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    Vanishing Orange County
    Vanishing Orange County
    Vanishing Orange County
    Ebook158 pages1 hour

    Vanishing Orange County

    By Chris Epting

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    About this ebook

    Orange County formally separated from Los Angeles County in 1889, and there's been no looking back. Wilderness gave way to rich farmlands, where oranges, lemons, avocados, and walnuts made agriculture the new county's most important industry; the region was actually named for the prevalence of its citrus groves. The 20th century brought with it plenty of entrepreneurs, including Walter Knott and later Walt Disney, along with the aerospace industry, oil drilling, beach culture, and more. But the more popular "the O.C." became, the more the past began to be lost to development and sprawl. This evocative compendium of photographs revisits many of the places locals held near and dear, including the Golden Bear nightclub, Japanese Village Deer Park, Lion Country Safari, plus popular stores, restaurants, and, of course, the ever-shrinking farmlands. Many of these images are courtesy of the Orange County Archives, and others came from the author's private collection.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439636565
    Vanishing Orange County
    Author

    Chris Epting

    Chris Epting is the author of many books, including Led Zeppelin Crashed Here, All I Really Need to Know I Learned from KISS, and Hello, It’s Me—Dispatches From a Pop Culture Junkie.

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      Book preview

      Vanishing Orange County - Chris Epting

      interest.

      INTRODUCTION

      When I began this book, I had lived in Orange County with my family for about 10 years. Some time last year, I discovered the Web site OCThen.com, Memories of Orange County. Reading the many remembrances of people who grew up in Orange County was a touching, fascinating experience. In particular was a great piece by local writer Suzanne Broughton called You Know You Grew Up in Orange County in the 70s, which tied together random, whimsical memories into one entertaining composition.

      What struck me most about these memories and recollections was how much the county had changed since many of these folks grew up back in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In particular, many of the essays recalled wide open spaces and strawberry fields, orange groves, rolling hills, drive-in movies and malt shops, endless beaches to go along with the endless summers—the ultimate Southern California experiences mixed with an almost Midwestern sense of innocence and nostalgic warmth and comfort. But while these memories were as sharp as ever, many of the places (and spaces) that inspired the thoughts were gone, replaced by the sprawl of an increasingly developed suburban society. But that’s progress . . . right?

      Orange County was formally created in 1889 as a political entity separate from the county of Los Angeles. The onetime wilderness had evolved into irrigated farmlands and easy-to-live-in communities supported by a healthy, year-round harvest of lemons, avocados, walnuts, Valencia oranges, and more. Agriculture was the primary industry in the new county, and due to the many blossoming orange groves, the region was christened Orange County. Soon after, big things started happening.

      The sleepy town of Huntington Beach was transformed after the discovery of oil in the 1920s. In 1926, the Pacific Coast Highway opened, connecting Huntington Beach and Newport Beach. The year 1927 saw Laguna Beach become incorporated with a population of 1,900. Then, in 1928, San Clemente was incorporated with a population of 650, and Doheny Beach State Park opened in 1931 on Capistrano Beach property. In 1943, the El Toro Marine Base opened on 4,000 acres of Irvine Ranch. In 1952, the Los Alamitos racetrack opened. In 1953, Buena Park was incorporated with Costa Mesa following the next year. The Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) opened in 1954, and in 1955, Walt Disney opened his Magic Kingdom in Anaheim.

      In the late 1950s, aerospace firms and light industry began expanding here, and the increasing population meant more and more jobs at hospitals, restaurants, and stores.

      South Orange County began to grow incredibly in the 1960s with master-planned communities such as Irvine, Mission Viejo, and Laguna Niguel. Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Ladera Ranch, and others followed in the 1980s and 1990s. Today Orange County is home to more than three million residents in 34 incorporated cities.

      And as Orange County continues to grow, many of the things that have endeared it to so many locals continue to vanish. The orange groves and strawberry fields that used to perfume the air with their sweet, fragrant aromas are gone, replaced by industrial parks, freeways, and congestion. The drive-in theaters are gone. Many of the old stores and restaurants have vanished. But that is not to say the county is not still a beautiful place to live and grow up; it is. However, parts of it seem on the verge of erasing much of the past.

      The final chapter of this book (Still Standing!) recognizes some of the places I like that have managed to survive, in some form or another. There are many more, of course, but these are some personal favorites. But who knows how long they will be in existence.

      For today, let us be thankful for places like Old Towne Orange and Main Street in Seal Beach that elegantly preserve the past while still living in the present; rich pockets of exotic culture like Little Saigon in Westminster; and for all of the historic nooks and crannies that still exist in Fullerton, La Habra, Tustin, Placentia, Brea, Santa Ana, San Juan Capistrano, Anaheim, Huntington Beach, and other places. Each city has its own personality and history. In fact, you could probably do a vanishing title for each one of them (and eventually maybe someone will)! Every city in Orange County has a little something special that connects us to the rich history of the area, and if we all go out and explore them, these places will have better chances of surviving the sometimes cruel effects of sprawl.

      Suffice it to say, properly balancing the entire county in one book would be a tough task. To that end, I have tried to include as many diverse places as possible. However, sometimes the availability of historic photographs dictates what can or cannot be presented. For things that have been omitted, or for any errors that may be included, I am sorry. There is so much to cover and simply not enough space.

      All that being said, I hope you enjoy this wistful, yet sometimes bittersweet

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