Orange County, California


Orange County is a county located in the Greater Los Angeles area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third most populous county in California, the sixth most populous in the United States, and more populous than 19 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Although mostly suburban, it is the second most densely populated county in the state behind San Francisco County. The county's three most populous cities are Anaheim, Santa Ana and Irvine, each of which has a population surpassing 300,000. Santa Ana is also the county seat. Six cities in Orange County lie along the Pacific Coast: Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente.
Orange County is included in the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county has 34 incorporated cities. Older cities such as Tustin, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange and Fullerton have traditional downtowns dating back to the 19th century, while newer commercial development or "edge cities" stretch along the Interstate 5 Freeway between Disneyland and Santa Ana and between South Coast Plaza and the Irvine Business Complex and cluster at Irvine Spectrum.
The county is a tourist center, with attractions such as Disneyland Resort, Knott's Berry Farm, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Huntington Beach Pier, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, Orange County Zoo, Modjeska House, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Yost Theater, Bowers Museum, Balboa Island, Angel Stadium, Downtown Santa Ana, Crystal Cove Historic District, Honda Center, the Old Orange County Courthouse, Orange County Fair, the Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks, Heritage Hills Historic Park, Ocean Institute and several popular beaches along its more than of coastline. It is also home to a major research university, the University of California, Irvine, along with a number of other notable colleges and universities such as Chapman University and Cal State Fullerton.

History

The history of Orange County, California, spans thousands of years, beginning with Acjachemen indigenous peoples who lived off the land through hunting, fishing, and gathering. Later, Shoshonean-speaking tribes, including the Juaneño and Gabrielino, settled in the area. Spanish colonization began in 1769 with expeditions and the establishment of missions like Mission San Juan Capistrano. Under Spanish and later Mexican rule, large land grants formed ranchos, which dominated the economy through cattle ranching.
One of the first land grants in Orange County under Spanish Rule was Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana which was given to José Antonio Yorba and Juan Pablo Peralta in 1810, the year of the commencement of the war of Mexican Independence.
After California became part of the United States in 1850, the Gold Rush spurred demand for beef, boosting the local economy. However, environmental challenges and legal disputes over land ownership led many rancheros to sell their lands, often to American settlers. The first American-founded town, Anaheim, was established in 1857 by German immigrants. Other towns like Santa Ana and Orange soon followed, supported by agriculture and improved irrigation.
The arrival of railroads in the 1870s and a real estate boom in the 1880s fueled rapid growth. In 1889, Orange County officially separated from Los Angeles County, with Santa Ana as its seat. Agriculture, especially citrus, dominated until the mid-20th century, alongside oil discoveries and transportation developments like highways and railways.
World War II brought military bases and postwar population growth. By the 1950s, suburban development replaced farmland, and cities rapidly incorporated. The Disneyland Resort 1955 opening marked the rise of tourism.
In 1994, Robert Citron was serving as Treasurer-Tax Collector and chose leveraging strategies with county investments that ended in Chapter 9 bankruptcy for the County, costing 3,000 jobs at the county and $1.64 billion in losses.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the smallest county by area in Southern California, being just over 40% the size of the region's next smallest county, Ventura. The average annual temperature is about.
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, on the east by 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, about east of Santa Ana. Santiago Peak and nearby Modjeska Peak, just shorter, form a ridge 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 Angeles-Orange 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.

Regions of Orange County

Orange County is sometimes divided into northern and southern regions. There are significant political, demographic, economic and cultural distinctions between North and South Orange County. A popular dividing line between the two regions is the Costa Mesa Freeway.
Northern Orange County, including Anaheim, Fullerton, Garden Grove and Santa Ana, was the first part of the county to be developed and is culturally closer to neighboring Los Angeles County. This region is more Hispanic and Asian, more densely populated, younger, less wealthy and with higher unemployment. It has more renters and fewer homeowners and generally votes Democratic. There are notable exceptions to these general trends, such as strongly Republican Yorba Linda and affluent Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, and Villa Park. Northern Orange County is predominantly flat, giving way to the Santa Ana Mountains in the Northeast.
Southern Orange County is wealthier, more residential, more Republican, predominantly non-Hispanic white, and more recently developed. Irvine, the largest city in the region, is an exception to some of these trends, being not only a major employment center, but also a major tech hub and education center with UCI. Furthermore, the city is an Asian plurality, and votes reliably Democratic in recent years. Southern Orange County almost always includes Irvine, Newport Beach, and the cities to their southeast, including Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, Aliso Viejo, and San Clemente.
Another region of Orange County is the Orange Coast, which includes the six cities bordering the Pacific Ocean.

Commercial districts and edge cities

Older cities in North Orange County like Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange and Fullerton have traditional downtowns dating to the late 19th century, with Downtown Santa Ana being the home of the county, state and federal institutions. However, far more commercial activity is concentrated in clusters of newer commercial development located further south in the county's edge cities which include:

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 3,186,989. The median age was 39.0 years, 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18, and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 1,383,257 White, 53,842 African American, 38,322 Native American, 706,813 Asian, 9,035 Pacific Islander, 548,539 from other races, and 447,181 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race numbered 1,086,834 persons.
99.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.2% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,074,105 households in the county, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,129,785 housing units, of which 4.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.1% were owner-occupied and 43.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 1,510,6981,554,5011,458,9781,328,4991,198,65578.16%64.49%51.26%44.13%37.61%
Black or African American alone 24,41139,15942,63944,00049,3041.26%1.62%1.50%1.46%1.55%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 12,9518,5848,4146,2165,2980.67%0.36%0.30%0.21%0.17%
Asian alone 86,893240,756383,810532,477699,1244.50%9.99%13.48%17.69%21.94%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone xx8,0868,3577,7140.28%0.28%0.28%0.28%0.24%
Other race alone 11,4172,7284,5255,59314,8180.59%0.11%0.16%0.19%0.46%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx64,25872,117125,242xx2.26%2.40%3.93%
Hispanic or Latino 286,339564,828875,5791,012,9731,086,83414.82%23.43%30.76%33.65%34.10%
Total1,932,7092,410,5562,846,2893,010,2323,186,989 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%