Page 126 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

ORANGE COUNTY
Exquisite beaches, diverse cities, and thriving arts scenes
mark this Southern California county
B Y C H R I S T I N E D E L S O L
TOP CITIES
Anaheim, Buena Park, Costa Mesa, Fullerton,
Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Irvine,
Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Orange,
San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, San Clemente
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
visitanaheim.org
visitbuenapark.com
travelcostamesa.com
surfcityusa.com
destinationirvine.com
visitlagunabeach.com
visitnewportbeach.com
sanjuancapistrano.org
POPULATION
3,190,400
ORANGE
COUNTY
Days when Disneyland, 42 miles of idyllic beaches and swaths of
orange groves were all that lifted “The O.C.” out of Los Angeles’
shadow are long gone. Orange County today is a diverse collection
of cities counting famous surf breaks, historic missions, art colonies and
scenic marinas among its attractions.
While beach towns—from surf-centric Huntington Beach to tony New-
port to artsy Laguna to serene San Clemente—still embody the casual,
creative California of popular imagination, inland cities have grown into
shopping, entertainment and sports meccas. Irvine—encompassing a Uni-
versity of California campus, the evolving Orange County Great Park and
several “villages”—was the vanguard of a trend toward master-planned
communities in recent decades.
Defying the suburban stereotype, Orange County cities possess distinct
personalities. Even Anaheim, with its modern convention center, revival
of the historic Center Street Promenade commerce district, and bustling
Packing House food market, has distinguished itself from the Magic
Kingdom. About 30 percent of OC residents hail from another country, and
English is a second language for 45 percent; Little Saigon is the largest Viet-
namese community outside of Vietnam. A true melting pot, the county
hosts a dizzying array of ethnic food, festivals, markets and cultural events.
Performance venues such as the Orange County Performing Arts Center
and the South Coast Repertory are sprinkled throughout the county. Desti-
nation shopping malls, including Irvine Spectrum, Costa Mesa’s South
124 2019 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA