In 1850, the new state of California was divided into 27 different counties. What is now Orange County was simply the southernmost tip of Los Angeles County. The county is a tourist hub, with attractions such as Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Mission San Juan Capistrano, Modjeska House, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Yost Theater, Bowers Museum, Balboa Island, Angel Stadium, Downtown Santa Ana, Honda Center and several popular beaches along its more than 40 miles (64 km) of coastline. It is also home to a major research university, the University of California, Irvine (UCI), along with several other notable colleges and universities, such as Chapman University and Cal State Fullerton.
More recently, state droughts in California have further tested Orange County's water security. A severe drought in the 1860s devastated the prevailing industry, livestock and much of the land passed into the hands of Richard O'Neill, Sr. In 1887, silver was discovered in the Santa Ana Mountains, attracting settlers through the Santa Fe and South Pacific railroads. Other citrus, avocado and oil extraction crops were also important for the early economy.
Orange County benefited from the completion of the Pacific Electric Railway on July 4, 1904, a streetcar connecting Los Angeles to Santa Ana and Newport Beach. The liaison turned Orange County into an accessible weekend retreat for celebrities from the early. It was considered so important that Pacific City changed its name to Huntington Beach in honor of Henry E. Huntington, President of Pacific Electric and nephew of Collis Huntington.
Transportation further improved with the completion of State Route and U, S. Route 101 (now mostly interstate in the 1920s). The Santa Ana River is the county's main watercourse, flowing through the center of the county from northeast to southwest. Its main 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 Orange County and exits to 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 against an underground fault. Orange County is a charter county in California; its seat is Santa Ana.
The only major airport in Orange County is John Wayne Airport; its abbreviation (SNA) refers to Santa Ana, the closest major city in the early 20th century. Six Orange County cities are on the Pacific coast, including Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente. Although Barbara Boxer won statewide in the concurrent Senate elections and fared better in Orange County than in 1998, Republican Bill Jones defeated her in the county, 51% to 43%. Health care centers include CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County), Kaiser Permanente Health Pavilion (Anaheim), St.
In his book, “Orange County Place Names A-Z,” Brigandi says that the history of poker arose in the 1930s and even then came from a third-hand source. The Orange County Plain Dealer (January 1898 to May 8, 1992) was a newspaper based primarily in Anaheim, and successor to The Independent, purchased by James E. Southern Orange County is more residential, richer, more republican, less racially diverse, and has developed more recently. Cultural and entertainment facilities include Disneyland Resort, Angel Stadium, Christ Cathedral (formerly Crystal Cathedral), City National Grove of Anaheim (a live concert venue), Discovery Cube Orange County, the Honda Center, home of the NHL (National Hockey League) Anaheim Ducks and the Anaheim Center conventions.
Shopping in Orange County is centered around regional malls, large energy centers, and smaller malls. But probably the best evidence, he says, comes from James Guinn, one of the county's earliest historians, who connects the name to political efforts to create a separate Orange County. Northern Orange County, including Anaheim, Fullerton and Santa Ana, was the first part of the county to develop and is culturally closer to neighboring Los Angeles County. Many regional international business headquarters reside in Orange County, including Mazda, Toshiba, Toyota, Samsung, Kia, in the City of Irvine, Mitsubishi in the City of Cypress, Kawasaki Motors in Foothill Ranch, and Hyundai in the City of Fountain Valley.
On a typical weekday, more than 40 trains run along the Orange County Line, Line 91, and the Inland Empire—Orange County Line. . .
