History of Orange County, California

Hello and welcome to the unofficial Orange County history page. I decided to make this page because at first I couldn't find any pages like it. Since I became interested in Orange County History in 1997, and finding no resources on the Web, I decided to make a web page for everyone's reference and enjoyment. Since 1997, numerous web pages have been created and are now available to give surfers a more detailed account of Orange County's history. As for me, I am particularly interested in recent Orange County history (twentieth century), especially the advent of the freeway and its effect on Orange County growth. Since the topic of Orange County history is very long and wide reaching, I must limit myself in the detail in which I write. This can only be used

as a general overview of the main points of Orange County history which I find interesting. I have tried to make this account of history as accurate as possible. Also, please note that for the most part I am not referring to any material when writing this, and when I do require references, they are listed in the bibliography.

I graduated from UC Berkeley (BA, 2001) and went to high school in Huntington Beach (Marina HS, Class of 1997). Through exploring the libraries and local bookstores, I've found a wide variety of interesting books on topics in Orange County History. A complete list of them can be found in the bibliography section of this site. Specifically, I have found three excellent books that give an overview of Orange County History. They can be borrowed from the HB Central Library or any major city or university library. These three are The Golden Promise by Pamela Hallan-Gibson (which I've been trying to find forever, and now it's been re-released so you can own it too: The Golden Promise), O.C., a History and Celebration by Steve Emmons, and Sections of Orange by Doris Walker. They include a great variety of wonderful pictures, and you should refer to those books should you wish for more information concerning Orange County history. For more detailed accounts, please refer to the bibliographies of those books, or in my bibliography section. Also, if you have any thoughts, comments, and/or corrections concerning the content, layout, or anything else, contact me via email at kaottic97@yahoo.com. I appreciate all comments and suggestions! Additionally, if you wish to share a story or memory about Orange County History, email them to me and I will be happy to upload them to a page under construction. Your privacy will be respected.

However, if you have questions concerning specifics, I would ask that you please check the Links page, with your local library, and the books listed in the bibliography. My suggestions would be the Santa Ana Library History Room and the UCI library; both are great resources. For archived pictures, the First American Title Insurance Company has a vast collection; you could check with them. It is extremely difficult for me to answer all questions, so please check there first! Additionally, if you are interested in genealogy information (relative, etc.), please check the links page, which includes web sites dedicated to this endeavor. Thanks, good luck, and happy surfing!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Early History, Exploration, and the Mission Era (1400 AD - 1850 AD)
Land Settlement and Land Booms and Busts (1850 AD - 1900 AD)
The Early Twentieth Century (1900 AD - 1950 AD)
Suburbanization and Recent Developments (1950 AD - present)
Other Interesting Tidbits
Links to Related Sites
My Orange County Favorites
Further Readings and Bibliography

OC Register Article on this site!

There have been over 100,000 visits to this site since March 26, 1998! Please come again.
Created by Kenneth Kao on Thursday, March 26, 1998, Huntington Beach, CA 92649.

This page moved from its original location at http://members.aol.com/kennykao/ochistindex.html to this location in April 2006. It had been on the aol.com server since its creation in March 1998. Due to increased costs, it was moved to this OCF server, hosted by UC Berkeley. This page can also be reached from http://oc.kaottic.com.

Copyright and Disclaimer: The contents of this site and its related pages shall not be reproduced in any way, shape, or form for profit purposes without the express permission and consent of the author. © 1998-2006. All pictures used by this site are subject to copyright laws. The images used by this site were taken from the resources listed in the bibliography or by the source indicated. Since they are used for educational purposes and not for profit, reproduction is permitted under copyright laws.