California Counties
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California Counties

The state of California is divided into fifty-eight counties. On January 4, 1850, the California constitutional committee recommended the formation of 18 counties. They were Benicia, Butte, Fremont, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Monterey, Mount Diablo, Oro, Redding, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sonoma, and Sutter. The last California county to have been established is Imperial County in 1907.
 

Orange County, California

Orange County Education, Geography, and HistoryOrange County, Califronia Courthouse

Orange County is a county in the state of California. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 3,010,232 making it the third-most populous county in California. The county seat is Santa Ana. Orange county was created March 11, 1889. The county is given the name of Orange for its extensive orange groves.

Orange County is included in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area

Etymology - Origin of Orange County Name

This county was given the name of Orange for its extensive orange groves.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Orange County History

Growth led the California legislature to divide Los Angeles County and create Orange County as a separate political entity on March 11, 1889. The county is said to have been named for the citrus fruit (its most famous product). In the new county there was already a town by the name of Orange, named for Orange County, Virginia, which took its name from William of Orange, a famous protestant King of Great Britain and Ireland. The fact the county took the same name as one of its towns may have been coincidence. However, it is also possible that the county was named for this city (and thus indirectly for William of Orange, whose family name was itself derived from the French town of Orange named in ancient times in honour of a celtic water deity).

 Orange county is the second most densely populated county in the state, second only to San Francisco County. The county's four largest cities, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, and Huntington Beach each have populations exceeding 200,000. Several of Orange County's cities are on the Pacific coast, including Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and San Clemente.


Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,455 km2 (948 sq mi), making it the smallest county in Southern California. Surface water accounts for 411 km2 (159 sq mi) of the area, 16.73% of the total; 2,045 km2 (789 sq mi) of it is land.

Orange County is bordered on the southwest by the Pacific Ocean, on the north by Los Angeles County, on the northeast by San Bernardino County, on the northeast by Riverside County, and on the southeast by San Diego County.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

  • Northeast: San Bernardino County
  • East: Riverside County
  • Southeast: San Diego County
  • Southwest: North Pacific Ocean
  • Northwest: Los Angeles County

Education



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