Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before 1920. While many other cities in the region demolished such houses in the 1960s, Orange decided to preserve them. The small city of Villa Park is surrounded by the city of Orange. The population of Orange was 139,911 as of 2020.
History Members of the Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño ethnic group long inhabited this area. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolá, an expedition out of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, led by Father Junípero Serra, named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). On November 1, 1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the area's first permanent European settlement in Alta California, New Spain.History .
In 1801, the Spanish Empire granted to José Antonio Yorba, which he named Rancho San Antonio. Yorba's great rancho included the lands where the cities of Olive, Orange, El Modena, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach stand today. Smaller ranchos evolved from this large rancho, including the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. Don Juan Pablo Grijalva, a retired known Spanish soldier and the area's first landowner, was granted permission in 1809 by the Spanish colonial government to establish a rancho in "the place of the Arroyo de Santiago".
American era After the Mexican–American War, Alta California was ceded to the United States by Mexico with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, and though many Californios lost titles to their lands in the aftermath, Grijalva's descendants retained ownership through marriages to Anglo-Americans.
Since at least 1864, Los Angeles attorneys Alfred Chapman and Andrew Glassell, together and separately, held about along both sides of the Santiago Creek (Glassell also had a parcel where Costa Mesa is today). Water was the key factor for the location of their townsite (bordered by Almond Avenue on the south, Lemon Street on the west, Glassell Street on the east, and Maple Avenue on the north). Glassell needed a spot he could irrigate, bringing water down from the Santa Ana Canyon and the quality of the soil may have influenced his choice. Originally, the community was named Richland, but in 1873 Richland got a new name. In the book, Orange, The City 'Round The Plaza by local historian Phil Brigandi, it states, "In 1873 the town had grown large enough to require a post office, so an application was sent to Washington. It was refused, however, as there was (and is) already a Richland, California in Sacramento County. Undaunted, the Richlanders proposed a new name – Orange."
The small town was incorporated on April 6, 1888, under the general laws of the state of California. Orange was the only city in Orange County to be planned and built around a plaza, earning it the nickname Plaza City. Orange was the first developed town site to be served by the California Southern Railroad when the nation's second transcontinental rail line reached Orange County.According to company records
The town experienced its first growth spurt during the last decade of the 19th century (as did many of the surrounding communities), thanks to ever-increasing demands for California-grown citrus fruits, a period some refer to as the "Orange Era". Southern California's real estate "boom" of 1886–1888, fueled by railroad rate wars, also contributed to a marked increase in population. Like most cities in Orange County, agriculture formed the backbone of the local economy, and growth thereafter was slow and steady until the 1950s, when a second real estate boom spurred development. Inspired by the development of a region-wide freeway system which connected Los Angeles' urban center with outlying areas like Orange, large tracts of housing were developed from the 1950s to the early 1970s and continues today, albeit at a much slower pace, at the eastern edge of the city.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Orange approved the closure of North and South Glassell Street to open the Orange Plaza Paseo, where businesses located on each street could open socially-distant outdoor seating and patios. On December 8, 2020, the city council voted unanimously to continue to keep the street closed until state or local restrictions end or by council direction.
Geography The city has a total area of , of which is land and of which is water. The total area is 0.58% water.
Climate Southern California is well known for year-round mild to warm weather: On average, the warmest month is August.iso=US&form=PRWLAS&q=335%20E%20Maple%20Ave%2C%20Orange%2C%20CA%2092866&el=g7Ozp8CoFMezIlEtUYVYMw%3D%3D: MSN Weather Retrieved September 9, 2017 The highest recorded temperature was in June 2016. On average, the coolest month is December. The lowest recorded temperature was in December 1990. The maximum average precipitation occurs in January.Orange, CA: Weather Facts Retrieved May 7, 2009
The period of April through November is warm and dry with average high temperatures of and lows of . The period of November through March is somewhat rainy, as shown in the table to the right.The Orange County area is also subject to the phenomena typical of a microclimate. As such, the temperatures can vary as much as between inland areas and the coast, with a temperature gradient of over 1 °F per mile (0.3 °C/km) from the coast inland. California also has a weather phenomenon called "June Gloom" or "May Gray," which sometimes brings overcast or foggy skies in the morning on the coast. Usually, it gives way to sunny skies by noon during late spring and early summer. The Orange County area averages of precipitation annually, which mainly occurs during the winter and spring (November through April) with generally light rain showers, but sometimes as heavy rainfall and thunderstorms. Coastal Torrance receives slightly less rainfall, while the mountains receive somewhat more. Snowfall is infrequent in the city basin, but the mountains in the surrounding areas receive snowfall every winter.
Cityscape Old Towne, Orange Historic District, a one square mile around the original plaza, contains many of the original structures built in the period after the city's incorporation. It is a vibrant commercial district containing Orange County's oldest operating bank and many dining and retail amenities. The Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and is the largest National Register District in California. The Old Towne Preservation Association is a non-profit organization that maintains the district.
Orange is unique among the region and the state because it has the second largest concentration of historic buildings.According to State Historic Resource Surveys. A list of all of the buildings and sites in Orange appears in the National Register of Historic Places. The Civic Center was designed by Welton Becket in 1963.
Though Orange is now a fully developed city, there are still several unincorporated portions of land within the city that have not yet been annexed, including El Modena and North El Modena, Orange Park Acres, and Olive.
Biogeography The most common native species: Hairy Sand Verbena, Red Sand Verbena, and Pink Sand Verbena.
Demographics
Orange was first listed as a city in the 1880 United States census.
+Orange city, California – Racial and Ethnic CompositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)75,61275,03370,29263,80555,33082.38%67.81%54.57%46.77%39.55%Black or African American alone (NH)7581,3671,7981,8952,2210.83%1.24%1.40%1.39%1.59%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)7294143933572890.79%0.37%0.31%0.26%0.21%Asian alone (NH)3,0748,47711,89815,11618,0583.35%7.66%9.24%11.08%12.91%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)2683213280.21%0.24%0.23%Other race alone (NH)160891622446660.17%0.08%0.13%0.18%0.48%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)xx2,5762,6645,444xx2.00%1.95%3.89%Hispanic or Latino (any race)11,45525,27841,43452,01457,57512.48%22.84%32.16%38.13%41.15%Total91,788110,658128,821136,416139,911100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 The 2020 United States census reported that Orange had a population of 139,911. The population density was . The racial makeup of Orange was 46.5% White, 1.7% African American, 1.3% Native American, 13.1% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 20.7% from other races, and 16.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 41.2% of the population.
The census reported that 95.1% of the population lived in households, 2.6% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 2.3% were institutionalized.
There were 45,382 households, out of which 32.7% included children under the age of 18, 52.4% were married-couple households, 6.6% were cohabiting couple households, 25.3% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 19.4% of households were one person, and 8.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.93. There were 32,762 families (72.2% of all households).
The age distribution was 20.1% under the age of 18, 12.0% aged 18 to 24, 28.3% aged 25 to 44, 25.0% aged 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 37.0years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males.
There were 46,893 housing units at an average density of , of which 45,382 (96.8%) were occupied. Of these, 57.0% were owner-occupied, and 43.0% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $116,945, and the per capita income was $50,759. About 5.4% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
2010 The 2010 United States census reported that Orange had a population of 136,416. The population density was . The racial makeup of Orange was 91,522 (67.1%) White (46.8% Non-Hispanic White), 2,227 (1.6%) African American, 993 (0.7%) Native American, 15,350 (11.3%) Asian, 352 (0.3%) Pacific Islander, 20,567 (15.1%) from other races, and 5,405 (4.0%) from two or more races. There were 52,014 Hispanic or Latino residents, of any race (38.1%).
The Census reported that 130,163 people (95.4% of the population) lived in households, 2,587 (1.9%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 3,666 (2.7%) were institutionalized.
There were 43,367 households, out of which 16,303 (37.6%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 23,572 (54.4%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5,260 (12.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,424 (5.6%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,442 (5.6%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 373 (0.9%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 8,480 households (19.6%) were made up of individuals, and 3,115 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00. There were 31,256 families (72.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.42.
In Orange, there were 32,096 people (23.5%) under the age of 18, 16,420 people (12.0%) aged 18 to 24, 39,574 people (29.0%) aged 25 to 44, 33,698 people (24.7%) aged 45 to 64, and 14,628 people (10.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
There were 45,111 housing units at an average density of , of which 26,319 (60.7%) were owner-occupied, and 17,048 (39.3%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.1%. 77,179 people (56.6% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 52,984 people (38.8%) lived in rental housing units.