Demographics (2010): 40.1% White, 34.2% Hispanic, 21.4% Asian, 2.1% Black
Population (2010): 3,010,232
Growth rate: Moderate (11.6% since 2000)
President: 59.68% R / 38.98% D (2004), 50.19% R / 47.63% D (2008), 51.87% R / 45.65% D (2012), 50.94% D / 42.35% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $61,899
% Bachelor's: 39.9%
At long last we come to one of my favorite counties to analyze, Orange County! I had already talked about its history before the 2016 election, when it went Democratic for president for the first time since 1936 and for only the third time in its history. I also included the election patterns of the county overall for its entire history, as well as the cities since they were incorporated.
First, I will give the backstory. Rapid growth from settlers after the discovery of silver in the Santa Ana Mountains and the expansion of the Santa Fe Railroad led to Orange County separating from Los Angeles County in 1889. Orange County got its name after the fruit to give it a reputation as a semi-tropical paradise, where anything can grow, to encourage immigration and migration from elsewhere in the country. Orange County went from under 20,000 in 1900 to over 1.4 million in 1970, thanks in large part to new transportation opportunities in the first half of the 20th century.
The fastest growth came in the 1950s and 1960s as the county shifted from orange groves and oil wells to suburbs, where veterans and new aerospace employees moved, and a tourist hub with the opening of Disneyland. Existing cities such as Anaheim and Orange began annexing like crazy. The period between 1953 and 1962 saw more cities incorporated than any other 10-year span in the county.
The coastal cities are some of the oldest in the county. The northern cities developed in the 1950s and 1960s as the population in the area swelled. South of Irvine, cities in that area incorporated a few decades later, mostly from master-planned communities.
In southern Orange County, the cities that have "Laguna" in their names got that part of their names from their proximity to Laguna Canyon and Laguna Beach, the oldest city with Laguna in its name. The name "laguna" came from the tidal lagoon at the mouth of Aliso Creek.
In my old diary I hypothesized that if Orange County went Democratic in 2016, Clinton would win the cities Obama won by bigger margins and lose most of the Republican-voting cities by smaller margins if not win some of them. Let's see how my predictions fared:
In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won every city won by Barack Obama (D) in 2012.
Clinton also won Aliso Viejo and Costa Mesa, which Obama won in 2008 but Mitt Romney (R) won in 2012.
Clinton also won Cypress, which until 2016 went Republican in every election except 1992.
Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Los Alamitos, the city of Orange, Placentia, and Seal Beach also went Democratic for the first time in 2016.
Clinton won Garden Grove, La Palma, and Westminster, which Obama won in 2012 but not 2008.
Indeed Clinton won more cities than Obama in the northern half of the county. The only city south of Irvine that went Republican in 2012 and Democratic in 2016 was Aliso Viejo, which had gone Democratic in 2008.
North
Demographics (2010): 54.0% Hispanic, 24.8% White, 16.7% Asian, 2.5% Black
Population (2010): 336,265
President: 57.89% R / 40.95% D (2004), 51.49% D / 46.59% R (2008), 52.84% D / 44.92% R (2012), 58.48% D / 35.78% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $47,122
% Bachelor's: 25.5%
Anaheim today is famous for being home to Disneyland, thought its beginnings go back to when Orange County was part of Los Angeles County. It was the second city in Los Angeles County to incorporate, in 1857, after being settled by German families. Hence the "heim" part of its name, which means "home" in German. The "Ana" came from the Santa Ana River. The Spanish that lived nearby called the settlement "Campo Aleman", or German Field.
The German settlers had the goal of growing grapes and making wine, though none of them had experience in doing so. Eventually, Anaheim became the largest wine producer in California in the 1860s and 1870s, and joined the California Land Boom in the 1880s.
Infamously, members of the Ku Klux Klan were elected to the city council running on political reform against the German American elite that did not support the prohibition laws of the time, even though the pro- and anti-Klan groups were similarly prosperous. Upon taking power, the Klan representatives shaped the local government in their favor, to enforce prohibition. In 1925, the opposition got a secret membership list via bribery and took back power by exposing the Klansmen running in state primaries and recalling the Klansmen in the local offices. The Klan's power in the area quickly collapsed after that.
For the first half of the 20th century, Anaheim remained agricultural until Disneyland opened in 1955, on land once occupied by walnut and orange trees. Then came the construction of hotels around the park, and eventually houses, as well as an industrial center.
Disneyland inspired the growth of other amusement parks in the area, including Knott's Berry Farm. While Knott's has been around since 1920, starting as a roadside berry stand, it became more of an amusement park around the time Disneyland was built. Walter Knott and Walt Disney were good friends!
Many sports teams relocated to Anaheim, and the Walt Disney Corporation formed the Mighty Ducks National Hockey League team.
The eastern third of Anaheim's land consists of the planned community of Anaheim Hills, which maintains its own identity.
Demographics (2010): 76.8% Hispanic, 11.8% Asian, 9.4% White, 1.1% Black
Population (2010): 324,528
President: 54.27% D / 44.55% R (2004), 65.69% D / 32.57% R (2008), 69.37% D / 28.53% R (2012), 73.70% D / 20.87% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $54,521
% Bachelor's: 14.0%
Santa Ana means "Saint Anne" in Spanish and was named by Friar Junipero Serra. It has been the seat of Orange County since the county's formation in 1889.
The Santa Ana Army Air Base went up during World War II and was responsible for the rapid growth of Santa Ana when soldiers coming back from the war moved to the city.
Mor recently, Santa Ana has become a commercial and entertainment center catering to working-class Latinos. It also has an Artist Village consisting of live-work lofts for young professional artists.
Santa Ana is one of few cities in Orange County in which registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans.
Demographics (2010): 42.3% Asian, 40.7% White, 10.3% Hispanic, 1.9% Black
Population (2010): 212,375
President: 52.28% R / 46.65% D (2004), 57.39% D / 40.74% R (2008), 53.69% D / 43.81% R (2012), 61.94% D / 32.40% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $98,923
% Bachelor's: 68.5%
Irvine is a master-planned city that was incorporated in 1971 and named after agricultural pioneer James Irvine. It is home to many schools, including the University of California, Irvine and Orange County branches of the University of Southern California, California State University, Fullerton, and Pepperdine University.
The University of California, Irvine was founded in 1965 after the University of California system saw the need for new campuses for G.I. Bill recipients and future college students from the Baby Boomer generation. Plans for a city of 50,000 around the university were made. Voters eventually passed the incorporation of a substantially larger city.
Refugees from the Vietnam War moved to Fountain Valley and some later moved to Irvine.
Irvine was a Republican city until 2008, and it has voted Democratic since. Many technology and semiconductor companies set up shop in Irvine.
Demographics (2010): 61.8% White, 20.0% Hispanic, 12.1% Asian, 1.4% Black
Population (2010): 189,992
President: 59.89% R / 38.80% D (2004), 52.63% R / 45.29% D (2008), 56.53% R / 40.98% D (2012), 50.08% R / 43.66% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $76,527
% Bachelor's: 42.9%
Nicknamed "Surf City USA", Huntington Beach epitomizes Orange County surf culture. It is home to the International Surf Museum. Swells from South Pacific hurricanes and North Pacific winter storms mean Huntington Beach has surf all year round.
Huntington Beach was named after railroad magnate Henry E. Huntington, owner of the West Coast Land and Water Company. Its original pier was built in 1904.
Incorporated in 1909, Huntington Beach had an agriculture-based economy early on before growing and developing rapidly in the mid-20th century.
Demographics (2010): 40.5% Asian, 37.0% Hispanic, 19.8% White, 1.0% Black
Population (2010): 170,883
President: 61.13% R / 37.73% D (2004), 51.19% R / 46.88% D (2008), 53.63% D / 44.12% R (2012), 58.88% D / 35.90% R (2016)
MHI (2010): $59,988
% Bachelor's: 21.1%
Garden Grove was founded in 1874 and like many towns in the area, grew and prospered with fruit, vegetable, and nut crops and the railroads.
Much of Garden Grove's central business district was wiped out in the catastrophic Long Beach Earthquake in 1933. The town recovered and grew and developed rapidly after World War II, incorporating in 1956.
Every Memorial Day, Garden Grove holds one of the West's largest community festivals, their Strawberry Festival.
Garden Grove is also home to Little Saigon, where many Vietnamese refugees settled in the 1970s and 1980s after the War. Other Asians have also moved to Garden Grove including Laotians, Cambodians, and Koreans.
Garden Grove was historically Republican and remained Republican-leaning through 2008 before swinging sharply Democratic. Barack Obama won by 9 in 2012, and Hillary Clinton by 23 in 2016.
Demographics (2010): 45.4% White, 38.2% Hispanic, 11.9% Asian, 1.8% Black
Population (2010): 136,416
President: 63.39% R / 35.47% D (2004), 53.43% R / 44.50% D (2008), 54.64% R / 42.88% D (2012), 48.17% D / 45.45% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $58,994
% Bachelor's: 36.5%
After being called Richland, the name was changed to Orange to avoid confusion with a city in Sacramento County also named Richland. Unlike other cities in the area, the City of Orange preserved the homes in its Old Town District, built before 1920.
Orange was the only city in the county to be built around a plaza and has the nickname of "Plaza City" and was the first developed town to be served by the California Southern Railroad.
The late 19th century brought the California Land Boom thanks to growing demands for citrus fruits from the state and railroad rate wars. Housing developments and rapid population growth in the mid-20th century greatly reduced the local agriculture.
Demographics (2010): 37.2% Hispanic, 32.3% White, 24.6% Asian, 2.7% Black
Population (2010): 135,161
President: 58.53% R / 40.22% D (2004), 49.17% R / 48.74% D (2008), 49.26% R / 48.08% D (2012), 54.06% D / 39.45% R (2016)
MHI (2010): $67,617
% Bachelor's: 41.2%
An oil boom came to the Fullerton area when the Brea-Olinda Oil Field was discovered in 1880, and peaked in the 1920s. Fullerton College, the oldest continually operating community college in California, was established in 1913.
In 1894, publisher Charles Chapman, a descendant of Johnny Appleseed, grew Santa Ysabel oranges at his ranch. Fullerton had more orange groves than any other city in the country at the time. Walnuts and avocados were also grown.
Fullerton incorporated early for an Orange County city, in 1904, and was named after George H. Fullerton, president of the Pacific Land and Improvement Company.
In the mid-20th century, food processing took over food production as the main economic activity. The post-war suburban boom also came to Fullerton, as did Orange County State College in 1957. Since the 1960s, Orange County State College has been designed as California State University, Fullerton.
After Cal State Fullerton opened, other schools opened and Fullerton became known as an "Education City". Today Cal State Fullerton is the largest state university by student enrollment.
Demographics (2010): 49.8% White, 36.1% Hispanic, 8.4% Asian, 1.9% Black
Population (2010): 109,960
President: 55.55% R / 42.91% D (2004), 52.12% D / 45.53% R (2008), 48.78% R / 47.84% D (2012), 51.51% D / 41.20% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $50,732
% Bachelor's: 40.0%
Costa Mesa, "table coast", was so named because of its geography, a plateau on the coast. Its population grew during and after World War II because of soldiers training at the Santa Ana Army Air Base, and incorporated in 1953.
Demographics (2010): 49.4% Asian, 24.7% White, 22.8% Hispanic, 0.9% Black
Population (2010): 89,701
President: 64.16% R / 34.71% D (2004), 56.17% R / 42.18% D (2008), 50.11% D / 47.69% R (2012), 55.22% D / 39.73% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $54,399
% Bachelor's: 25.9%
Westminster started out as a Presbyterian temperance colony and incorporated in 1957. It was named after the Westminster Assembly of 1643, which established Presbyterianism's tenets. Farmer's even refused to harvest grapes because of the fruit's use in making alcoholic drinks.
Westminster is home to the country's highest proportion of Vietnamese Americans, who came as refugees after the Vietnam War in the 1970s and 1980s and settled in Little Saigon, the largest such community in the United States.
Demographics (2010): 79.5% White, 9.0% Hispanic, 8.3% Asian, 0.8% Black
Population (2010): 85,186
President: 65.24% R / 33.72% D (2004), 57.81% R / 40.55% D (2008), 65.76% R / 32.31% D (2012), 54.34% R / 40.15% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $95,511
% Bachelor's: 66.7%
Newport Beach got its name from a "new port" where The Vaquero steamer made its way through the upper and lower bay. Development came with the Pacific Electric Railway in 1905, and the city incorporated a year later.
Newport Harbor, an artificial harbor once supported shipbuilding and fishing and is now used for recreation.
Demographics (2010): 38.4% Hispanic, 31.3% Asian, 24.4% White, 3.0% Black
Population (2010): 80,530
President: 54.83% R / 44.10% D (2004), 53.16% D / 44.84% R (2008), 54.16% D / 43.50% R (2012), 57.06% D / 37.13% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $50,336
% Bachelor's: 29.9%
Where the name Buena Park came from is unclear. Possibilities included the identically-named Chicago suburb, though it was named at the same time (1887), and the artesian well and the park-like grounds that led settlers to call the area "Plaza Buena", or "good park".
Buena Park was an agricultural city when it was incorporated in 1953. Later in the decade the city became more suburban with tourist destinations including Knott's Berry Farm (which dates to the 1920s), Medieval Times, the Movieland Wax Museum, and a Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum.
Demographics (2010): 41.8% Hispanic, 30.6% White, 21.6% Asian, 2.7% Black
Population (2010): 75,540
President: 58.03% R / 40.62% D (2004), 51.75% D / 46.39% R (2008), 49.69% D / 47.69% R (2012), 57.18% D / 36.59% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $55,985
% Bachelor's: 42.6%
Tustin is called the "City of Trees" because of its many tree-lined streets.
Demographics (2010): 58.8% White, 18.9% Asian, 17.3% Hispanic, 1.5% Black
Population (2010): 64,234
President: 72.25% R / 26.88% D (2004), 64.46% R / 33.81% D (2008), 68.24% R / 29.72% D (2012), 59.54% R / 35.34% D (2016)
MHI (2007): $109,681
% Bachelor's: 53.4%
Now we come to President Richard Nixon's hometown, named after Jose Antonio Yorba. Yorba Linda was a citrus farming community at the time Nixon was born, as well as a ranching area in the east. Residents refused to allow the braceros that worked the farms to live in the city, so nearby Placentia ended up housing them in a "colonic".
The mid-century rapid growth brought annexation attempts by Brea, Anaheim, and Placentia, so Yorba Linda ended up incorporating in 1967. The Richard Nixon Presidential Library opened in the 1990s.
Yorba Linda is California's most conservative large community and one of the most consistently Republican-voting cities in the county and state. It is also one of very few cities in California that has a majority of its voters registered Republicans.
Demographics (2010): 59.5% Hispanic, 26.0% White, 12.1% Asian, 1.0% Black
Population (2010): 60,239
President: 57.81% R / 41.10% D (2004), 49.47% D / 48.69% R (2008), 49.52% D / 48.32% R (2012), 53.96% D / 39.97% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $47,652
% Bachelor's: 27.4%
La Habra was named after the natural "pass through the hills". It was the largest avocado center in Southern California in 1928. The Hass avocado tree was planted here by Rudolph Hass and was one of the most popular sources of avocados.
Demographics (2010): 45.4% Hispanic, 34.9% Asian, 15.8% White, 0.6% Black
Population (2010): 55,313
President: 64.82% R / 34.00% D (2004), 55.74% R / 42.29% D (2008), 55.82% R / 41.92% D (2012), 47.30% D / 47.00% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $78,729
% Bachelor's: 42.9%
Fountain Valley is a bedroom community that started out as an agricultural center. The city was so named because of the very high water table and many artesian wells there at the time. The first mayor was James Kanno, one of the first Japanese-American mayors of a United States city outside Hawaii. The high percentage of Asian Americans here are Vietnamese, who fled here in the 1970s and 1980s after the War.
Demographics (2010): 39.4% Hispanic, 39.1% White, 17.4% Asian, 1.7% Black
Population (2010): 50,533
President: 63.15% R / 35.82% D (2004), 54.68% R / 43.54% D (2008), 55.78% R / 42.18% D (2012), 46.98% D / 46.92% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $62,803
% Bachelor's: 38.6%
The quiet bedroom community of Placentia was named after the Spanish term "pleasant place to live".
Demographics (2010): 37.9% White, 34.3% Asian, 19.5% Hispanic, 3.8% Black
Population (2010): 47,802
President: 59.11% R / 39.62% D (2004), 51.15% R / 46.97% D (2008), 51.54% R / 46.25% D (2012), 50.10% D / 43.84% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $64,377
% Bachelor's: 42.2%
Cypress started out as "Waterville" because of its many artesian wells, and the name was changed to Dairy City when incorporating in 1956 by farmers to keep developers out.
Eventually, land values rose and the dairies were eventually sold to developers anyway. Most of these dairies relocated to Chino in far southwestern San Bernardino County. In 1957 the name Dairy City was changed to Cypress, after the historic Cypress Elementary School, which itself was named after trees planted around the school.
Demographics (2010): 43.6% White, 30.7% Hispanic, 20.6% Asian, 1.9% Black
Population (2010): 39,282
President: 65.56% R / 33.35% D (2004), 56.39% R / 41.80% D (2008), 58.00% R / 39.74% D (2012), 48.74% R / 45.08% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $64,820
% Bachelor's: 45.3%
Brea means "tar" or "oil" in Spanish, having started out as a crude oil production center. The economy later shifted to citrus crops, and the city had the slogan "Oil, Oranges, and Opportunity".
In the mid-20th century, the citrus groves gave way to houses and factories. Carl Karcher opened one of the first two Carl's Jr. restaurants in Brea (and the other in Anaheim) in 1956.
Brea's widely recognized public art program began in 1975 with over 140 works throughout the city, and has inspired many others across the country.
Demographics (2010): 49.2% Hispanic, 27.0% Asian, 19.2% White, 1.4% Black
Population (2010): 38,186
President: 55.16% R / 43.49% D (2004), 53.88% D / 44.07% R (2008), 59.95% D / 37.93% R (2012), 63.51% D / 31.27% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $39,127
% Bachelor's: 16.6%
Stanton was named after Republican Assembly Speaker Philip A. Stanton, who helped with incorporation of the city. It started as a rural area along the Santa Ana Line that connected Watts in Los Angeles County with Santa Ana.
Stanton was incorporated in 1911, motivated by Anaheim's plan to build a "sewage farm" to its west, and then dis-incorporated in 1924 because of the costs of building roads in the city. Like elsewhere in Orange County, the population boomed in the 1950s, and they re-incorporated in 1956.
Demographics (2010): 70.3% White, 15.1% Hispanic, 11.2% Asian, 1.0% Black
Population (2010): 24,917
President: % R / % D (2004), % R / % D (2008), % R / % D (2012), % R / % D (2016)
MHI (2000): $103,257
% Bachelor's: 58.6%
Demographics (2010): 71.1% White, 12.3% Hispanic, 10.5% Asian, 2.2% Black
Population (2010): 24,168
President: 54.31% R / 44.55% D (2004), 51.13% R / 46.88% D (2008), 54.68% R / 43.46% D (2012), 47.93% D / 47.48% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $42,079
% Bachelor's: 49.2%
Seal Beach started out in the 1860s as Anaheim Landing, on a bay where Anaheim Creek met the Pacific Ocean. Farmers and merchants set up shop here to have a closer, more convenient port. Later, the beaches became popular for residents seeking relief from summer heat.
The area became an amusement area in the 1910s with The Joy Zone, the county's first amusement park, and was rebranded as Seal Beach and incorporated in 1915. Seal Beach became popular, but this popularity was short-lived after the United States entered World War I, and Prohibition went into effect. Not too far, Long Beach was a "dry city".
In World War II, the Navy built a Weapons Station for their Pacific Fleet, especially for ships docked in Long Beach and San Diego. The population here grew as a result of the Navy's arrival.
Surfing has also been a long-lasting activity in Seal Beach.
Demographics (2010): 47.0% Asian, 25.6% White, 17.5% Hispanic, 5.7% Black
Population (2010): 15,568
President: 57.07% R / 41.98% D (2004), 49.74% R / 48.55% D (2008), 49.34% D / 48.84% R (2012), 53.90% D / 40.82% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $68,438
% Bachelor's: 47.5%
Spanish for "the palm", La Palma started out as "Dairyland" (one of three dairy cities; the other two were in Cerritos and Cypress) but was renamed in 1965 after its main thoroughfare, La Palma Avenue.
Demographics (2010): 46.6% White, 26.0% Hispanic, 14.7% Asian, 6.0% Black
Population (2010): 11,449
President: 55.50% R / 42.63% D (2004), 50.06% R / 47.69% D (2008), 52.00% R / 45.24% D (2012), 47.60% D / 45.55% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $55,286
% Bachelor's: 46.3%
Meaning "little cottonwoods" in Spanish, Los Alamitos started out as a sugar beet farming community. Even after beet prices crashed in 1921, the town continued to grow.
In the 1940s, Los Alamitos became a major aircraft center when a plant was built just north of Long Beach Airport. The Navy had an auxiliary airfield constructed to relieve crowding at the Airport, the first military post in Orange County. Eventually all naval reserve aviation training was relocated to Los Alamitos, which stayed busy through the Korean War. Many military personnel chose to stay in Los Alamitos.
In the late 1950s, suburban growth reduced military activity there. The Navy moved out, and the California National Guard moved in.
Demographics (2010): 72.7% White, 12.4% Hispanic, 10.9% Asian, 0.3% Black
Population (2010): 10,244
President: % R / % D (2004), % R / % D (2008), % R / % D (2012), % R / % D (2016)
MHI (2000): $86,457
% Bachelor's: 61.5%
Rossmoor was developed in the 1950s by Ross W. Cortese. A red brick wall differentiates Rossmoor from its neighbors Los Alamitos and Seal Beach.
Demographics (2010): 56.5% Asian, 28.0% Hispanic, 13.5% White, 0.3% Black
Population (2010): 8,485
President: % R / % D (2004), % R / % D (2008), % R / % D (2012), % R / % D (2016)
MHI (2000): $42,218
% Bachelor's: 16.6%
Midway City is one of the oldest communities in Orange County, with many homes dating to the 1950s. Annexation has been an issue for Midway residents for a while. Neighboring cities have annexed some land around Midway City, whose residents insist on staying unincorporated to keep their water and property tax rates lower compared to their neighbors.
Demographics (2010): 70.4% White, 12.8% Hispanic, 12.8% Asian, 0.6% Black
Population (2010): 5,812
President: 76.70% R / 22.43% D (2004), 71.28% R / 27.43% D (2008), 73.47% R / 24.87% D (2012), 63.22% R / 31.65% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $116,203
% Bachelor's: 53.0%
Villa Park is mostly residential after starting out as an agricultural area that went from grapes and nuts to citrus. It was originally called Mountain View, but the name was changed to avoid confusion with the identically-named city in the San Jose area.
Villa Park is one of few cities in Orange County and California that has a solid Republican majority in registration and voting results.
South
Demographics (2010): 66.3% White, 17.5% Hispanic, 11.1% Asian, 1.0% Black
Population (2010): 93,305
President: 64.18% R / 34.89% D (2004), 54.59% R / 43.59% D (2008), 58.66% R / 39.29% D (2012), 50.16% R / 44.13% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $93,330
% Bachelor's: 47.6%
Mission Viejo is culturally suburban and was named after Rancho Mission Viejo. Englishman John Forster, known as "Don Juan" became a Mexican citizen and purchased the land. He provided horses to U.S. troops during the Mexican-American War.
Because of the hilly terrain, the land could not be used well for farming, so the area was home to many cattle and sheep ranchers. Mission Viejo was one of the last parts of Orange County to be urbanized because of the complex terrain. In the 1960s the land was even dismissed sa "undevelopable". However, in the 1970s and 1980s, a master plan that placed roads in the valleys brought further development with buildings designed in Spanish adobe style. Mission Viejo incorporated in 1988.
Demographics (2010): 54.0% White, 22.7% Hispanic, 17.1% Asian, 2.2% Black
Population (2010): 77,264
President: 64.11% R / 34.71% D (2004), 53.59% R / 44.39% D (2008), 56.76% R / 40.86% D (2012), 47.18% R / 46.42% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $86,285
% Bachelor's: 46.9%
Lake Forest consists of two master-planned communities on man-made lakes. It was originally known as El Toro and is situated in the center of the Saddleback Valley. The name Lake Forest was chosen by residents as part of incorporation in 1991.
Lake Forest is home to many prominent businesses such as Kaiser Aluminum, Panasonic Avionics, Del Taco, and Johnny Rockets, as well as Rick Warren's Saddleback Church.
Demographics (2010): 66.1% White, 17.1% Hispanic, 10.2% Asian, 1.8% Black
Population (2010): 62,979
President: 61.23% R / 37.83% D (2004), 52.20% R / 46.29% D (2008), 57.79% R / 40.48% D (2012), 48.22% R / 46.49% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $98,072
% Bachelor's: 53.3%
Originally one of California's first master planned communities, Laguna Niguel was incorporated in 1989.
Demographics (2010): 73.4% White, 17.1% Hispanic, 3.9% Asian, 0.7% Black
Population (2010): 63,522
President: 64.46% R / 34.47% D (2004), 56.08% R / 42.08% D (2008), 62.39% R / 35.68% D (2012), 54.29% R / 39.75% D (2016)
MHI (2017): $101,843
% Bachelor's: 49.3%
The southernmost city of Orange County, and a "Spanish Village by the Sea", San Clemente was named after the island of the same name, which itself was named after Saint Clement, Pope Clement I. The city started out as land purchased by former Seattle Mayor Ole Hanson in 1925, who saw the area as a Mediterranean-style resort town, a refuge for people from big cities. The Casa Romantica, where Ole Hanson lived, is now a cultural center.
San Clemente is known as containing Richard Nixon's "Western White House", but Franklin D. Roosevelt also visited the home. In 1969, President Nixon bought the H.H. Cotton estate, a mansion near the surfing hotspot of Trestles, which would be his "Western White House". Nixon's time here increased San Clemente's growth and popularity, which continued even after the mansion was sold in 1980.
Demographics (2010): 61.9% White, 20.7% Hispanic, 10.7% Asian, 2.9% Black
Population (2010): 47,853
President: 67.33% R / 31.81% D (2004), 55.46% R / 42.95% D (2008), 60.90% R / 37.06% D (2012), 50.75% R / 43.19% D (2016)
MHI (2009): $104,113
% Bachelor's: 51.5%
Rancho Santa Margarita (the longest city name in the state!) is a master-planned community named after Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores in San Diego County. Most of the series Real Housewives of Orange County are filmed here.
Demographics (2010): 59.4% White, 19.1% Hispanic, 15.0% Asian, 2.0% Black
Population (2010): 47,823
President: 58.39% R / 40.73% D (2004), 52.80% D / 45.67% R (2008), 50.21% R / 47.39% D (2012), 52.18% D / 41.43% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $92,280
% Bachelor's: 55.5%
Aliso Viejo is the newest city in Orange County, incorporating in 2001. Starting out in 1979, it was the first planned community to try a balance between the local workforce and the jobs available to encourage live-and-work lifestyles.
A funny incident occurred a few years later. In 2004, city officials almost banned polystyrene cups after hearing about "dihydrogen monoxide" (just plain water!) used in the cups' production.
Demographics (2010): 57.5% White, 36.3% Hispanic, 2.5% Asian, 0.9% Black
Population (2010): 34,593
President: 64.42% R / 34.28% D (2004), 60.78% R / 37.34% D (2012), 56.49% R / 41.64% D (2008), 52.31% R / 42.57% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $62,392
% Bachelor's: 37.5%
Named after the Mission of the same name, which itself was named after Saint John of Capestrano, San Juan Capistrano is home to some of the California's oldest buildings and its oldest residential neighborhood, Los Rios (The Rivers). These buildings were built in a Spanish architectural style including three adobe buildings from the 18th century in Los Rios.
The Serra Chapel in the Mission is the oldest building in California still in use. The city is also home to the state's first vineyard and first winery.
Every year, cliff swallows migrate to the Mission from Argentina.
Demographics (2010): 74.5% White, 17.7% Hispanic, 3.2% Asian, 1.3% Black
Population (2010): 33,351
President: 59.98% R / 38.79% D (2004), 51.55% R / 46.61% D (2008), 57.93% R / 39.95% D (2012), 51.29% R / 42.97% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $63,043
% Bachelor's: 50.6%
Dana Point is one of Orange County's few harbors and a surfing haven. It was named after the headland of the same name, which itself was named after author Richard Henry Dana, Jr., who described the area as "the only romantic spot on the coast".
Dana Point's history as a port dates back to before statehood, hide trade with Mission San Juan Capistrano in the 1830s and 1840s. Development came in the 1920s, and the harbor came in the 1960s.
Demographics (2010): 58.5% White, 21.0% Hispanic, 15.0% Asian, 1.8% Black
Population (2010): 30,344
President: 62.68% R / 36.12% D (2004), 53.43% R / 44.84% D (2008), 57.28% R / 40.78% D (2012), 47.79% R / 46.41% D (2016)
MHI (2000): $89,781
% Bachelor's: 49.4%
Originating from subdivisions of the former Moulton Ranch, purchased by Lewis Moulton in 1894, Laguna Hills incorporated in 1991. Actress and singer Whitney Houston called Laguna Hills home. The planned community of Nellie Gail Ranch is located here, and crosswalks even have buttons high enough for horseback riders to press!
Demographics (2010): 84.7% White, 7.4% Hispanic, 3.7% Asian, 0.8% Black
Population (2010): 22,723
President: 57.15% D / 41.66% R (2004), 62.69% D / 35.51% R (2008), 54.92% D / 42.95% R (2012), 60.34% D / 34.34% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $90,017
% Bachelor's: 67.0%
After being founded by Nate Brooks, "the father of Laguna Beach", the city began drawing artists and tourists in the early 1900s. The scenery of the land brought plein-air, or outdoor, painters. The first art gallery opened in 1918 and what would become the Festival of Arts and Pageant of Masters in 1921. Also around this time, silent films were made, drawing actors.
Laguna Beach remained a small, isolated town until the Pacific Coast Highway was built in 1926. Residents known as "Lagunatics" pushed for incorporation to preserve the small-town atmosphere, which occurred in 1927.
Laguna Beach is a haven for tourists, hipsters, and artists. It was the hippie center of Southern California in the 1960s and 1970s.
Demographics (2010): 65.9% White, 15.4% Hispanic, 11.2% Asian, 2.0% Black
Population (2010): 22,980
President: % R / % D (2004), % R / % D (2008), % R / % D (2012), % R / % D (2016)
MHI (2010): $131,892
% Bachelor's: 67.0%
Ladera Ranch is a planned community with small streets to maintain the tranquility of the area. Ladera Ranch is home to Rancho Mission Viejo, the largest remaining working ranch in Orange County.
Demographics (2010): 73.8% White, 19.4% Asian, 5.1% Hispanic, 0.4% Black
Population (2010): 16,192
President: 53.03% D / 46.06% R (2004), 51.71% D / 46.41% R (2008), 50.77% R / 48.21% D (2012), 51.71% D / 45.13% R (2016)
MHI (2000): $30,493
% Bachelor's: 48.3%
Laguna Woods is a retirement community with a median age of 78 and incorporated in 1999. The city was trending Republican, though unlike Barack Obama (D) in 2012, Hillary Clinton (D) won in 2016. Being majority-white, not upscale, and with a high median age Laguna Woods would probably be expected to go even more Republican in 2016. Registered Republican even outnumber registered Democrats, though only by less than 1%.
Demographics (2010): 77.5% White, 9.8% Hispanic, 8.4% Asian, 0.9% Black
Population (2010): 14,866
President: % R / % D (2004), % R / % D (2008), % R / % D (2012), % R / % D (2016)
MHI (2000): $136,726
% Bachelor's: 63.2%
Coto de Caza means "hunting preserve" in Spanish. It is among the oldest planned communities in Orange County, having been conceived in 1968 as a hunting lodge and being completed in 2003.
This community was the original setting of Real Housewives of Orange County, though the show has expanded to other locales in the county.
Demographics (2010): 65.3% White, 16.7% Asian, 13.5% Hispanic, 0.0% Black
Population (2010): 5,971
President: % R / % D (2004), % R / % D (2008), % R / % D (2012), % R / % D (2016)
MHI (2000): $100,448
% Bachelor's: 56.4%