Aliso Viejo, Anaheim
Brea, Buena Park
Costa Mesa, Cypress
Dana Point
Fountain Valley, Fullerton
Garden Grove
Huntington Beach
Irvine
Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Woods, La Habra, Lake Forest, La Palma, Los Alamitos
Mission Viejo
Newport Beach
Orange
Placentia
Rancho Santa Margarita
San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Santa Ana, Seal Beach, Stanton
Tustin
Villa Park
Westminster
Yorba Linda

Orange County Communities
Corona del Mar
Newport Coast
Rossmoor
Sunset Beach
Surfside

Orange County, California is the vacation destination that millions upon millions of visitors visit annually. Theme parks such as the original Disneyland, California Adventure, Knotts Berry Farm and miles of beaches make this highly desirable  county a vacation delight, even for locals! Orange County  consists of 798.2 square miles with 34 incorporated cities, 42 miles of beaches, 125 miles of bikeways and 200 miles of hiking trails. Approximately 2,939,547 people lived in Orange County as of January 2002, according to the California Department of Finance. (Latest statistics rank Orange County population over 3 million, making OC the second largest county in California.) With a population pushing three million residents, Orange County ranked 4th nationally among US regions for median household income in 2000 at $67,025 ($73,097 in 2002 and much higher today) and 3rd for adult Internet usage (56%). A recent survey ranked Orange County #2 in wireless connectivity. Orange County is one of the most densely populated of 58 California Counties.

 

The County of Orange, also known as Orange County or OC is the perfect place for the California weekend getaway.  A stay at Orange County hotels should be included on your research list when considering a California trip.

 

It's no wonder that the largest employer in Orange County is the Walt Disney Company with over 21,000 workers making up over 20% of the approx. 100,000 travel industry jobs in Orange County. California's #1 theme park attraction, Disneyland counted over 18 million visitors to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure in 2003, according to Amusement Business.  Orange County was the preferred destination for millions of travelers and ranked third in visitor volumes among all California counties in the latest figures released from the California Tour & Trade Commission. Other attractions that contributed to visitor volumes included Knott's Berry Farm (5th in California theme park attendance), Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, Edison Field, Crystal Cathedral and the O.C. Performing Arts Center. The top Shopping Malls are South Coast Plaza (over $1.1 billion in taxable sales), Fashion Island ($535 million taxable sales), The Marketplace Tustin/Irvine ($468 million), Brea Mall ($409 million) and The Shops at Mission Viejo ($312 million). Other malls include The Block in Orange,  Westfield's Mainplace Mall and Westminster Mall.

 

Los Angeles International Airport is 35 miles from the Orange County border and John Wayne/Orange County Airport is used by county residents for national travel. Buses serving the county are operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority. Amtrak train stations are located in Fullerton, Anaheim, Irvine and San Juan Capistrano. Two state universities are: University California Irvine (UCI) and California State University Fullerton (CSUF).

A brief history timeline of Orange County.  Orange County Landmarks

Orange County, California is the vacation destination that millions upon millions of visitors visit annually. Theme parks such as the original Disneyland, California Adventure, Knotts Berry Farm and miles of beaches make this highly desirable

 

TRAVEL & TOURISM STATISTICS FOR ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

ORANGE COUNTY VISITOR VOLUMES  Source: CTTC
values represent millions of person-trips

YEAR	CA Total	County Total	Leisure	Business
1998	240.9	20.3	16.0	4.4
1999	266.4	22.2	17.9	4.4
2000	287.3	23.8	19.3	4.5
2001	307.7	25.4	21.2	4.4

 

COMPARISON OF TOP 5 COUNTY VISITOR VOLUMES

ORANGE COUNTY Ranked #1 in California Theme Park Attendance Annually    Source: Amusement Business

Supplied by:  Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau

 

VISITORS AND SPENDING INCREASED IN ORANGE COUNTY IN RECENT YEARS
Disneyland's Upcoming 50th Anniversary Expected To  Drive Visitors to Anaheim/Orange County Through 2006. Orange County experienced an increase in visitor attendance for the seventh consecutive year, welcoming 42.7 million people who spent more than $6.8 billion throughout the area annually in recent years. The number of visitors increased by 2.4 percent compared to 41.7 million in 2002 while spending increased 7.3 percent from $6.4 billion in 2002.Orange County offers premier attractions, a wide selection of dining. According to CIC Research, of the $6.8 billion spent in Anaheim/Orange County last year, about 25 percent was spent on lodging and accommodations, 29 percent on meals and beverages, 17 percent on amusement and attractions and 20 percent on shopping.