Perfect year-round weather, impeccable, well-maintained beaches, world-famous attractions, and incredibly safe cities are just a few of the reasons people flock to Orange County. If your flight options to SNA aren't ideal, then your next best (and probably the cheapest) option would be LAX. If you are staying in Orange County, expect a 1 to 2 hour drive from the airport. Traffic in South Los Angeles County can be very annoying.
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. 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. Health care centers include CHOC (Children's Hospital of Orange County), Kaiser Permanente Health Pavilion (Anaheim), St. Joseph Hospital (Orange) and ICU Medical Center.
Retail complexes include Anaheim GardenWalk, Anaheim Marketplace (which claims to be the largest indoor exchange meeting in Orange County with more than 200 vendors), MainPlace Mall, Orange Town & Country and The Outlets at Orange, originally a mall called The City, which was the centerpiece of a planned 1970s mixed-use development with the same name. There is a strip-style commercial development that includes large retailers along West Chapman Avenue in Orange (Marshalls, Ralphs), along Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove (Burlington, Ross Dress for Less) and around Harbor Blvd. Orange County is a charter county in California; its seat is Santa Ana. Orange County has produced such notable Republicans as President Richard Nixon (born in Yorba Linda and lived in Fullerton and San Clemente), USA.
UU. Seymour (formerly Mayor of Anaheim) and U.S. Former Congressman Christopher Cox (of Newport Beach), White House Attorney for President Reagan, is also former president of the U.S. Orange County was also home to former Republican Congressman John G.
Schmitz, 1972 presidential candidate of the ultraconservative Independent Party of the United States and father of Mary Kay Letourneau. In 1996, Curt Pringle (later Mayor of Anaheim) became the first Republican president of the California State Assembly in decades. Tourism Remains a Vital Aspect of Orange County's Economy. Anaheim is the main tourist center, and Disneyland Resort is the second most visited theme park in the world.
In addition, Knotts Berry Farm receives around 7 million visitors a year and is located in the city of Buena Park. The Anaheim Convention Center holds many important conventions throughout the year. Resorts within beach towns welcome visitors all year round due to their proximity to the beach, bike routes, mountain hiking trails, golf courses, shops and restaurants. There are many cities big and small in Orange County; here are some of the major.
Orange County is in the Pacific Time Zone and observes daylight saving time. English and Spanish are the two most common languages spoken in Orange County. Most government agencies will have someone available who speaks Spanish. In northern Orange County, many businesses will have someone who speaks Spanish on staff; however, the further south you travel, the less common Spanish-speaking staff may be, although someone nearby who speaks Spanish is likely to help translate if asked.
Due to the ethnic diversity of Southern California, there are many neighborhoods where they are fluent in other languages, most of them Asian countries. The third most-spoken language, Vietnamese, is widely spoken in Westminster and Garden Grove and, to a lesser extent, Fountain Valley and Santa Ana. Due to Hoa's sizeable population, Cantonese Chinese can also be found in Westminster and Garden Grove. In Garden Grove and Fullerton, Korean is widely spoken.
Mandarin Chinese is common in Irvine. Japanese is most commonly spoken in Costa Mesa. Several highways provide access to Orange County. Orange County has a great niche for award-winning restaurants, California signature cuisine, and ethnic specialties.
Orange County is a foodie's paradise, with nearly 5,000 restaurants serving everything from the freshest seafood to exotic delicacies. With hundreds of restaurants to choose from in Little Saigon, Orange County is a Vietnamese foodie's paradise. The area immediately surrounding the Asian Garden Mall has a wide variety to choose from. Orange County is home to three famous burger chains: Tommy's (Fountain Valley, in Magnolia and Warner), Fatburger (Irvine, in Michelson and Jamboree, and in downtown Aliso Viejo) and In-N-Out (everywhere).
Izakaya, the Japanese style of cooking, emphasizes a lively atmosphere and a wide variety of personal-sized mini dishes to choose from. Tapioca bubble tea, also known as boba, is a recent local obsession imported from Asia: milk tea is available in Orange County in all flavors, including some fruits and vegetables relatively unknown to the Western palate. Orange County is home to many great places to drink and very few options for how to get home after you've had a drink. Getting around Orange County is quite awkward without a car without having extra money to spend on transportation services, such as taxis.
There are select areas where walking to a bar is a viable option. Beach towns make up the majority of these places; Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Dana Point and San Clemente have areas that are no more than a short walk from a bar. Most of the bars at these beach spots aren't of the chain variety, so each one has its own unique vibe. Far from the ocean, there are plenty of other great bars.
Costa Mesa has an area where a sizeable neighborhood is located bordering a commercial area with a large selection of individual and chain locations. Between 19th Street (where Highway 55 ends) and 17th Street there is an excellent bar crawl route. Although the county's beach areas are generally safe, localism among surfers can, on rare occasions, turn violent. Although the county is quite safe, street gang activity is comparatively common in areas such as East Anaheim and the Atwood neighborhoods of Placentia, as well as in Westminster and Garden Grove.
Shopping in Orange County is centered around regional malls, large energy centers, and smaller malls. Orange County SC is a United Soccer League team and is the only professional soccer club in Orange County. A mosaic of 34 independent municipalities, Orange County's population is one of the most culturally diverse in the world. Smog is common in much of Orange County, although the coast generally has cleaner air due to ocean winds.
Other ranches in Orange County were granted by the Mexican government during the Mexican period in Alta California. Southern Orange County is more residential, richer, more republican, less racially diverse, and has developed more recently. Orange County, California, is a vibrant group of cities that attracts visitors from all over the world. Orange County has a reputation for being more conservative than the rest of California, with conservative fiscal attitudes dominant in affluent cities and some social conservative attitudes prevailing in some of Orange County's burgeoning ethnic subcommunities.
From postmodern retreats built in the foothills of Aliso Viejo to sprawling mansions overlooking Emerald Bay, some of Southern California's most sought-after real estate properties are in Orange County. Orange County's excellent and irrefutable reputation as a tourist destination gave it its own television series, The O. True to the myriad cultures that have helped shape Orange County, the variety of dining options in Orange County is as impressive as anywhere else in California. Another region of Orange County is the Orange Coast, which includes the six cities that border the Pacific Ocean.
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. Add to the long list of entertainment options, outdoor activities, and many local events, and you have an area that fits all types of interests and lifestyles, cementing Orange County's place as one of the best places in SoCal to call home. . .
