an affluent and politically conservative region. Whereas most population centers in the United States tend to be identified by a major city, there is no defined urban center to Orange County. It is mostly suburban, except for some traditional downtown areas such as those of Anaheim, Santa Ana, Orange, Huntington Beach, and Fullerton. There are also several edge city-style developments such as the South Coast Metro and Newport Center. While Santa Ana serves as the governmental center of the county, Anaheim is the main tourist destination and Irvine is the major business hub. Four Orange County cities have populations exceeding 200,000: Santa Location in the state of California California’s location in the U.S. Statistics Founded Seat Largest city Area - Total - Land - Water Population - (2008) - Density Time zone March 11, 1889 Santa Ana Santa Ana 948 sq mi (2,455 km²) 789 sq mi (2,045 km²) 159 sq mi (411 km²), 16.43% 3,010,759 3,815/sq mi (1,472/km²) Pacific: UTC-8/-7 Website: www.ocgov.com 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ana, Anaheim, Irvine, and Huntington Beach.[2] Thirty-four incorporated cities are located in Orange County; the newest is Aliso Viejo, which was incorporated in 2001. Anaheim is the oldest, incorporated in 1870 when the region was still part of neighboring Los Angeles County. Orange County, California Virginia, which itself took its name from William of Orange, a famous Protestant King of England, Ireland and Scotland. The fact the county took the same name as one of its towns may have been coincidence. However it is also possible that the county was named for this city (and thus indirectly for William of Orange, whose family name was itself derived from the French town of Orange named in ancient times in honour of a celtic water deity). Other citrus crops, avocados, and oil extraction were also important to the early economy. Orange County benefited from the July 4, 1904 completion of the Pacific Electric Railway, a trolley connecting Los Angeles with Santa Ana and Newport Beach . The link made Orange County an accessible weekend retreat for celebrities of early Hollywood. It was deemed so significant that the city of Pacific City changed its name to Huntington Beach in honor of Henry Huntington, president of the Pacific Electric and nephew of Collis Huntington. Transportation further improved with the completion of the State Route and U.S. Route 101 (now mostly Interstate 5) in the 1920s. History Members of the Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño Native American groups long inhabited the area. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà, a Spanish expedition led by Junipero Serra named the area Valle de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the area’s first permanent European settlement. Among the group of explorers that came with Portolá were José Manuel Nieto and José Antonio Yorba. Both of these men were given land grants and their heirs also inherited portions of family land. The oldest of the Orange County land grants or ranchos was Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana granted in 1810 by Ferdinand VII of Spain. The Yorba heirs Bernardo and Teodosio Yorba inherited ranches in 1834 and 1846 respectively. Their ranches were known as Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana (Santa Ana Canyon Ranch) and Rancho Lomas de Santiago.The Nieto heirs Juan José and Antonio Nieto were granted land in 1834. The Nieto ranches were known as Rancho Los Alamitos, Rancho Las Bolsas, and Rancho Los Coyotes. Other ranches in Orange County were granted by the Mexican government post 1821, year of Mexican Independence, during the Mexican period in Alta California. A severe drought in the 1860s devastated the prevailing industry, cattle ranching, and much land came into the possession of Richard O’Neill, Sr.,[3] James Irvine and other land barons. In 1887, silver was discovered in the Santa Ana Mountains, attracting settlers via the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads. This growth led the California legislature to divide Los Angeles County and create Orange County as a separate political entity on March 11, 1889. The county is generally said to have been named for the citrus fruit (its most famous product).[4] However, in the new county there was already a town by the name of Orange, named for Orange County, South Coast Metro area in central Orange County Agriculture, such as the boysenberry which was made famous by Buena Park native Walter Knott, began to decline after World War II but the county’s prosperity soared. The completion of Interstate 5 in 1954 helped make Orange County a bedroom community for many who moved to Southern California to work in aerospace and manufacturing. Orange County received a further boost in 1955 with the opening of Disneyland. 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia In 1969, Yorba Linda-born Orange County native Richard Nixon became the 37th President of the United States. In the 1980s, the population topped two million for the first time; Orange County had become the second-most populated county in California. An investment fund melt-down in 1994 led to the criminal prosecution of County of Orange treasurer Robert Citron. The county lost at least $1.5 billion through high-risk investments in derivatives.[5] On December 6, 1994, the County of Orange declared Chapter 9 bankruptcy,[5] from which it emerged in June 1995. The Orange County bankruptcy was the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.[5] In recent years, the county has been characterized by conflict between the older more historic northern and newer southern cities over development, the building of new toll roads, and a recently defeated proposal to build an international airport at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station that would have reduced operations at the existing John Wayne Airport. Orange County, California known as Saddleback, visible from almost everywhere in the county. The Peralta Hills extend westward from the Santa Ana Mountains through the communities of Anaheim Hills, Orange, and ending in Olive. The Loma Ridge is another prominent feature, running parallel to the Santa Ana Mountains through the central part of the county, separated from the taller mountains to the east by Santiago Canyon. The Santa Ana River is the county’s principal watercourse, flowing through the middle of the county from Northeast to Southwest. Its major tributary to the South and East is Santiago Creek. Other watercourses within the county include Aliso Creek, San Juan Creek, and Horsethief Creek. In the North, the San Gabriel River also briefly crosses into Orange County and exits into the Pacific on the Los AngelesOrange County line between the cities of Long Beach and Seal Beach. Laguna Beach is home to the county’s only natural lakes, Laguna Lakes, which are formed by water rising up against an underground fault. Residents sometimes figuratively divide the county into "North Orange County" and "South County" (meaning Northwest and Southeast --following the county’s natural diagonal orientation along the local coastline). This is more of a cultural and demographic distinction perpetuated by the popular television shows "The OC" and "Laguna Beach," between the older areas closer to Los Angeles, and the more affluent and recently developed areas to the South and East. A transition between older and newer development may be considered to exist roughly parallel to State Route 55 (aka the Costa Mesa Freeway). This transition is accentuated by large flanking tracts of sparsely developed area occupied until recent years by agriculture and military airfields. While there is a natural topographical Northeast-to-Southwest transition from inland elevations to the lower coastal band, there is no formal geographical division between North and South County. Perpendicular to that gradient, the Santa Ana River roughly divides the county between northwestern and southeastern sectors (about 40% to 60% respectively, by area), but does not represent any apparent economic, political or cultural differences, nor does it significantly affect distribution of travel, housing, Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,455 km² (948 sq mi), making it the smallest county in Southern California. Surface water accounts for 411 km² (159 sq mi) of the area, 16.73% of the total; 2,045 km² (789 sq mi) of it is land. The average annual temperature is about 68F. Orange County is bordered on the southwest by the Pacific Ocean, on the north by Los Angeles County, on the northeast by San Bernardino County and Riverside County, and on the southeast by San Diego County. The northwestern part of the county lies on the coastal plain of the Los Angeles Basin, while the southeastern end rises into the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. Most of Orange County’s population reside in one of two shallow coastal valleys that lie in the basin, the Santa Ana Valley and the Saddleback Valley. The Santa Ana Mountains lie within the eastern boundaries of the county and of the Cleveland National Forest. The high point is Santiago Peak (5,687 ft/1,733 m), about 20 mi (32 km) east of Santa Ana. Santiago Peak and nearby Modjeska Peak, just 200 feet (60 m) shorter, form a ridge 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia commerce, industry or agriculture from one side to the other. Orange County, California • Laguna Hills, incorporated in 1991 • Laguna Niguel, incorporated in 1989 • Westminster, incorporated in 1957 • Yorba Linda, incorporated in 1967 Incorporated cities As of August 2006, Orange County has 34 incorporated cities. The oldest is Anaheim (1870) and the newest is Aliso Viejo (2001). • Aliso Viejo, • Laguna Woods, incorporated in incorporated in 2001 1999 • Anaheim, • Lake Forest, incorporated in incorporated in 1870 1991 • Brea, • Los Alamitos, incorporated in incorporated in 1917 1960 • Buena Park, • Mission Viejo, incorporated in incorporated in 1953 1988 • Costa Mesa, • Newport Beach, incorporated in incorporated in 1953 1906 • Cypress, • Orange, incorporated in incorporated in 1956 1888 • Dana Point, • Placentia, incorporated in incorporated in 1989 1926 • Fountain Valley, • Rancho Santa incorporated in Margarita, 1953 incorporated in • Fullerton, 2000 incorporated in • San Clemente, 1904 incorporated in • Garden Grove, 1928 incorporated in • San Juan 1956 Capistrano, • Huntington incorporated in Beach, 1961 incorporated in • Santa Ana, 1909 incorporated in • Irvine, 1886 incorporated in • Seal Beach, 1971 incorporated in • La Habra, 1915 incorporated in • Stanton, 1925 incorporated in • La Palma, 1956 incorporated in • Tustin, 1955 incorporated in • Laguna Beach, 1927 incorporated in • Villa Park, 1927 incorporated in 1962 Noteworthy communities Some of the communities that exist within city limits are listed below: • Anaheim Hills, • Northwood, Anaheim Irvine • Atwood, Placentia • Newport Coast, • Balboa, Newport Newport Beach Beach • Olinda Village, • Balboa Island, Brea Newport Beach • Olive, Orange • Corona del Mar, • Portola Hills, Newport Beach Lake Forest • Capistrano Beach, • Quail Hill, Irvine Dana Point • Talega, San • Dove Canyon, Clemente Rancho Santa • Tustin Legacy, Margarita Tustin • East Lake, Yorba • San Juan Hills, Linda San Juan • El Modena, Orange Capistrano • French Park, Santa • San Joaquin Hills, Ana Newport Beach • Floral Park, Santa • Santa Ana Ana Heights, Newport • Foothill Ranch, Beach Lake Forest • Santiago Hills, • Ladera Ranch, Orange Mission Viejo • South Laguna, • Las Flores, Rancho Laguna Beach Santa Margarita • Sunny Hills, • Lido Isle, Newport Fullerton Beach • Tustin Ranch, • Mesa Verde, Costa Tustin Mesa • West Garden • Monarch Beach, Grove, Garden Dana Point Grove • Woodbridge, Irvine • Turtle Rock, Irvine Unincorporated communities These communities are outside of the city limits in unincorporated county territory: • Coto de Caza • Orange Park Acres • Cowan Heights • Rancho Mission • El Modena Viejo • Emerald Bay • Red Hill 4 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia • Rossmoor • Silverado Canyon • Sunset Beach • Surfside • Trabuco Canyon • Tustin Foothills See also: List of neighborhoods and unincorporated communities in Orange County • • • • Ladera Ranch Lemon Heights Midway City Modjeska Canyon Orange County, California Major highways Surface transportation in Orange County relies heavily on three major interstate highways: the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), the San Diego Freeway (I-405 and I-5 south of Irvine), and the San Gabriel River Freeway (I-605), which only briefly enters Orange County territory in the northwest. The other freeways in the county are state highways, and include the perpetually congested Riverside and Artesia Freeway (SR 91) and the Garden Grove Freeway (SR 22) running east-west, and the Orange Freeway (SR 57), the Costa Mesa Freeway (SR/SR 55), the Laguna Freeway (SR 133), the San Joaquin Transportation Corridor (SR 73), the Eastern Transportation Corridor (SR 261, SR 133, SR 241), and the Foothill Transportation Corridor (SR 241) running north-south. Minor stub freeways include the Richard M. Nixon Freeway (SR 90), also known as Imperial Highway, and the southern terminus of Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1). There are no U.S. Highways in Orange County, though two existed in the county until the mid-1960s: 91 and 101. 91 went through what is now the state route of the same number, and 101 was replaced by Interstate 5. SR-1 was once a bypass of US-101 (Route 101A). • • 405 • 605 • • 22 • 39 • 55 • 57 State Route State Route State Route State Route 1 State Route Interstate Interstate 5 Interstate • • • • • 133 • 142 • 241 • 261 State Route State Route State Route State Route 73 State Route 74 State Route 90 State Route 91 State Route Planned communities Orange County has a history of large planned communities. Nearly 30% of the county was created as master planned communities, the most notable being the City of Irvine, Coto de Caza, Anaheim Hills, Tustin Ranch, Ladera Ranch, Talega, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Mission Viejo. Irvine has become the model master planned city, encompassing many villages which were all planned under a master plan by the Irvine Company in the mid-1960s. Many communities within California and throughout the country (and even outside the country including China) have used these Orange County developments as models for their own planning. Elements such as community clubhouses, numerous community pools, pocket parks, horse trails, and active associations were first established in Orange County master planned communities and have been copied in numerous places throughout the United States. Irvine was the first master planned community in the world, and sponsors visits from designers the world over who use it as a model to design their communities. Adjacent counties • Los Angeles County, California - north, west • San Bernardino County, California northeast • Riverside County, California - east • San Diego County, California - southeast National protected areas • Cleveland National Forest (part) • Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge Transportation infrastructure Public transit Transit in Orange County is offered primarily by the Orange County Transportation Authority. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) cited OCTA as the best large property transportation system in the United States for 2005. OCTA manages the 5 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia county’s bus network and funds the construction and maintenance of local streets, highways, and freeways; regulates taxicab services; maintains express toll lanes through the median of the Riverside Freeway (SR 91); and works with Southern California’s Metrolink to provide commuter rail service along three lines - the Orange County Line, the 91 Line, and the Inland Empire-Orange County Line. The bus network comprises 6,542 stops on 77 lines, running along most major streets, and accounts for 210,000 boardings a day. The fleet of 817 buses is gradually being replaced by LNG(liquified natural gas)-powered vehicles, which already represent over 40% of the total. Starting in 1992, Metrolink has operated three commuter rail lines through Orange County, and has also maintained Rail-to-Rail service with parallel Amtrak service. On a typical weekday, over 40 trains run along the Orange County Line, the 91 Line and the Inland Empire-Orange County Line. Along with Metrolink riders on parallel Amtrak lines, these lines generate approximately 15,000 boardings per weekday. Metrolink also began offering weekend service on the Orange County Line and the Inland Empire-Orange County line in the summer of 2006. As ridership has steadily increased in the region, new stations have opened at Anaheim Canyon, Buena Park, Tustin, and Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo. Stations at Placentia and Yorba Linda are proposed for future construction. Orange County’s first public Monorail line is undergoing Environmental impact assessment. This line will connect the Disneyland Resort, Convention Center, and Angel Stadium to the proposed "ARTIC" transportation hub, in the city of Anaheim. [2] Additionally, three Bus Rapid Transit lines will be making their debut in 2008. These lines will run along Harbor Boulevard, Westminister Boulevard/17th Street, and Brea to Irvine. The Brea to Irvine BRT route will link Brea, Fullerton, Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Irvine. Five major transportation centers will be served, including the Fullerton Transportation Center, the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC), the Depot at Santa Ana, John Wayne Airport and the Irvine Transportation Center. [3] A car and passenger ferry service, the Balboa Island Ferry, comprising three ferries Orange County, California running every five minutes, operates between Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island in Newport Beach. Orange County’s only major airport is John Wayne Airport. Although its abbreviation (SNA) refers to Santa Ana, the airport is in fact located in unincorporated territory surrounded by the cities of Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Irvine. Unincorporated Orange County (including the John Wayne Airport) has mailing addresses which go through the Santa Ana Post Office. For this reason, SNA was chosen as the IATA Code for the airport. The actual Destination Moniker which appears on most Arrival/Departure Monitors in airports throughout the United States is "Orange County," which is the common nickname used for the OMB Metropolitan Designation: Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California. Its modern Thomas F. Riley Terminal handles over 9 million passengers annually through 14 different airlines. Demographics Census 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 Pop. 13,589 19,696 34,436 61,375 118,674 130,760 216,224 703,925 1,420,386 1,932,709 2,410,556 2,846,289 %± — 44.9% 74.8% 78.2% 93.4% 10.2% 65.4% 225.6% 101.8% 36.1% 24.7% 18.1% Est. 2008 3,010,759 5.8% According to Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey the racial or ethnic makeup of the county was 64.76% White (46.92% White Non-Hispanic), 16.05% Asian, 0.33% Pacific Islander, 1.72% African American, 0.38% Native American, 14.32% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. 32.89% of the population were Hispanic of any race. 30.49% of the population was foreign born.[6] As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 2,846,289 people, 935,287 households, and 667,794 families residing in the county, making Orange County the second most populous 6 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Orange County, California median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males. The median income for a household in the county was $61,899, and the median income for a family was $75,700 (these figures had risen to $71,601 and $81,260 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[8]). Males had a median income of $45,059 versus $34,026 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,826. About 7.0% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.2% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over. Orange County Density Map. Darker shades indicate denser areas. county in California. The population density was 1,392/km² (3,606/sq mi). There were 969,484 housing units at an average density of 474/km² (1,228/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 64.81% White, 13.59% Asian, 1.67% African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.31% Pacific Islander, 14.80% from other races, and 4.12% from two or more races. 30.76% are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 8.9% were of German, 6.9% English and 6.0% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000. 58.6% spoke English, 25.3% Spanish, 4.7% Vietnamese, 1.9% Korean, 1.5% Chinese or Mandarin and 1.2% Tagalog as their first language. In 1990, still according to the census[7] there were 2,410,556 people residing in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 78.60% White, 10.34% Asian or Pacific Islander, 1.77% African American, 0.50% Native American, and 8.79% from other races. 23.43% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 935,287 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.48. The population is diverse age-wise, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% 65 years of age or older. The Average household income by community Unincorporated communities are included if their population is greater than 15,000. These numbers are estimates from the 2005 Census updates for these locales. Numbers are approximate until a new Census occurs. 1. Villa Park: $203,09121. 2. Anaheim Hills: $157,938 22. 3. Coto de Caza: $153,118 23. 4. Laguna Beach: $141,916 24. 5. Yorba Linda: $138,910 25. 6. Newport Beach: $137,226 26. 7. Tustin Foothills: 27. $122,685 8. Laguna Niguel: 28. $112,241 9. Laguna Hills: 29. $103,419 10. Ladera Ranch: 30. $99,537 11. Dana Point: $97,61531. 12. San Clemente: $94,576 32. 13. Rossmoor: $93,972 14. Rancho Santa 33. Margarita: $92,671 34. 15. Irvine: $91,114 16. Mission Viejo: 35. $84,934 17. Aliso Viejo: $83,002 36. 18. San Juan Capistrano: $78,63837. Cypress: $76,312 Huntington Beach: $75,900 Fountain Valley: $73,504 Lake Forest: $73,293 Los Alamitos: $71,112 Brea: $70,009 Costa Mesa: $69,918 Seal Beach: $66,131 Placentia: $66,083 Orange: $62,760 Fullerton: $61,462 Anaheim: $60,881 Tustin: $60,319 Buena Park: $57,695 Westminster: $57,172 Garden Grove: $50,038 La Habra: $49,612 7 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 19. West Garden Grove:38. Santa Ana: $78,112 $44,505 20. La Palma: $77,177 39. Stanton: $37,840 40. Laguna Woods: $31,212 Orange County, California and the Irvine Spectrum Center. There is also Downtown Disney adjacent to Disneyland. Tourism Tourism remains a vital aspect of Orange County’s economy. Anaheim is the main tourist hub, with its Disneyland Resort being the second most visited theme park in the country. The Anaheim Convention Center receives many major conventions throughout the year. Resorts within the Beach Cities receive visitors throughout the year due to their close proximity to the beach, biking paths, mountain hiking trails, golf courses, shopping and dining. Economy Business Orange County is the headquarters of many Fortune 500 companies including Ingram Micro (#69) and First American Corporation (#312) in Santa Ana, Western Digital (#439) in Lake Forest and Pacific Life (#452) in Newport Beach. Irvine is the home of numerous start-up companies and also is the home of Fortune 1000 headquarters for Allergan, Broadcom, Edwards Lifesciences, Epicor, Standard Pacific and Sun Healthcare Group. Other Fortune 1000 companies in Orange County include Beckman Coulter in Fullerton, Quiksilver in Huntington Beach and Apria Healthcare Group in Lake Forest. Irvine is also the home of notable technology companies like PC-manufacturer Gateway Inc., router manufactuer Linksys and Activision Blizzard, one of the biggest video game developers in the country. Many regional headquarters for international businesses reside in Orange County like Mazda, Toshiba, and Hyundai. Fashion is another important industry to Orange County. Oakley, Inc., the renowned sunglasses company, is headquartered in the Foothill Ranch area of Orange County. Hurley Inc. is headquartered in Costa Mesa. The sexy shoe company Pleaser USA, Inc. is located in Fullerton. St. John is headquartered in Irvine. Wet Seal is headquarted in Lake Forest. Restaurants such as Del Taco, Wahoo’s Fish Tacos, Taco Bell, El Pollo Loco, In-N-Out Burger, Claim Jumper, Marie Callender’s, Wienerschnitzel and Carls Jr. have headquarters in Orange County. Tallest buildings in Orange County Arts and culture Points of interest The area’s warm Mediterranean climate and 42 miles (68 km) of year-round beaches attract millions of tourists annually. Huntington Beach is a hot spot for sunbathing and surfing; nicknamed "Surf City, U.S.A.", it is home to many surfing competitions. "The Wedge," at the tip of The Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, is one of the most famous body surfing spots in the world. Other tourist destinations include the theme parks Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim and Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. Water parks in Orange County include Wild Rivers in Irvine and Soak City in Buena Park. The Anaheim Convention Center is the largest such facility on the West Coast. The old town area in the City of Orange (the traffic circle at the middle of Chapman Ave. at Glassell) still maintains its 1950s image, and appeared in the That Thing You Do! movie. Little Saigon is another notable tourist destination, being home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. There are also sizable Taiwanese, Chinese, and Korean communities, particularly in western Orange County. This is evident in several Asian-influenced shopping centers in Asian American hubs like the city of Irvine. Other notable structures include the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, the largest building in the county; the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Shopping Orange County contains several notable shopping malls. Among these are the worldrenowned South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and Fashion Island in Newport Beach. Other significant malls include the Brea Mall, The Shops at Mission Viejo, The Block at Orange 8 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia City Santa Ana Structure One Broadway Plaza Height (feet) 497 285 282 278 278 269 263 263 263 246 230 N/A N/A N/A N/A 240 220 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 210 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 213 312 183 Orange County, California Stories Built 37 21 21 25 25 21 19 19 19 14 18 20 20 18 18 17 17 17 17 17 19 17 16 16 16 16 16 16 15 15 N/A --Proposed 1985 1992 Under Construction Under Construction 1988 1990 1990 N/A 2002 1990 1986 1986 N/A N/A 1979 1987 N/A 1970 N/A N/A N/A N/A 1988 N/A N/A 1987 N/A N/A N/A N/A 2004 Costa Mesa Center Tower Costa Mesa Plaza Tower Santa Ana Santa Ana Orange Irvine Irvine Irvine Irvine Irvine Orange Newport Beach Orange Newport Beach Irvine Newport Beach Newport Beach Irvine Anaheim Orange Santa Ana Newport Beach Irvine Garden Grove Anaheim Macarthur Skyline Tower 1 Macarthur Skyline Tower 2 City Tower Jamboree Center - 5 Park Plaza Jamboree Center - 3 Park Plaza Edison International Tower Opus Center Irvine II Wells Fargo Center Doubletree Hotel Anaheim The Islands Hotel (Formerly the Four Seasons) City Plaza 610 Tower Costa Mesa Park Tower Waterfield Tower (formerly Tower 17) 660 Tower 620 Tower Irvine Marriott (Koll Center Irvine) Anaheim Marriot - Palms Tower 1100 Executive Tower Xerox Centre Marriott Newport Beach Hotel 2600 Michelson Hyatt Regency Orange County Anaheim Marriott - Oasis Tower Costa Mesa Westin South Coast Plaza Costa Mesa DiTech.com Tower (Two Town Center) Buena Park Supreme Scream (amusement ride) Anaheim The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (amusement ride) Costa Mesa Comerica Bank Tower (Two Town Center) 213 9 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anaheim Anaheim Convention Center Orange County, California Grove, the largest house of worship in California; the historic Balboa Pavilion [4] in Newport Beach; the Huntington Beach Pier; and the restored Mission San Juan Capistrano. Some of the most exclusive (and expensive) neighborhoods in the U.S. are located here, many along the Orange County Coast, and some in north Orange County. Historical points of interest include Mission San Juan Capistrano (destination of migrating swallows), and the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda. The Nixon Home is a National Historic Landmark, as is the home of a very different character, Madam Helena Modjeska, in Modjeska Canyon on Santiago Creek. Since the premiere in fall 2003 of the hit FOX series The O.C., and the 2007 Bravo series "The Real Housewives of Orange County" tourism has increased with travelers from across the globe hoping to see the sights seen in the show. However, the former was rarely filmed anywhere in Orange County. Religion Orange County is also the base for several significant religious organizations: • Walk of Faith Church [5] • Reformation Lutheran Church [6] • Greek Orthodox Mission of South Orange County in San Juan Capistrano • St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church in Anaheim • Association of Islamic Charitable Project • The Islamic Center of Irvine • The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange headed by Bishop Tod Brown. • Chuck Smith, father of the Jesus People movement, is headquartered at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. • Reverend Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral is in Garden Grove. • Trinity Broadcasting Network began as Channel 40 in Tustin, now in Costa Mesa. • The Purpose Driven Life author Rick Warren and his Saddleback Church (the largest church in California) are in Lake Forest. • The Vineyard Christian Fellowship movement began in Orange County. • Sarang Community Church, one of the largest Korean American megachurches in Orange County is based in Anaheim. [7]. • Grace Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach is leading a Lutheran renewal movement. [8] • Children of God, AKA "The Family" ,was founded in 1968 in Huntington Beach by David Berg. • The Islamic Center of Anaheim • The Orange County Islamic Foundation in Mission Viejo • The Islamic Educational School (TIES) [9] • St. Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine • The Islamic Educational Center of Orange County is based in Costa Mesa. • The mosque at the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove serves one of the largest Muslim communities in the nation. • The Baha’i Center of San Clemente was built by members of the Bahá’í Faith. [10] • Pao Fa Temple in Irvine is one of the largest Buddhist monasteries and temples in the United States. • The Conservative Lutheran Association is located at Trinity Lutheran Church in Anaheim, headed by Pastor Jim Elmore. • The Goddess Temple of Orange County is one of the few Goddess organizations in the U.S. holding regular weekly services. • The Newport Beach California Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serves Mormons in Orange County and is one of only four LDS temples in Southern California. It should be noted that among the Christian population, the majority of the population with German ancestry follows the various Protestant denominations while the ethnic Irish, Hispanic, Vietnamese and other populations follow Roman Catholicism. There are about 1.04 million Catholics in Orange County.[9] Also, there are about 35 synagogues to serve the sizeable Jewish community in the county. There are more than 15 mosques to serve the large Muslim community. Literature A number of novels by best-selling fiction and horror author Dean Koontz, a resident of Newport Beach, are set in the area. 10 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Several of the stories in Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon’s collection, A Model World, are set in Orange County. Chabon studied creative writing at UC Irvine. Orange County is the place in which Kim Stanley Robinson’s Three Californias Trilogy is set. These books depict three different futures of the Orange County (survivors of a nuclear war in The Wild Shore, a developer’s dream gone mad in The Gold Coast, and an ecotopian utopia in Pacific Edge). Philip K. Dick’s novel A Scanner Darkly was also set in Orange County. From his first novel, "Laguna Heat," to more recent books such as "California Girl," mystery-writer T. Jefferson Parker has set many of his novels in Orange County. The modern fantasy novel "All the Bells on Earth" by James P. Blaylock is set in Orange. Orange County, California • The University of California, Irvine, has been used in many films, most notably Ocean’s Eleven (2001 film); others include Conquest of the Planet of the Apes and Poltergeist (film) • The film Accepted had South Harmon Institute of Technology shot in Chapman University in Orange. • The film Life as a House was set in Laguna Beach, although it was filmed in Los Angeles County. • The film Brick was shot and set in San Clemente • MTV’s Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County was filmed in the Orange County coastal town of Laguna Beach, California. • MTV’s Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County was filmed in the Orange County coastal town of Newport Beach, California. • MTV’s Life of Ryan is a reality[1] show following the life of pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler. The title of the show is a play on Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Filmed in and around the Sheckler household in San Clemente, California. • A key scene in the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was shot and set at The Block at Orange in the city of Orange. • The Christian Slater film Gleaming The Cube was set in Orange County and filmed in several cities, such as Anaheim, Woodbridge High School in Irvine, and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. • A plot line in the television drama The West Wing involved a dead liberal Democrat unexpectedly winning a Congressional seat from an Orange County district. • Orange County is the home of the late Republican President Teddy Bridges on the (now canceled) ABC drama Commander in Chief. • Sayid Jarrah from the ABC drama Lost was bound to go to Irvine, where his longtime friend Nadia lives. John Locke, another castaway from the series, is said to have lived most of his life in Tustin. • Orange County was the location of the 1994 Charlie Sheen movie The Chase; the movie, however, was mostly filmed in Houston. Orange County in popular culture Orange County has been the setting for numerous films and television shows: • The opening scene of ’Gilligan’s Island’ that shows the SS Minnow leaving the harbor was in Newport Beach • It is best-known as the setting of the popular 2003 Fox Network television drama The O.C. which is set in the Orange County coastal harbor town of Newport Beach. • It is the subject and setting of the eponymous 2002 movie Orange County. However, the film was not actually filmed in Orange County. • It is also the setting of the 2003 sitcom Arrested Development. Most of the series was not filmed in Orange County, but in Culver City and Marina del Rey in Los Angeles County. A running joke in the series that pokes fun at The O.C. is that characters will frequently refer to Orange County as "The O.C.," followed by another character’s saying, "Don’t call it that" (mirroring the fact that actual Orange County residents do not use the term "The O.C."). • The closing scene in Rain Man with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise was shot at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center. • The film Better Luck Tomorrow was shot and set in the cities of Cypress and Anaheim 11 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia • The Park Place, Irvine corporate mall was the location for futuristic scenes in the 1996 film Demolition Man starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. • The 2006 film A Scanner Darkly was set in the city of Anaheim. A freeway scene was shot along the Northbound I-5 in Tustin. • The show The Real Housewives of Orange County is filmed in Coto De Caza. • Costa Mesa is the setting for the The XFiles episode "Hungry". • In the 2001 film The Fast and the Furious, the scene when the Johnny Tran and his gang catch up with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker blowing up their car was filmed in Little Saigon, Westminster. • In season six of the HBO drama The Sopranos while in a coma Tony Soprano dreams he is a businessman in Costa Mesa. • The chase scene at the beginning of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Kindergarten Cop was filmed at Main Place Mall in Santa Ana. • In "The Incredible Mr. Brisby" episode of The Venture Bros., Hank and Dean Venture Travel to the fictional theme park Brisby Land, a spoof on Disney Land. During the episode, radical Orange County Natives known as the Orange County Liberation Front launch a fullscale assault on the Brisby Land compound out of revenge for the ever increasing size of the Park. Members of the OCLF are easily identified by their helmets that resemble enormous oranges. • The shuttle bay scenes for the 2009 Star Trek movie were shot in the old El Toro base hangers. Orange County has also been used as a shooting location for several films and television programs. Examples of movies at least partially shot in Orange County are Tom Hanks’s That Thing You Do, the Coen Brothers’ The Man Who Wasn’t There, and the Martin Lawrence movie Big Momma’s House. All three of which were filmed in or around the Old Towne Plaza in the City of Orange. Orange County, California Beach.[11] Orange County’s active outdoor culture is home to many surfers, skateboarders, mountain bikers, cyclists, climbers, hikers, kayaking, sailing and sand volleyball. Sports teams Street banners promoting the county’s two major league teams, the Ducks and the Angels. The Major League Baseball team in Orange County is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who won the World Series in 2002. In 2005, new owner Arte Moreno wanted to change the name to "Los Angeles Angels" in order to better tap into the Los Angeles media market, the second largest in the country, which includes Orange County. However, the standing agreement with the city of Anaheim demanded that they have "Anaheim" in the name, so they became the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. This name change was hotly disputed by the city of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who wanted sole possession of the title "Los Angeles," but the change stood and still stands today, which prompted a lawsuit by the City of Anaheim against Angels owner Arte Moreno, and the city lost. It has been widely unpopular in Orange County [11], although attendance has increased. The county’s National Hockey League team, the Anaheim Ducks, won the 2007 Stanley Cup beating the Ottawa Senators. They also came close to winning the 2003 Stanley Cup finals after winning three games in a seven-game series against the New Jersey Devils. The Orange County Flyers are a Golden Baseball League team based in Fullerton, California. The league is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Flyers were sold on March 21, 2007 to an Orange County Sports Huntington Beach annually plays host to the U.S. Open of Surfing, AVP Pro Beach Volleyball and Vans World Championship of Skateboarding.[10] USA Water Polo, Inc. has moved its headquarter offices to Huntington 12 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia investment group, making them the first Golden Baseball League team to ever be sold. Before their sale, the Flyers were called the Fullerton Flyers, but on March 28, 2007 they became the Orange County Flyers; they kept their team colors (blue and orange) and home games are still played at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field. The Orange County Blue Star is a USL Premier Development League soccer club. They play at Orange Coast College. Among those who have played for OCBS are Jürgen Klinsmann, the former German star and Germany’s 2006 World Cup coach, who played under an assumed name. The Anaheim Arsenal are an NBA DLeague expansion team for the 2006–2007 season. They play their home games at the Anaheim Convention Center. The Orange County Gladiators are an American Basketball Association (ABA) expansion team starting in November 2007. They will play their home games at Fieldhouse Gym at JSerra in San Juan Capistrano. Orange County Roller Girls [12] - an All Female Flat Track Roller Derby League formed in 2006 and actively plays (bouts) at various locations in Orange County. Many of the leagues bouts are played against teams from other cities throughout the United States. Orange County, California several games when FIFA and CONCACAF ruled a club could not play in two leagues in separate countries. The Salsa lost to the Colorado Foxes in the 1993 APSL final at Cal State Fullerton. The Orange County Zodiac, affiliated with MLS’s Los Angeles Galaxy, played soccer at Santa Ana Stadium (also known as Santa Ana Bowl) and Orange Coast College from 1997 to 2000. The county was the home of the Orange County Buzz basketball team of the American Basketball Association (ABA). In May 2006, the NBA Development League’s L.A. Clippers-affiliated team announced their move to Carson, California. Anaheim was also the home of the prior American Basketball Association franchise known as the Anaheim Amigos in the midsixties. The Anaheim Storm was a member of the National Lacrosse League. They folded in 2005 due to low attendance. The Anaheim Piranhas were a Arena Football League team in 1996-97, but folded due to team board financial problems. The Anaheim Bullfrogs were a Roller Hockey International team that lasted from 1993-99 and were briefly revived in 2001. The Anaheim Splash was a soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League from 1993 to 1997. The Los Angeles Clippers played some home games at The Arrowhead Pond, now known as the Honda Center, from 1994 to 1999, before moving to Staples Center, which they share with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Southern California Sun was an American football team based out of Anaheim that played in the World Football League in 1974 and 1975. Their records were 13-7 in 1974 and 7-5 in 1975. Their home stadium was Anaheim Stadium. Former and defunct Orange County sports teams The National Football League football left the county when the Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis in 1995. Anaheim city leaders are in talks with the NFL to bring a Los Angelesarea franchise to Orange County, though they are competing with other cities in and around Los Angeles. The California Surf played in the North American Soccer League from 1978 to 1981. The club called Anaheim Stadium home. The L.A. Salsa played at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Stadium in 1993-94 in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL), at the time the top soccer league in the U.S. The Salsa, whose general manager was former Cosmos star Ricky Davis and its coach former Brazil star Rildo Menezes, also played some games at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, California, attempting a season in Mexico’s second-tier Primera A Division. That attempt was cancelled after Government Orange County is a chartered county of California; its seat is Santa Ana. Its legislative and executive authority is vested in a fivemember Board of Supervisors. Each Supervisor is popularly elected from a regional district, and together the board oversees the activities of the county’s agencies and departments and sets policy on development, public improvements, and county services. At the beginning of each year the Supervisors 13 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia select a Chairman and Vice Chairman, but the administration is headed by a professional municipal manager, the County Executive. The current supervisors are Janet Nguyen, John Moorlach, Bill Campbell, Chris Norby, and Patricia C. Bates. Seven other public officials are elected atlarge: the County Assessor, AuditorController, Clerk-Recorder, District Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner, Treasurer-Tax Collector and Public Administrator. Since 2008, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has been led by Sheriff-Coroner Sandra Hutchens. Her predecessor, Mike Carona, resigned earlier in the year to defend himself against corruption charges. Orange County, California Politics Orange County vote by party in presidential elections Year GOP DEM 47.8% 548,246 39.0% 419,239 40.4% 391,819 37.9% 327,485 31.6% 306,930 31.1% 269,013 24.3% 206,272 22.6% 176,704 35.3% 232,246 26.9% 176,847 29.9% 148,869 44.0% 176,539 38.9% 112,007 Others 1.8% 21,530 1.3% 14,328 3.9% 37,787 10.5% 90,374 24.6% 239,006 1.2% 10,064 1.0% 8,792 9.5% 73,711 2.5% 16,555 4.8% 31,515 7.0% 34,933 0.1% 430 0.2% 701 2008 50.4% 578,171 2004 59.7% 641,832 2000 55.8% 541,299 1996 51.7% 446,717 1992 43.9% 426,613 1988 67.7% 586,230 1984 74.7% 635,013 1980 67.9% 529,797 1976 62.2% 408,632 1972 68.3% 448,291 1968 63.1% 314,905 1964 55.9% 224,196 1960 60.8% 174,891 Voter Registration by community as of May, 2009 according to the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Lighter shades of blue and red indicate a weak Democrat or Republican registration advantage (5% of less) while darker shads indicate strong party registration. majorities in Orange County helped deliver California’s electoral votes to Republican presidential candidates Richard Nixon (1960, 1968 and 1972), Gerald Ford (1976), Ronald Reagan (1980 and 1984) and George H. W. Bush (1988). Orange County has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1936 landslide reelection for a second term. Although Democrats have made inroads in the northern end of the county since the mid-1980s, Orange County politics are still dominated by Republicans. Five of the county’s six U.S. Representatives, four of its five State Senators and seven of its nine State Assembly members are Republicans, as are all five members of the County Board of Supervisors. Only four Democrats have carried the county in a statewide race in the last 50 years; Jerry Brown in his successful campaign for Governor in 1978, March Fong Eu for Secretary of State and Kenneth Cory for State Controller, both also in 1978 and Kathleen Connell for Controller in 1998. In Congress, representatives whose districts are completely or partially in the county include Republicans Ed Royce (CA-40), Gary Miller (CA-42), Ken Calvert (CA-44), Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46), and John Campbell (CA-48), and Democrat Orange County has long been known as a Republican stronghold and has consistently sent Republican representatives to the state and federal legislatures. Republican 14 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Loretta Sanchez (CA-47). In the State Senate, Senators whose districts are completely or partially in the county include Republicans Bob Margett (SD-29), Dick Ackerman (SD-33), Tom Harman (SD-35), and Mark Wyland (SD-38), and Democrat Lou Correa (SD-34). In the State Assembly, Assemblymembers whose districts are completely or partially in the county include Republicans Bob Huff (AD-60), Jim Silva (AD-67), Van Tran (AD-68), Chuck DeVore (AD-70), Todd Spitzer (AD-71), Michael D. Duvall (AD-72), and Mimi Walters (AD-73), and Democrats Tony Mendoza (AD-56) and Jose Solorio (AD-69). According to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, as of December 26, 2006, Orange County had 1,501,843 registered voters. Of these, 47.8% (717,546) are registered Republicans, and 30.8% (451,706) are registered Democrats, giving the Republicans a registration advantage of 17.7%, or over a quarter of a million voters. An additional 18.19% (273,215) declined to state a political party, and the remaining 3.95% (59,376) are registered with minor political parties.[12] Orange County has produced such notable Republicans as President Richard Nixon (born in Yorba Linda and lived in San Clemente), U.S. Senator John F. Seymour (previously mayor of Anaheim), and U.S. Senator Thomas Kuchel (of Anaheim). Former Congressman Chris Cox (of Newport Beach), a White House counsel for President Ronald Reagan, is currently chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Orange County was also home to former Republican Congressman John G. Schmitz, a presidential candidate in 1972 from the ultra-conservative American Independent Party and the father of Mary Kay Letourneau. In 1996, Curt Pringle (currently mayor of Anaheim) became the first Republican-elected Speaker of the California State Assembly in decades. While the growth of the county’s Hispanic and Asian populations in recent decades has significantly influenced the culture of Orange County, its conservative reputation has remained largely intact. Partisan voter registration patterns of Hispanics, Asians and other ethnic minorities in the county have tended to reflect the surrounding demographics, with resultant Republican majorities in all but the central portion of the county. When Democrat Loretta Sanchez defeated veteran Republican Bob Dornan in the congressional Orange County, California contest of 1996, she was continuing a trend of Democratic representation of that district that had been interrupted by Dornan’s 1984 upset of former Congressman Jerry Patterson. Until 1992, Sanchez herself was a Republican, and she is viewed as having moderate or even conservative positions on many issues. Republicans have responded to the influx of non-white immigrants by making more explicit efforts to court the Hispanic and Asian vote. In 2004, George W. Bush captured 60% of the county’s vote, up from 56% in 2000, despite a higher Democratic popular vote compared with the 2000 election. Although Barbara Boxer won statewide, and fared better in Orange County than she did in 1998, Republican Bill Jones defeated her in the county, 51% to 43%. While the 39% that John Kerry received is higher than the percentage Bill Clinton won in both 1992 and 1996, the percentage of the vote George W. Bush received in 2004 (59.7% of the vote) is the highest any presidential candidate has received since 1988, showing a still-dominant GOP presence in the county. In 2006, Senator Dianne Feinstein won 45% of the vote in the county, the highest margin of a Democrat in a Senate race in over four decades, but Orange was nevertheless the only Coastal California county to vote for her Republican opponent Dick Mountjoy. In terms of voter registration, the Democratic Party has a plurality or majority of registrations only in the cities of Santa Ana, Stanton, and Buena Park. The county is featured prominently in the book Suburban Warriors: The Origins of the New American Right by Lisa McGirr. She argues that the county’s conservative political orientation in the 20th century owed much to its settlement by Midwestern transplants, who reacted strongly to communist sympathies, the civil rights movement, and the turmoil of the 1960s in nearby Los Angeles — across the "Orange Curtain." In the 1970s and 1980s, Orange County was one of California’s leading Republican voting blocs and a sub-culture of residents to hold "Middle American" values that emphasized a capitalist religious morality in contrast to West coast liberalism that well existed there. Orange County has a high portion of Republican voters from culturally conservative Asian-American, Middle Eastern and Latino immigrants. Some of these came as refugees 15 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia from wars and dictatorships, and are strongly loyal to Republican anti-communist policies. The large Vietnamese-American communities in Garden Grove and Westminster are predominantly Republican; Vietnamese Americans registered Republicans outnumber those registered as Democrats by a rate of 55% to 22%. Republican Assemblyman Van Tran was elected to become the first Vietnamese-American to serve in a state legislature and joined with Texan Hubert Vo as the highest-ranking elected Vietnamese-American in the United States prior to the 2008 election of Joseph Cao in Louisiana’s Second Congressional District. In the 2007 special election for the vacant county supervisor seat following Democrat Lou Correa’s election to the state senate, two Vietnamese-American Republican candidates topped the list of 10 candidates, separated from each other by only seven votes, making the Board of Supervisors entirely Republican. Orange County, California Universities • Anaheim University • California State University, Fullerton • Chapman University • Concordia University • Hope International University • Soka University of America • Trinity Law School • University of California at Irvine • Vanguard University Chapman University, "founded in 1861 and based in the city of Orange, is one of the oldest, most prestigious private universities in California. Chapman’s picturesque campus is located in the midst of one of the nation’s most vibrant economies and artistically creative areas, and draws outstanding students from across the nation and around the world". "The mission of Chapman University is to provide personalized education of distinction that leads to inquiring, ethical and productive lives as global citizens". The University of California at Irvine is a full-service teaching and research university, including a medical school, a teaching hospital, and an engineering college. Many Orange County residents commute to universities and colleges in neighboring counties, including Whittier Law School, Whittier College, California State University, Long Beach and the California Polytechnic State University, Pomona, which are next to the Los Angeles County - Orange County border. From southern Orange County, it is also possible to commute to the University of California at San Diego and the California State University, San Marcos. In addition, some institutions not based in Orange County operate satellite campuses, including the University of Southern California and Pepperdine University. The county Department of Education oversees 28 school districts. Colleges • Coastline Community College • Cypress College • Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising • Fullerton College • Golden West College • Irvine Valley College • Laguna College of Art and Design • Orange Coast College • Saddleback College • Santa Ana College • Santiago Canyon College Streamlining government The geographical region of Orange County was original county land with some incorporated areas. Today, nearly all property is incorporated into the various cities. A growing consensus believes the remaining county land and most (if not all) county government services could be transferred to the cities or state, with some functions privatized. The remaining county functions would require minimal staffing; virtually eliminating the county government in its current form. This movement is also known as the Ransom Realignment. Crime Crime in 2005 (reported by the sheriff’s office or county police, not the county total) [13] • • • • • • • Murders: 1 Rapes: 10 Robberies: 38 Assaults: 193 Burglaries: 371 Thefts: 919 Auto thefts: 224 Education Orange County is the home of many colleges and universities, including: 16 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Further information: List of school districts in Orange County, California Orange County, California The county’s most famous resident was perhaps Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, who was born in Yorba Linda and lived in San Clemente for several years following his resignation. His presidential library is in Yorba Linda. Media Television stations KOCE-TV and KDOC-TV are located in Orange County. The county is primarily served by The Orange County Register newspaper. OC Weekly is the alternative weekly publication and Excélsior is Orange County’s Spanish-language newspaper. A few communities are served by the Los Angeles Times’ publication of the Daily Pilot, the Huntington Beach Independent and the Laguna Beach Coastline Pilot. Orange County is served by radio stations from the Los Angeles area. There are only a few radio stations that are actually located in Orange County, they are KSBR 88.5 FM. KSBR airs a jazz music format branded as "Jazz-FM" along with news programming, KWIZ 96.7 FM is a commercial radio station located in Santa Ana, broadcasting to the Los AngelesOrange County Area. KWIZ airs a regional Mexican music format branded as "La Rockola 96.7" and there is KWVE 107.9 which is owned by the Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. KWVE is also the primary Emergency Alert System station for the county. California State University Fullerton that has an excellent teaching and visual arts program. See also • Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, California (current OMB designation) • John Wayne-Orange County Airport (SNA) • Orange County Transportation Authority • List of school districts in Orange County, California • Orange County High School of the Arts • Orange County Fair (California) • The O.C. • Orange County Sheriff’s Department • Orange County Water District • The Real Housewives of Orange County Notes Notable natives and residents Due to Orange County’s proximity to Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the United States, many film and media celebrities have moved or bought second homes in the county. Actor John Wayne, who lived in Newport Beach, is the namesake for Orange County’s John Wayne Airport. Orange County has also produced many homegrown celebrities, including golfer Tiger Woods, musician Andrew McMahon, basketball players Dennis Rodman and Kobe Bryant , a number of professional ballplayers, including retired slugger Mark McGwire, actor Kevin Costner, comedian/actors Steve Martin and Will Ferrell, actresses Michelle Pfeiffer and Diane Keaton, and singers Chester Bennington, Bonnie Raitt, Gwen Stefani, Jeff Buckley, Marc Cherry creator and executive producer of Desperate Housewives was from Fullerton, Drake Bell, and actress/model Lindsey Hunt [1] [1] [2] State of California, Department of Finance. "E-1 Population Estimates for Cities, Counties and the State with Annual Percent Change — January 1, 2007 and 2008". http://www.dof.ca.gov/ HTML/DEMOGRAP/ReportsPapers/ Estimates/E1/documents/E-1table.xls. Retrieved on 2008-07-02. [3] History of Rancho Mission Viejo in Orange County [4] Sleeper, Jim. "How Orange County Got Its Name". Included in: Orange County Historical Commission. (2004). A Hundred Years of Yesterdays: A Centennial History of the People of Orange County and Their Communities. pp. 23-26. [5] ^ "Orange County Goes Bust". Time Magazine. December 19, 1994. [6] 2006 American Community Survey: Orange County, CA [7] ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. [8] http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ ACSSAFFFacts?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id= [9] "The History of the Diocese of Orange County". The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. http://www.rcbo.org/site/ index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20& 17 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [10] Huntington Beach, CA website [11] Inside USA Water Polo website [12] Orange County Registrar of Voters District Registration by Party [13] "Crime in Orange County, California from city-data". analyzed data from numerous sources. http://www.citydata.com/county/Orange_CountyCA.html. Retrieved on 2009-04-01. Orange County, California • OrangeCounty.com - Orange County’s guide to nightlife events and things to do for ages 18–35 • OC Daily News - Orange County’s Daily News Resource • Orange County Business Journal - Weekly newspaper covering business in OC. • Anteater Forum - UC Irvine student forum • KWVE K-Wave 107.9 FM. Covers all of Orange County and beyond. Primary Emergency Alert System station for Orange County. • KOCE Orange County Public Television (PBS)- Five night per week Orange County news program "Real Orange." • OCLegend.Com Orange County’s Original News Fabricator • OCVarsity.com Everything you need to know about Orange County High School sports. • OC Blog Orange County’s leading political news blog, presented from a center-right perspective. Part of RedCounty.com blog network. External links Government • County of Orange - Official County Government Web Site • Orange County Transportation Authority • Orange County Regional Parks and Beaches Authority • Orange County Water District • Orange County Business Council History • Unofficial Orange County History Page From the 1400s to the present. • Historical Orange County Page - emphasis on American Indians and Missionaries. • Orange County Historical Society • Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society (Orange County Seat) • O.C. History Roundup - Orange County History blog done by an employee of the county archivist office • OCThen - a memories of growing up in Orange County Site • Orange County Historical Commission • Orange County Archivist Office Others • Orange County, California travel guide from Wikitravel • OC Golf Course - Orange County Public Golf Course listings with phone numbers. • About Orange County - Orange County Guide, Real Estate, Shopping Fashion, Store,Restaurants. • OCStandard - Orange County City Guide. • Orange County Business Council (Chamber of Commerce) • Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau • Orange County ArtSource - Links to Major Visual and Performing Arts Venues. • Orange County Events - Event tickets and things to do in Orange County Coordinates: 33°40′N 117°47′W / 33.67°N 117.78°W / 33.67; -117.78 Media • The Orange County Register - OC’s chief Newspaper • OC in Two - The Orange County Register’s daily two minute webcast • OC Weekly - Orange County’s Alternative Newsweekly Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California" Categories: California counties, Orange County, California This page was last modified on 19 May 2009, at 05:37 (UTC). 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