Page 112 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

ORANGE COUNTY
Fun, fashionable and fascinating
B Y M A R I B E T H M E L L I N
TOP CITIES
Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove,
Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Orange,
Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana
INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY
John Wayne/Orange County Airport (SNA),
located at the juncture of Costa Mesa, Santa Ana
and Newport Beach near I-405
TOURISM WEBSITES
visittheoc.com
anaheimoc.org
travelcostamesa.com
destinationirvine.com/visit
lagunabeachinfo.com
surfcityusa.com
visitnewportbeach.com
POPULATION
3,010,000
ORANGE
COUNTY
As seen from its many freeways, Orange County looks like a vast
expanse of matching terracotta-tiled rooftops, mirrored office build-
ings and enormous malls. Behind the facade, the county is compact
yet amazingly diverse. Sure, it’s got Anaheim’s Disneyland, but that’s just a
blip on the OC map.
Several of Southern California’s most famous beaches with historic mis-
sions, art colonies, scenic marinas and legendary surf breaks dot the OC’s
42-mile-long coastline. Shopping options are legendary, with South Coast
Plaza, Irvine Spectrum and Fashion Island serving as magnets for tourists as
well as locals. Master-planned communities sprawl through the inland areas
where thousands of acres of citrus groves once filled the air with the scent of
orange blossoms and rugged canyons sheltered coyotes and hawks. Irvine,
one of the largest communities, now contains a University of California
campus, the Orange County Great Park and several master-planned “villages”
housing nearly 150,000 residents. Similar developments large and small,
including some of the country’s priciest enclaves, are surrounded by more
established neighborhoods and cities.
Though it appears to be a jumble of crowded suburbs intersected by jam-
packed freeways, the OC contains distinctive communities and neighborhoods
all hosting festivals, farmers markets and annual events. The county is also
filled with cultural attractions and performing arts venues, such as the Orange
County Performing Arts Center and the South Coast Repertory. For sports fans,
the Los Angeles Angels play at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim and the Anaheim
110 2014 T R AV E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A
RANDY HINES/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: PETER KUNASZ/SHUTTERSTOCK