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Do not fill this in! ==Geography== {{See also|List of rivers of Orange County, California}} [[File:Orange County watershed map.png|thumb|The Orange County watershed]] [[File:Aerial view of central Orange County overlooking South Coast Metro, John Wayne Airport, and the Irvine business district.JPG|thumb|upright=1.40|Aerial view of an [[edge city]]: [[Irvine Business Complex]] (top), [[John Wayne Airport]] runway (upper center), [[South Coast Metro]] buildings (lower center) and below, the [[South Coast Plaza]] mall]] [[File:Three Arch Bay Photo Taken by pilot D Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|[[Three Arch Bay]] in Laguna Beach, Southern Orange County]]According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{cvt|948|sqmi}}, of which {{cvt|791|sqmi}} is land and {{cvt|157|sqmi}} (16.6%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_06.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 28, 2015 |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |archive-date=September 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925144550/http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/counties_list_06.txt |url-status=live}}</ref> It is the smallest county by area in [[Southern California]], being just over 40% the size of the region's next smallest county, [[Ventura County, California|Ventura]]. The average annual temperature is about {{cvt|68|F|C}}. Orange County is bordered on the southwest by the [[Pacific Ocean]], on the north by [[Los Angeles County]], on the northeast by [[San Bernardino County]], on the east by [[Riverside County]], and on the southeast by [[San Diego County]]. The northwestern part of the county lies on the [[coastal plain]] of the [[Los Angeles Basin]], while the southeastern end rises into the foothills of the [[Santa Ana Mountains]]. Most of Orange County's population reside in one of two shallow coastal valleys that lie in the basin, the [[Santa Ana Valley]] and the [[Saddleback Valley]]. The Santa Ana Mountains lie within the eastern boundaries of the county and of the [[Cleveland National Forest]]. The high point is [[Santiago Peak]] ({{cvt|5689|ft|m|0}}<ref name="ngs">{{cite ngs |id=DX4296 |designation=RP 1 |access-date=July 16, 2009}}</ref>), about {{cvt|20|mi|km}} east of Santa Ana. Santiago Peak and nearby [[Modjeska Peak]], just {{cvt|200|ft|m|-1}} shorter, form a ridge known as [[Saddleback (Orange County, California)|Saddleback]], visible from almost everywhere in the county. The [[Peralta Hills]] extend westward from the Santa Ana Mountains through the communities of [[Anaheim Hills]], [[Orange, California|Orange]], and ending in [[Olive, California|Olive]]. The Loma Ridge is another prominent feature, running parallel to the Santa Ana Mountains through the central part of the county, separated from the taller mountains to the east by [[Santiago Creek|Santiago Canyon]]. The [[Santa Ana River]] is the county's principal watercourse, flowing through the middle of the county from northeast to southwest. Its major tributary to the south and east is [[Santiago Creek]]. Other watercourses within the county include [[Aliso Creek (Orange County)|Aliso Creek]], [[San Juan Creek]], and Horsethief Creek. In the North, the [[San Gabriel River (California)|San Gabriel River]] also briefly crosses into Orange County and exits into 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 up against an underground fault. ===Regions of Orange County=== [[File:Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley from over Costa Mesa by Don Ramey Logan.jpg|thumb|Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley from over Costa Mesa]] Orange County is sometimes divided into northern and southern regions. There are significant political, demographic, economic and cultural distinctions between North and South Orange County.<ref name=uci>{{cite web |title=Orange County on the Cusp of Change |date=July 2014 |author1=[[University of California, Irvine]] Community and Labor Project |author2=[[UCLA]] Labor Center |url=http://labor.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/07/FINAL-OC-report-for-Web.pdf |access-date=September 12, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054601/http://labor.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/07/FINAL-OC-report-for-Web.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> A popular dividing line between the two regions is the [[Costa Mesa Freeway]]. Northern Orange County, including Anaheim, [[Fullerton, California|Fullerton]], [[Garden Grove, California|Garden Grove]] and [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]], was the first part of the county to be developed and is culturally closer to neighboring [[Los Angeles County]]. This region is more Hispanic (mostly Mexican) and Asian (predominantly Vietnamese and Korean),<ref>{{cite web |title=Orange County 2010 Census Demographic Profiles |publisher=US Census Bureau |via=Cal State Fullerton |access-date=January 23, 2020 |url=http://www.fullerton.edu/cdr/_resources/pdf/census/Census2010_OC_DP.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924154414/http://www.fullerton.edu/cdr/_resources/pdf/census/Census2010_OC_DP.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> more densely populated (Santa Ana is the [[List of United States cities by population density| one hundredth and one most densely-populated city in the United States]] with a population of over 300,000), younger, less wealthy and with higher unemployment. It has more renters and fewer homeowners and generally votes Democratic. There are notable exceptions to these general trends, such as strongly Republican [[Yorba Linda]] and affluent [[Anaheim Hills]], [[North Tustin]], and [[Villa Park, California|Villa Park]].<ref name=uci /> Northern Orange County is predominantly flat, giving way to the [[Santa Ana Mountains]] in the Northeast. Southern Orange County is wealthier, more residential, more Republican, predominantly non-Hispanic white, and more recently developed. Irvine, the largest city in the region, is an exception to some of these trends, being not only a major employment center, but also a major tech hub and education center with UCI. Furthermore, the city is an Asian plurality (both South and East Asian), and votes reliably Democratic in recent years. Southern Orange County almost always includes Irvine,<ref>{{cite news |title=Vacanies Are Up in South OC Offices |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33114305/south_oc_definition_la_times/ |access-date=June 22, 2019 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=June 1, 2001 |archive-date=June 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624075116/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33114305/south_oc_definition_la_times/ |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Newport Beach]], and the cities to their southeast, including [[Lake Forest, California|Lake Forest]], [[Laguna Niguel, California|Laguna Niguel]], [[Laguna Beach]], [[Mission Viejo]], and [[San Clemente]]. Alternatively, Irvine and Newport Beach are sometimes seen as Central Orange County, acting as a transition zone between north and south; when this viewpoint is taken [[Tustin]] is also considered to be in Central Orange County. Costa Mesa is sometimes included in South County,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orangecoastrealestate.com/south-orange-county-real-estate/ |title=South Orange County Real Estate foreclosures - South Orange County MLS homes & Condos For sale |website=Orange Coast Real Estate |access-date=June 22, 2019 |archive-date=June 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622002902/http://www.orangecoastrealestate.com/south-orange-county-real-estate/ |url-status=live}}</ref> although it is located predominantly to the west of the [[Costa Mesa Freeway]] and is part of the even street grid network of northern Orange County.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33114665/south-orange-co-definition/ |title=South Orange Co. definition |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 18, 1986 |page=67 |via=newspapers.com |access-date=March 31, 2020 |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928101930/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33114665/south-orange-co-definition/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Irvine is located in a valley defined by the Santa Ana Mountains and the [[San Joaquin Hills]], while much of Southern Orange County is very hilly. Another region of Orange County is the [[Orange Coast]], which includes the six cities bordering the Pacific Ocean. These are, from northwest to southeast: [[Seal Beach]], [[Huntington Beach]], [[Newport Beach]], [[Laguna Beach]], [[Dana Point]] and [[San Clemente]], although Seal Beach is sometimes viewed as an extension of neighboring [[Long Beach]] in Los Angeles County. ===Commercial districts and edge cities=== {{See also|Irvine Spectrum|South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city}} Older cities in North Orange County like Santa Ana, Anaheim, Orange and [[Fullerton, California|Fullerton]] have traditional downtowns dating to the late 19th century, with Downtown Santa Ana being the home of the county, state and federal institutions. However, far more commercial activity is concentrated in clusters of newer commercial development located further south in the county's [[edge city|edge cities]]. The three largest edge cities, from north to south, are: *[[Anaheim–Santa Ana edge city|Anaheim–Santa Ana]], running along [[Interstate 5]] between [[Disneyland]] and Downtown Santa Ana, *The [[South Coast Metro]], located along [[Interstate 405 (California)|Interstate 405]] and including [[South Coast Plaza]], [[John Wayne Airport]] and the [[Irvine Business Complex]]; and *[[Irvine Spectrum]] in eastern Irvine, at [[El Toro Y|the interchange]] where I-5 and I-405 meet. ====Anaheim—Santa Ana edge city==== [[File:Anaheim–Santa Ana edge city.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Major facilities in the Anaheim–Santa Ana edge city, plus the locations of the adjacent downtowns]] [[File:Mainplace-ext.jpg|thumb|[[MainPlace Mall]]]] A contiguous strip of commercial development (an [[edge city]]) stretches from Disneyland through to [[MainPlace Mall]] along the I-5 Santa Ana Freeway,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gewerz |first1=Catherine |title=County Losing the 'Sub' from Suburb : Trend: The author of a new book says several areas of O.C. have evolved from bedroom communities into urban centers called 'Edge Cities.' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-30-me-2369-story.html |access-date=June 25, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 30, 1991 |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626032142/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-30-me-2369-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Strickland |first1=Daryl |title=Hubs of Commerce Point to Solid Future: 'Urban nodes' help direct growth and redefine older downtown cores |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33418591/oc_edge_city_hubs/ |access-date=June 30, 2019 |publisher=Los Angeles Times (Orange County edition) |date=December 28, 1998 |page=A1, A11 (O.C. edition)/103, 113 |archive-date=July 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701113440/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33418591/oc_edge_city_hubs/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Schoch |first1=Deborah |title=Nearing 2000, Orange County Faces Its Destiny as an Urban Center |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33418478/oc_edge_cities_ref/ |access-date=June 30, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times, Orange County edition |date=December 31, 1995 |page=1 |archive-date=July 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701111902/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33418478/oc_edge_cities_ref/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Eastward, Ho! : Southern Californians Are Headed Inland, to the Area Around the Ontario Airport the Newest Edge City in the Region That Invented the Concept |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33418352/anaheim_edge_city_mention/ |access-date=June 30, 2019 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 15, 1992 |archive-date=July 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701110820/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33418352/anaheim_edge_city_mention/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Garreau |first1=Joel |title=Edge City |date=1991 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing |isbn=9780307801944 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_h4eF9H9UtQC |access-date=June 24, 2019 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802004543/https://books.google.com/books?id=_h4eF9H9UtQC |url-status=live}}</ref> straddling the city limits of [[Anaheim]], [[Garden Grove, California|Garden Grove]], [[Orange, California|Orange]], and [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]], and in fact stretching between the original downtowns of those four cities. Entertainment and cultural facilities include [[Disneyland Resort]], [[Angel Stadium]], [[Christ Cathedral (Garden Grove, California)|Christ Cathedral]] (formerly Crystal Cathedral), [[City National Grove of Anaheim]] – a live concert venue, [[Discovery Cube Orange County]], the [[Honda Center]] – home to the [[Anaheim Ducks]] of the NHL ([[National Hockey League]]), and the [[Anaheim Convention Center]]. Health care facilities include CHOC ([[Children's Hospital of Orange County]]), Kaiser Permanente Health Pavilion (Anaheim), [[St. Joseph Health System|St. Joseph Hospital (Orange)]], and the [[UCI Medical Center]]. Retail complexes include [[Anaheim GardenWalk]], Anaheim Marketplace (claiming to be the largest indoor [[swap meet]] in Orange County with more than 200 vendors), [[MainPlace Mall]], Orange Town & Country, and [[The Outlets at Orange]], originally a mall named "The City" which was the centerpiece of a planned, 1970s [[mixed-use development]] by the same name. There is commercial strip-style development including [[big box retailers]] along West Chapman Avenue in Orange, along Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, and around Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue in Anaheim. Major hotels line [[Harbor Boulevard]] from Disneyland south to Garden Grove. The [[Orange County Transit Authority]] studied the corridor as the possible route for a streetcar, a proposal that was dropped in 2018 due to opposition from Anaheim and other city governments.<ref>{{cite book |title=Final Report Central Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor Study |publisher=Orange County Transportation Authority |page=117 |url=https://www.octa.net/pdf/180731%20Harbor%20Blvd%20Final%20Report%20-%20Final1.pdf |access-date=July 3, 2019 |archive-date=September 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210901020226/https://www.octa.net/pdf/180731%20Harbor%20Blvd%20Final%20Report%20-%20Final1.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> In addition to suburban-style apartment complexes, Anaheim's [[Platinum Triangle, Anaheim|Platinum Triangle]] is undergoing transformation from a low-density commercial and industrial zone into a more urban environment with high-density housing, commercial office towers, and retail space. Anaheim envisions it as a "downtown for Orange County".<ref name=Khouri>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-0115-property-report-anaheim-20150115-story.html |title=Anaheim developments revive city's vision of a new downtown for O.C. |last=Khouri |first=Andrew |date=January 15, 2015 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=January 15, 2015 |archive-date=January 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115153912/http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-0115-property-report-anaheim-20150115-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The {{cvt|820|acres}} area undergoing this large-scale [[redevelopment]] includes the city's two major sports venues, the [[Honda Center]] and [[Angel Stadium of Anaheim]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/platinum-688140-triangle-construction.html |title=Platinum Triangle development taking shape near Angel Stadium, Disneyland |first=Art |last=Marroquin |work=[[Orange County Register]] |date=October 18, 2015 |access-date=December 14, 2015 |archive-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210014853/http://www.ocregister.com/articles/platinum-688140-triangle-construction.html |url-status=live}}</ref> ===National protected areas=== *[[Cleveland National Forest]] (part) *[[Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge]] === Climate === {| |- |{{climate chart | Orange County | 7| 20| 22 | 7| 22| 24 | 9| 27| 45 | 10| 31| 24 | 14| 34| 5 | 16| 37| 1 | 18| 38| 2 | 17| 38| 5 | 17| 37| 5 | 13| 30| 4 | 9| 24| 26 | 6| 18| 49 |float=left |clear=left |source = <ref name="nasa">{{cite web |url=http://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/dataset_index.php |title=NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index |access-date=January 30, 2016 |publisher=NASA |archive-date=May 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510015442/https://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/dataset_index.php |url-status=live}}</ref> }} |} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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