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Interesting Facts
- During the World War II era, the US Army operated 1300-plus-acre Santa Ana Army Air Base, known locally as SAAAB. More than 140,000 men entered the base to participate in pre-flight, navigator, and bombardier training, and more than 120,000 of them graduated. The base was deactivated in 1946 following the surrender of Japan. Today, the land it once occupied is home to everything from Costa Mesa Civic Center and a National Guard recruiting office to Costa Mesa High School and Orange Coast College.
- What's in a name? Thankfully, a few tragically-named Orange County communities have changed their handles over the years. Today's La Palma was originally incorporated as Dairyland, and nearby Cypress started out as Dairy City. Needless to say, living south of Los Angeles County was once a moo-ving experience.
- President Richard Nixon was born in the tiny bedroom community of Yorba Linda on January 9, 1913, and grew up in a small farmhouse that his father built. Decades later and 20 years after ending a long political career that oscillated between distinction and scandal, he opened the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace, giving history buffs a chance to learn more about the 37th president's earliest years.
- While Big Band aficionados may not think of California when the subject of great music from the Swing Era comes up, longtime Orange County residents may remember a little something called the "Balboa Hop," a popular dance that originated in the famous pavilion at Balboa Beach during the 1940s.
- The United States' largest planned community, the town of Irvine is the result of an "experiment" conducted by developers and the University of California in the late 1950s. Spearheaded by architect William Pereira and the Irvine Company, plans were hatched for a community of more than 50,000 residents that would surround a new Orange County branch of the state's university system. By the early 1970s, the villages of Turtle Rock, University Park, Culverdale, Ranch, and Walnut were completed, and in 1971, citizens in the new areas voted to merge and form the town of Irvine. Today, the city boasts a still-growing population of more than 130,000.
- Offering more parks and open public space than any other city in the US, Huntington Beach is a quintessential California beach town. As such, it features a variety of t-shirt and surf shops, a Surfing Walk of Fame, and the International Surfing Museum. It's little wonder that the town is more widely known by its well-earned moniker: Surf City, USA.
- The first thing many people see when they arrive in Orange County is the Duke – John Wayne – or at least in a sense. John Wayne International Airport services the metro areas of Anaheim, Newport Beach, Santa Ana, and Irvine.
- Up until 1955, Anaheim was a quiet bedroom community located about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Then Disneyland® Resort opened, and the county's theme park industry was born. Today, kids from 6 to 60 find tons to entertain them in Orange County, from the magical home of Mickey and friends to Knott's Berry Farm and the Orange County Marine Institute.
- Where do the swallows play? Legend has it that they reside at California's oldest mission, San Juan Capistrano (established around 1776), from March 19 (St. Joseph's Day) until October 23. While this fact may have been true in the past, decades of friendly, breadcrumb-throwing tourists have persuaded the birds to make the beautiful mission their year-round home.
- A veritable shopper's paradise, Orange County is home to scores of great stores and boutiques. Contemporary-minded shoppers fawn over stalwarts of style like Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Emporio Armani, and Chanel. Folks who want to turn back the clock a bit can head to Downtown Fullerton or Old Towne Orange, where small, privately-owned shops hearken back to a time when much of Orange County had a small-town feel.
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