Orange County Homes For Sale

Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,010,232, making it the third-most populous county in California, the sixth-most populous in the United States, and more populous than 21 U.S. states. Its county seat is Santa Ana. It is the second most densely populated county in the state, behind San Francisco County. The county's four largest cities by population, Anaheim, Santa Ana (county seat), Irvine, and Huntington Beach, each have a population exceeding 200,000. Several of Orange County's cities are on the Pacific Ocean western coast, including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and San Clemente. Orange County is included in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thirty-four incorporated towns and cities are in the county; the newest is Aliso Viejo, which was incorporated in 2001. Anaheim was the first city, incorporated in 1870 when the region was still part of neighboring Los Angeles County. Whereas most population centers in the United States tend to be identified by a major city with a large downtown central business district (CBD), Orange County has no single major downtown / CBD or dominant urban center. Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Irvine all have smaller high-rise CBDs, and other, older cities like Anaheim, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, and Orange have traditional American downtowns without high-rises. The county's northern and central portions are heavily urbanized and fairly dense, despite the prevalence of the single-family home as a dominant land use. Its southern portion is more suburban, with less density and limited urbanization. There are several "edge city"-style developments, such as Irvine Business Center, Newport Center, and South Coast Metro. Orange County is part of the "Tech Coast". The county is a tourist center, with attractions like Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and several popular beaches along its more than 40 miles (64 km) of coastline.