Orange County encompasses 798 square miles, and borders on the counties of Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the West. The county lies 25 miles south of Los Angeles, 90 miles north of San Diego and 400 miles south of San Francisco. There are 143,915 acres dedicated to residential use, with 25,115 acres for commercial use and 112,112 acres of open space including 42 miles of coastline with sandy beaches and most are open to the public. The elevation ranges from sea level to 5,687 feet (Santiago Peak).

While Thomas Jefferson was busy writing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Father Junipero Serra was busy constructing the Mission San Juan Capistrano in what is now the southern portion of Orange County. In search of the legendary Bay of Monterey, Don Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish Army Captain, had been dispatched to California to lay claim to this uncharted frontier. Upon arrival in the area now known as Orange County, Portola's group named it The Valley of Saint Anne (Santa Ana). Among Portola's party was a young corporal named Jose Antonio Yorba. In 1801, Yorba and his nephew, Juan Pablo Peralta, were awarded an immense land grant in the Valley of Saint Anne for faithful military service. And out of the harsh wilderness they carved a 62,500 acre rancho that is today the city of Yorba Linda. Perhaps no other person has had such a profound influence on the development of this region as Jose Antonio Yorba By diverting water from the Santa Ana River, Yorba began the transformation of this barren land into one of the most prosperous agricultural regions in the nation.

American settlers, led by Kit Carson and other trail blazers, flooded the area. Then, after a devastating drought, which wiped out a thriving cattle industry, an Irish immigrant names James Irvine established the Irvine Ranch in what had become the 31st state in the union.

In 1857, a German immigrant named George Hansen and 4 others founded the city of Anaheim, purchasing 1,165 acres of land at $2 per acre. It was planned that Anaheim would become the greatest wine producing region in California and, in less than 20 years, over 800,00 gallons of wine were being produced each year. Attention was quickly redirected after a great disease killed the grape crops, to the rapidly growing citrus industry and orange groves soon replaced Anaheim's vineyards. A chile known as the Anaheim was planted also.

A devastating flood of the Santa Ana river happened in 1862 wiping out huge areas of farmland.

The discovery of silver in the Santa Ana mountains led to the establishment of numerous boom towns as the county attempted to break away from Los Angeles. Anaheim and Santa Ana continued their feud and each made its bid to become the county seat.

Finally, in 1889, the county was incorporated but Anaheim had lost out, Santa Ana was named the county seat. With the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific railroads shipping oranges to the east coast, Orange county's citrus industry blossomed as cities popped up at an amazing rate. About this same time, C.J. Segerstrom emigrated from Sweden, leasing and eventually purchasing 40 acres of land in what is now Costa Mesa. But rather than planting oranges, Segerstrom and his sons raised lima beans. And, with his profits, Segerstrom quickly formed one of the county's largest dairy herds.

In 1920, Walter and Cordelia Knott rented 20 acres of farmland in Buena Park and sold boysenberries from a roadside stand. Soon thereafter, they established the nation's first theme park. Another theme park was developed in 1954 in an orange grove in Anaheim, when Walt Disney built Disneyland and opened its gates July 15, 1955.

The Santa Ana Freeway had opened in 1954, and Orange County was never the same. Los Angeles residents poured into Orange County to find lower priced housing. World War II veterans who had passed through California on their way to war soon returned to sunny Southern California to live. Tourists went home long enough to pack their bags. Still others moved to California to escape the bitter winters of their home towns.

Communal Native American societies, prior to the arrival of European settlers, had no need for precise systems of land division because the concept of individual property ownership did not exist. The early European settlers, however, brought with them distinct ideas about the value of land ownership. The three European cultures which had the greatest early impact on the division of land in North America were the Spanish, the French and the English. The Spanish were the earliest Europeans to have a significant impact on settlement in the US. They migrated up from their base in central Mexico, arriving in NM in the 16th century. Land ownership was one of the most important measures of social status in 16th century Spain, and land became a major means of rewarding individuals who served the throne of Spain. The Spanish 'Land Grant' system in Mexico involved the granting of extremely large (thousands of acres) tracts of land to single individuals who were then responsible for organizing the native population and encouraging Spanish settlement of the land. In New Spain (Mexico) this was known as the 'encomienda' system. Throughout Latin America, this system has resulted in a very small group of individuals owning most of the more productive land, while large numbers of peasants are landless.

The second Mexican revolution (1911) instituted a major land redistribution program, creating communal peasant 'ejidos' out of former land grants. Other Middle American countries, however, have been less successful in redistributing large Spanish land grant lands. By the time the Spanish reached the Southwestern United States, the older encomienda system had been replaced by the 'hacienda' system. The process was essentially the same under the new system, but size of the land grants were made smaller (a few hundred acres), because land was becoming less available. Within the hacienda, a village would be established, usually located where an adequate water source was available. The village would be set up based on the Spanish "Law of the Seas" guidelines established by King Philip II of Spain in the late 16th century. These guidelines called for a communal square at the center of the town, with the Catholic church facing it. A grid street pattern surrounded the square and church. Residents lived within the village and would work the surrounding lands. This street pattern can still be seen in many of the villages of NM and in the border areas of CA, AZ and TX. The large hacienda land grants can be found in California and New Mexico, where they form political boundaries and have enabled the development of large residential subdivisions in the 20th century. It is much easier and cheaper to purchase a single large tract of land, such as a former hacienda, to build a subdivision than it is to purchase numerous small parcels and combine them together. The use of haciendas in this way has been particularly important in the Los Angeles basin area. Just 50 years after Columbus discovered America, Cabrillo and his crew of explorers and anchored off the present site of Long Beach. Vast clouds of smoke were rolling high in the sky from burning grass and brush ashore where the native Indians were conducting one of their periodic rabbit drives. Cabrillo named the area "Bahia de los Fumos" -- the Bay of Smokes.

The first modern identity for Long Beach began with the sprawling rancho awarded Manuel Nieto in 1784. Time and descendants divided the old Spanish Land Grant until the bulk of what is now Long Beach was contained in two ranchos, Los Cerritos and Los Alamitos. In 1880, William Erwin Willmore, an Englishman and Long Beach's first real estate developer, subdivided a portion of Los Cerritos. With the advent of two parties of settlers in 1882, the township of Willmore City was launched. By 1884, with only a dozen houses in the settlement, Willmore City had failed, and the founder departed for Arizona. However, people still straggled in, and in 1888 with 59 buildings and a new school, the newly named City of Long Beach was first incorporated. Nine years later, dissatisfaction with prohibition and high taxes led to an abortive and short-lived disincorporation. Before the year 1897 was out, the citizens voted to reincorporate, and Long Beach has continued to grow ever since. From a population of 1,500 and an area of three square miles in 1897, the City has grown to an estimated population of 440,000 citizens living in a 50-square-mile area.

The subsequent Spanish and Mexican Land Grants created what we now know as Laguna by omitting the area from the grants. The first land grants given by Spain were little more than grazing rights for cattle, granted in 1784 to retiring Spanish Army Veterans for their service in taking over Mexico, which included California, and land to the Missions. Then came Mexico's successful overthrow of Spanish Rule. In 1826 the Governor issued a proclamation declaring all the Indians in California free of the missions. In 1834 the Mexican Governor of California confiscated the mission lands, giving half to the Indians and half to the civil administrators. In 1837 Jose Andre Sepulveda petitioned the civil administrator for San Juan Capistrano's great San Joaquin Ranch and won a grant of the land known as "Swamp of the Frogs". The portion of the present Irvine Ranch which extended from above Newport Bay to the Red Hill in what is now Tustin. In 1842, Sepulveda was granted the balance of the San Joaquin called Bolsa de San Joaquin, which was Newport Bay southeast to the center of what was then Laguna Canyon Creek. Rancho Niguel, named after a local Indian Village, was granted to Juan Avila in 1842. Rancho Niguel, later known as the Moulton Ranch ran from the San Joaquin (later Irvine Ranch) to the remains of the mission grant. The Niguel Grant is now occupied by Leisure World, Aliso Viejo, and Laguna Niguel. Although incorporated in 1967, the city of Yorba Linda's origins date back to 1809 when Jose Yorba obtained a 62,000 acre land grant which came to be known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana.

Over the years portions of the Rancho was sold, and eventually part of this land became the city of Yorba Linda. The construction of the Pacific Electric Railroad line in 1912 between Yorba Linda and Los Angeles established the area as an important transportation link, and provided a platform for future growth. Over the ensuing years Yorba Linda became a small agricultural center, and then in the 1960's tract homes began to replace the large citrus groves. Today, Yorba Linda is primarily a residential, affluent community whose major types of businesses consists of retail shops and service industry firms. Travel in the area is generally unrestricted, and access to the city is obtainable via the Riverside Freeway (91), and through Imperial Highway. Los Alamitos means "little cottonwood trees." It was originally part of Rancho Los Alamitos, which encompassed the land between the San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers and was established in 1784. In 1881, the ranch was bought by John W. Bixby, who set aside 5,000 acres to develop the town. 1938, greatest flood of this century, flooded the entire northern half of Orange County. And the trend continues, with the "Great American Dream" alive and well in Orange County today.

Historical George Key Ranch provides a perfect example of what life was way back when. Visit its website here. The ranch is a working ranch in the city of Placentia. It is a historical site for Orange County and shows how people lived and worked during the farming days of Orange County.

Long horn cattle were raised on the ranchos. They were not raised for beef. It was the hides and the tallow that had value. The Vaqueros ran the ranchos for the owners. Rancho Los Alamitos which encompassed the land between the San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers. This included what is now the cities of Los Alamitos, Cypress, La Palma, Buena Park, Stanton, Anaheim, Fullerton, Placentia, Brea, Yorba Linda, Garden Grove, Westminster, Huntington Beach, and Fountain Valley. Rancho Canyon de Santa Ana came out of Rancho Los Alamitos. Rancho Los Cerritos covered the area of what is Los Angeles County all the way to the San Gabriel Mountains and west to the Pacific Ocean Bixby Ranch came out of Rancho Los Alamitos maybe some portions of Rancho Los Cerritos and covered Long Beach, Palo Verdes, and other areas west and north of Orange County San Joaquin Ranch now Irvine Ranch which extended from above Newport Bay to the Red Hill in what is now Tustin. The Rancho was split up and the northern half became Rancho Lomas de Santiago Silverado Canyon and the area along the Santa Ana Mountains and most probably into Riverside County was primarily land on which the Native American lived. Bolsa de San Joaquin covered Newport Bay southeast to the center of what was then Laguna Canyon Creek. Rancho Santa Marguerite Rancho Cucamonga was in San Bernardino County and Riverside County Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana which was owned by Jose Antonio Yorba covered the areas of Olive and the surrounding cities of Orange, Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Tustin, Villa Park and parts of Newport Beach., and also what is now known as the city of Yorba Linda. This Rancho literally cut the county in half from east to west on a 45 degree angle. Rancho San Juan Cajon De Santa Ana Came out of Rancho Los Alamitos and covered these cities of today, Fullerton, Brea, Placentia, Anaheim. Rancho La Habra, Rancho La Puente and Rancho Rincon De La Brea were small ranchos in the northern most area of the county from the split of Rancho Los Alamitos. Rancho Los Coyotes brought forth the cities of Buena Park, La Palma which was known as Dairyland, Cypress and Stanton. Rancho Bolsa Chica is now Huntington Beach where a huge oil field was found. Rancho Las Bolsas brought forth Westminster, Garden Grove, Fountain Valley and some of Huntington Beach. Rancho Canda de Las Alisos is now part of the El Toro Marine Base and ran along the northern border of Rancho Trabuco. Rancho Mission Vieja stretched from the present boundary of Orange and Riverside County to San Juan Capistrano Rancho Trabuco once incorporated what is now the northern half of Mission Viejo and the Cleveland National Forest O'Neill Ranch was created from parts of both Rancho Trabuco and Rancho Mission Vieja were swallowed up into a new ranch owned by Richard O'Neill, who bought the land from the rancheros. Rancho Niguel later known as the Moulton Ranch ran from the San Joaquin (later Irvine Ranch) to the remains of the mission grant. The Niguel Grant is now occupied by Leisure World, Aliso Viejo, and Laguna Niguel. All of the land around Rancho Niguel was Mission land except what is now known as Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach was not part of any rancho just as San Clemente which is at the southern most tip of Orange County and the area just north of Yorba Linda. Mission San Juan Capistrano (for links go to the section for Cities below.)

There were18 ranchos until they had very hard times and had to sell the land. The buyers were James Irvine and his partners Flint, Bixby and Co., George Hanson, William H. Spurgen, Columbus Tustin, Abel Sterns, George H. Fullerton and a few others.

History tells us there were 3 groups of Indians that lived in the area of Orange County. They were the Gabrielino, the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, and the Luiseno Tribe. The only tribe that is recognized by the Federal Government as a viable tribe are the Luiseno. The other 2 are known as unrecognized bands. The Gabrielinos primarily lived in our north county area and Los Angeles County over a wide area. The Juaneno Band has been associated with the San Juan Capistrano Mission area and were thought to have been assimilated by the Luiseno Tribe which lived down through the San Luis Rey Mission area in northern San Diego County. This is one of the times that history, as it has been written, is simply incorrect. The Juaneno Band of Mission Indians is a viable people. They are still here in Orange County and have been in Orange County for literally thousands of years. The Band has already been recognized by the State of California as a tribe. They are now awaiting Federal confirmation as of January, 1997. If you need to contact the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, then write to them at: Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, P.O. Box 25628, Santa Ana, CA 92799, Attention: Sonja Johnston, Chair of the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians/Acjachemem Nation Fax # is (714) 848-2951. Please be very respectful of their customs. They are a very private people and do not want to be placed under a microscope. You will have to ask for permission to obtain any information. And you must make sure that you are not asking something that will be interpreted as an exploitation of their history or the tribe as a people.

Please follow this link to view some great historic maps of Orange County, some of which are historic. Maps