With a population near 3 million residents, Orange County is the combination of nearly 34 cities including Newport Beach (home of the TV show, The O.C.) as well as Anaheim, Laguna Beach, Fullerton, and Irvine. As the second most populated county within California and fifth in the nation, the Orange County is famous for its conservative political beliefs and never ending wealth. Interestingly enough, the county is the smallest in the Southern California area.
The town was first ruled by Junipero Serra who named Vallejo de Santa Anna (Saint Anne). However, Mission San Juan Capistrano was the first settlement among the European settlers in the area. Because of a drought within the middle of the 19 th century, land barons owned much of the O.C. After silver was discovered within the mountain, many settlers came by way of the railroad. Because of this large rush of people, Los Angeles County was split, and the O.C. (Orange County) was founded in 1889. The name was created because of the large orange production in the nearby area; however avocados are rampant as well in the O.C.
Orange County holds Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland as two of its most popular attractions. Along with surfing, yachting, boating as well as golf, swimming, tennis, hiking and bicycling, the county is a gold mine for the tourism industry. Bordering the Pacific Ocean, the north O.C. is along the coastal plain, while the bottom half of the county grazes the Santa Ana Mountain foothills. Water sources are plentiful as well, the Santa Ana River is the largest. However, Laguna Beach holds the only natural lakes in the O.C. Much like any other city, the residents of the county divide it in to North and south parts. However, there is no real divide within the landscape of the O.C.
The town became a weekend getaway for Hollywood after the Pacific Electric Railway was established in 1904. People who were interested in both manufacturing and aerospace moved to the area. Also, the opening of Disneyland had a surge of new residents as well. All of these events helped to make the O.C. the success it is.
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