| Orange County is a county in Southern | | | | along the boundary between the 714 and 949 |
| California, United States. Its county seat is | | | | area codes. The division is peretuated by the |
| Santa Ana. Its population of 3,056,865 (2005 | | | | popular television shows "The OC" and "Laguna |
| estimate) is larger than that of 20 states. | | | | Beach." Many in North Orange County |
| It is the second most populous county in the | | | | (containing Anaheim and Santa Ana) are |
| state of California, and the fifth most | | | | distasteful of South County's lavish and |
| populous in the United States. The county is | | | | over-the-top luxurious living. |
| known for its wealth and political | | | | |
| conservatism. | | | | Members of the Tongva and Juaneño |
| | | | Luiseño nations long inhabited the area. |
| It is also famous as a tourist destination, | | | | After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de |
| as the county is home to such attractions as | | | | Portolà , a Spanish expedition led by |
| Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, as well as | | | | Junipero Serra named the area Vallejo de |
| sandy beaches for swimming and surfing, yacht | | | | Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). On November |
| harbors for sailing and pleasure boating, and | | | | 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became |
| extensive acreage devoted to parks and open | | | | the first permanent European settlement. |
| space for golf, tennis, hiking, kayaking, | | | | |
| cycling, and other outdoor recreation. It is | | | | A severe drought in the 1860s devastated the |
| at the center of Southern California's Tech | | | | prevailing industry, cattle ranching, and |
| Coast with Irvine being the primary business | | | | much land came into the possession of Richard |
| hub. | | | | O'Neill, Sr., James Irvine and other land |
| | | | barons. In 1887, silver was discovered in the |
| Thirty-four incorporated cities are located | | | | Santa Ana mountains, attracting settlers via |
| in Orange County; the newest is Aliso Viejo, | | | | the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads. |
| which is also the only city in the county to | | | | This growth led the California legislature to |
| incorporate since 2000. Seven of these cities | | | | divide Los Angeles County and create Orange |
| are among the 200 largest cities in the | | | | County as a separate political entity on |
| United States. | | | | March 11, 1889. It was named for its most |
| | | | famous product, but other citrus crops, |
| Geography | | | | avocados, and oil extraction were also |
| | | | important to the early economy. |
| According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the | | | | |
| county has a total area of 2,455 km² (948 | | | | Orange County benefited from the July 4, 1904 |
| mi²), making it the smallest county in | | | | completion of the Pacific Electric Railway, a |
| Southern California. Surface water accounts | | | | trolley connecting Los Angeles with Newport |
| for 411 km² (159 mi²) of the area, | | | | Beach and Santa Ana. The link made Orange |
| 16.73% of the total; 2,045 km² (789 | | | | County an accessible weekend retreat for |
| mi²) of it is land. | | | | celebrities of early Hollywood. It was deemed |
| | | | so significant that the city of Pacific City |
| Orange County is bordered on the west by the | | | | changed its name to Huntington Beach in honor |
| Pacific Ocean, on the north by Los Angeles | | | | of Henry Huntington, president of the Pacific |
| County, on the northeast by San Bernardino | | | | Electric and nephew of robber baron Collis |
| County, on the east by Riverside County, and | | | | Huntington. Transportation further improved |
| on the south by San Diego County. | | | | with the completion of the State Route and |
| | | | U.S. Route 101 (now mostly Interstate 5) in |
| The northern part of the county lies on the | | | | the 1920s. |
| coastal plain of the Los Angeles Basin, while | | | | |
| the southern half lies on the foothills of | | | | Agriculture, such as the boysenberry which |
| the Santa Ana Mountains. Most of Orange | | | | was made famous by Buena Park native Walter |
| County's population resides in one of two | | | | Knott, began to decline after World War II |
| shallow coastal valleys that lie in the | | | | but the county's prosperity soared. The |
| basin, the Santa Ana Valley and the | | | | completion of Interstate 5 in 1954 helped |
| Saddleback Valley. The coastal plain gently | | | | make Orange County a bedroom community for |
| rises into the Santa Ana Mountains, which lie | | | | many who moved to Southern California to work |
| within the boundaries of the county and of | | | | in aerospace and manufacturing. Orange County |
| the Cleveland National Forest. The high point | | | | received a further boost in 1955 with the |
| is Santiago Peak (5,687 ft/1,733 m), about 20 | | | | opening of Disneyland. |
| mi (32 km) east of Santa Ana. Santiago Peak | | | | |
| and nearby Modjeska Peak, just 200 feet | | | | In 1969, Yorba Linda-born Orange County |
| shorter, form a ridge known as Saddleback, | | | | native Richard Nixon became the 37th |
| visible from almost everywhere in the county. | | | | President of the United States. |
| | | | |
| The Santa Ana River is the county's principal | | | | In the 1980s, the population topped 2 million |
| watercourse. Its major tributary running | | | | for the first time. Orange County had become |
| through the county is Santiago Creek. Other | | | | the second largest county in California. |
| watercourses within the county include Aliso | | | | |
| Creek, San Juan Creek, and Horsethief Creek. | | | | A spectacular investment fund melt-down in |
| The San Gabriel River also briefly crosses | | | | 1994 led to the criminal prosecution of |
| into Orange County and exits into the Pacific | | | | Orange County treasurer Robert Citron. On |
| on the Los Angeles-Orange County line between | | | | December 6, 1994, Orange County declared |
| Long Beach and Seal Beach. Laguna Beach is | | | | Chapter 9 bankruptcy, from which it emerged |
| home to the county's only natural lakes, | | | | in June 1995; this was the largest ever |
| Laguna Lakes, which are formed by water | | | | municipal bankruptcy in the U.S. The county |
| rising up against an underground fault. | | | | lost about $1.6 billion through high-risk |
| | | | investments in derivatives. |
| Residents often divide the county into "North | | | | |
| County" and "South County", as opposed to an | | | | In recent years, the county has been |
| East-West division characterized by coastal | | | | characterized by conflict between the older |
| and inland cities; however, there may be | | | | northern and newer southern cities over |
| significant cultural differences found on the | | | | development, the building of new toll roads, |
| coast than further inland. There is no formal | | | | and a recently defeated proposal to build an |
| geographical division of North and South | | | | international airport at the former El Toro |
| County, though a North-South border may be | | | | Marine Corps Air Station that would have |
| drawn somewhere along the Tustin-Irvine and | | | | reduced operations at the existing John Wayne |
| Costa Mesa-Newport Beach city boundaries, or | | | | Airport. |