Orange County is a large county in southern California. It lies just southeast of Los Angeles. The county’s largest cities are Anaheim and Santa Ana, the county seat. Other major cities in the county include Huntington Beach and Irvine. Orange County covers 798 square miles (2,067 square kilometers). A five-member elected board of supervisors governs the county.
Tourism, health care, trade, manufacturing, and business services employ many people in the Orange County area. The county is home to military bases, a number of beaches and harbors, and the University of California-Irvine. The county’s most famous tourist attraction is the Disneyland amusement park. Other landmarks include Crystal Cathedral, Knott’s Berry Farm, and the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace. Professional baseball and hockey teams play in Anaheim. John Wayne Airport serves the area.
The Gabrielino people, also known as the Tongva, and other Native American groups occupied the Orange County area prior to the arrival of Europeans. The Franciscan missionary Saint Junípero Serra founded Mission San Juan Capistrano there in 1776. California became a part of the United States in 1848. German immigrants founded Anaheim in 1857. Farmers soon began to grow many crops, including grains, fruits, and nuts. Rail lines connected the area with Los Angeles in 1875.
Orange County was founded in 1889. Tourism and manufacturing became important to the area’s economy around 1950, and the county’s population boomed. Since the 1970’s, many immigrants from Asia and Latin America have settled in the county.
