Tustin, California


Tustin is a city in Orange County, California, United States, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city does not include the unincorporated community of North Tustin.

History

Presently known as Red Hill, it was previously called the Katuktu hill by the indigenous while the Spanish also came up with the name "Cerrito de las ranas" which translates to little hill of frogs due to the quantity of frogs inhabiting the area.
On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the area's first permanent European settlement in Alta California, New Spain.
In 1801, the Spanish Empire granted to José Antonio Yorba, which he named Rancho San Antonio. Yorba's great rancho included the lands where the cities and communities of Olive, Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach stand today. Smaller ranchos evolved from this large rancho including the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana.
After the Mexican–American War, Alta California became part of the United States and American settlers arrived in this area. Columbus Tustin, a carriage maker from Northern California, founded the city in 1868 on of land from the former Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The city was incorporated in 1927 with a population of about 900. The townsite was bordered by Camino Real on the south, Newport Avenue on the east, 1st Street on the north, and Route 43, now known as the Costa Mesa Freeway, on the west.

20th century

During World War II, a Navy anti-submarine airship base was established on unincorporated land south of the city; the two dirigible hangars are among the largest wooden structures ever built and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and ASCE List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks. The north hangar burned down in 2023.
Suburban growth after the war resulted in increased population, annexation of nearby unincorporated land, including the former Marine Corps Air Station, and development of orchards and farmland into housing tracts and shopping centers.
In 1996, two white supremacists, Gunner Lindberg and Domenic M. Christopher, stabbed a 24-year-old Vietnamese American to death on the Tustin High School tennis courts. In 2008, Lindberg became the first person in Orange County to be sentenced to death for a hate crime.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.2 square miles. It is bordered by Irvine on the south and east, Orange and the unincorporated community North Tustin on the north, and Santa Ana on the west.
The city is sometimes referred to as "The City of Trees". Sycamores and oaks, native to the area, grew in abundance at the time of the founding of the city, and city founder Columbus Tustin was responsible for planting many more along the streets of the city.

Neighborhoods

  • Aliso
  • Columbus Grove
  • Columbus Square
  • Greenwood
  • Old Town Tustin
  • Tustin Legacy
  • Tustin Meadows/Peppertree/Laurelwood
  • Tustin Ranch

    Climate

Tustin has a Mediterranean climate.

Demographics

Tustin appeared in the 1880 United States census. After incorporation in 1927 it appeared as a city in the 1930 U.S. Census as part of Tustin Township.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010
White alone 27,10832,13630,26426,31722,90183.88%63.40%44.83%34.84%28.53%
Black or African American alone 8442,7591,7851,5351,6192.62%5.44%2.64%2.03%2.02%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 143205199142950.44%0.40%0.29%0.19%0.12%
Asian alone 1,3325,01210,00815,14719,0434.12%9.89%14.83%20.05%23.72%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 1,3325,0121862441934.12%9.89%0.28%0.32%0.24%
Other race alone 68691451854180.21%0.14%0.21%0.24%0.52%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx1,8071,9463,295xx2.68%2.58%4.10%
Hispanic or Latino 2,82210,50823,10030,02432,7128.73%20.73%34.24%39.75%40.75%
Total32,31750,68967,50475,54080,276100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Tustin had a population of 80,276. The population density was. The racial makeup was 34.4% White, 2.2% African American, 1.3% Native American, 24.0% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 22.7% from other races, and 15.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 40.7% of the population.
The census reported that 99.4% of the population lived in households, 0.4% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.1% were institutionalized.
There were 27,266 households, out of which 37.0% included children under the age of 18, 50.1% were married-couple households, 7.1% were cohabiting couple households, 26.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.5% had a male householder with no partner present. 20.0% of households were one person, and 7.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93. There were 19,611 families.
The age distribution was 23.0% under the age of 18, 9.5% aged 18 to 24, 30.1% aged 25 to 44, 25.6% aged 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.3years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males.
There were 28,223 housing units at an average density of, of which 27,266 were occupied. Of these, 47.6% were owner-occupied, and 52.4% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $108,435, and the per capita income was $50,723. About 8.3% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2020 United States census reported that Tustin had a population of 79,430. The population density was. The racial makeup was 39,729 White, 1,722 African American, 442 Native American, 15,299 Asian, 268 Pacific Islander, 14,499 from other races, and 3,581 from two or more races. There were 30,024 people of Hispanic or Latino origin, of any race.
The census reported that 75,020 people lived in households, 340 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters and 180 were institutionalized.
There were 25,203 households, of which 10,465 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 12,969 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 3,494 had a female householder with no husband present, 1,472 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 1,568 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships and 193 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 5,178 households were one person and 1,403 had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.98. There were 17,935 families and the average family size was 3.46.
The age distribution was 20,212 people under the age of 18, 6,856 aged 18 to 24, 25,033 aged 25 to 44, 17,006 aged 45 to 64, and 6,433 who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.6 males.
There were 26,476 housing units at an average density of. Of the occupied units, 12,813 were owner-occupied and 12,390 were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.8%. 36,783 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 38,237 people lived in rental housing units.
According to the 2010 census, Tustin had a median household income of $74,011, with 12.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

Crime

Economy

Top employers

According to the city's 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of Employees
1Tustin Unified School District2,491
2SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union1,089
3Costco749
4Rivian500
5Foothill Regional Medical Center450
6City of Tustin440
7Pacific Bell416
8New American Funding412
9Avid BioSciences387
10Virgin Galactic339

Arts and culture

Points of interest include:
Sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places include:

Local

The Tustin City Council is composed of five members elected at large; the mayorship rotates among the council members and is primarily a ceremonial role.
Mayor Austin Lumbard was elected to the Tustin City Council in 2022. As of 2025, John Nielsen, Ryan Gallagher, Ray Schnell, and Lee K. Fink are also on the City Council.
Local politics in the late 1990s and early 2000s were dominated by the 1997 closure of the local Marine Corps Air Station and plans for the subsequent commercial development of the land, including an unsuccessful bid by neighboring Santa Ana to build a school on the land, part of which is within Santa Ana Unified School District's territory.