From its inception until now

Orange County was first settled by native tribes living in the region. These tribes were mostly from the Tongva, Juaneño, and Luiseño clans. During the 18th century, many Spaniards arrived as explorers such as Gaspar de Portolà and the Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra sought to navigate the area and engage in missionary work. Spaniards receiving land grants from the Crown began to settle California during this period. These include prominent figures like the Yorba family. Eventually once California became incorporated those grants were transferred to Americans such as James Irvine who settled the region.(Wikipedia)

For most of the history of Orange County, the region was agricultural in nature. Up to the 20th century, most of the area was made up of ranches, farms, and real estate developers (History of Orange County, 2). Citrus was for a great time one of the largest agricultural industries in Orange County. Eventually beginning in the 20th century and continuing up to the 21st century Orange County became a multi-cultural melting pot with the rise in non-European Americans including African-Americans, and a large influx of Vietnamese refugees coming during and after the Vietnam war (Ibid, 3).

-Arturo Ortiz

Bibliography

“History of Orange County, California.” Legends of America, http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-orangecounty/.

“Orange County, California.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_California.