Irvine () is a
master-planned city in South
Orange County, California
Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, a ...
, United States, in the
Los Angeles metropolitan area
Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...
. The
Irvine Company
The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...
started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 1971. The city
had a population of 307,670 at the
2020 census.
A number of corporations, particularly in the technology and semiconductor sectors, have their national or international headquarters in Irvine. Irvine is also home to several higher education institutions including the
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
(UCI),
Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
,
Irvine Valley College
Irvine Valley College (also known as IVC or Irvine Valley) is a public community college in Irvine, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. The college inherited its name from the Irvine family and the Irvine Compa ...
, the Orange County Center of the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
(USC), and campuses of
California State University Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
(CSUF),
University of La Verne
The University of La Verne (ULV) is a private university in La Verne, California. Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, College o ...
, and
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and t ...
.
History
The
Gabrieleño
The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . Some descendants of the people prefer Kizh as an endonym that, they argue, is more historically ...
indigenous group inhabited Irvine about 2,000 years ago.
Gaspar de Portolà
Gaspar is a given and/or surname of French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish origin, cognate to Casper (given name) or Casper (surname).
It is a name of biblical origin, per Saint Gaspar, one of the wise men mentioned in the Bible.
Notable peo ...
, a Spanish explorer, came to the area in 1769, which led to the establishment of forts,
missions and cattle herds. The
King of Spain
, coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg
, coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain
, image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg
, incumbent = Felipe VI
, incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...
parceled out land for missions and private use.
After Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexican government secularized the missions and assumed control of the lands. It began distributing the land to Mexican citizens who applied for grants. Three large
Spanish/Mexican grants made up the land that later became the Irvine Ranch:
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana,
Rancho San Joaquin
Rancho San Joaquin, the combined Rancho Cienega de las Ranas and Rancho Bolsa de San Joaquin, was a Mexican land grant in the San Joaquin Hills, within present-day Orange County, California.
It was granted to José Antonio Andres Sepúlved ...
and
Rancho Lomas de Santiago Rancho Lomas de Santiago was a Mexican land grant given by Mexican Governor Pío Pico to Teodosio Yorba in 1846. The name means "Hills of St. James". The rancho included parts of present-day Irvine and Tustin in what is now eastern Orange Cou ...
.
![Andrés Sepúlveda](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Andr%C3%A9s_Sep%C3%BAlveda.png)
In 1864,
Jose Andres Sepulveda, owner of Rancho San Joaquin, sold to Benjamin and Thomas Flint, Llewellyn Bixby and
James Irvine for $18,000 to resolve debts due to the Great Drought. In 1866, Irvine, Flint and Bixby acquired Rancho Lomas de Santiago for $7,000. After the
Mexican-American war
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexicans, Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% ...
the land of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana fell prey to tangled titles. In 1868, the ranch was divided among three claimants as part of a lawsuit: Flint, Bixby and Irvine. The ranches were devoted to sheep grazing. However, in 1870,
tenant farming
A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...
was permitted.
In 1878,
James Irvine acquired his partners' interests for $150,000 ($ in dollars ). His stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the
Santa Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river entirely within Southern California in the United States. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows for most of its length through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, before cutting through ...
. James Irvine died in 1886. The ranch was inherited by his son,
James Irvine II, who incorporated it into the
Irvine Company
The Irvine Company LLC is an American private company focused on real estate development. It is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, with a large portion of its operations centered in and around Irvine, California, a planned city of more ...
. James Irvine II shifted the ranch operations to field crops, olive and citrus crops.
In 1888, the
Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...
extended its line to Fallbrook Junction, north of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, and named a station along the way after James Irvine. The town that formed around this station was named Myford, after Irvine's son, because a post office in
Calaveras County
Calaveras County (), officially the County of Calaveras, is a county in both the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,292. The county seat is San Andreas. Angels C ...
already bore the family name. The town was renamed Irvine in 1914.
![IMAG0063](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/IMAG0063.jpg)
By 1918, of
lima beans
A lima bean (''Phaseolus lunatus''), also commonly known as the butter bean, sieva bean, double bean, Madagascar bean, or wax bean is a legume grown for its edible seeds or beans.
Origin and uses
''Phaseolus lunatus'' is found in Meso- and S ...
were grown on the Irvine Ranch. Two
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
facilities,
MCAS El Toro
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California.
Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast ...
and
MCAS Tustin
Marine Corps Air Station Tustin (IATA: NTK, ICAO: KNTK, FAA LID: NTK) is a former United States Navy and United States Marine Corps air station, located in Tustin, California.
History
The Air Station was established in 1942 by the Uni ...
, were built during World War II on ranch land sold to the government.
James Irvine II died in 1947 at the age of 80. His son, Myford, assumed the presidency of the Irvine Company. He began opening small sections of the Irvine Ranch to urban development.
The Irvine Ranch played host to the
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
's
1953 National Scout Jamboree.
Jamboree Road
Jamboree Road is a long major arterial road through Orange County, California, running through the cities of Newport Beach, Irvine, Tustin, and Orange.
Route description
The southern terminus of Jamboree Road is at Bayside Drive, immediately b ...
, a major street which now stretches from Newport Beach to the city of Orange, was named in honor of this event.
David Sills, then a young Boy Scout from
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
, was among the attendees at the 1953 Jamboree. Sills came back to Irvine as an adult and went on to serve four terms as the city's mayor.
Myford Irvine died in 1959. The same year, the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
asked the Irvine Company for for a new university campus. The Irvine Company
sold the requested land for $1 and later
the state
A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "stat ...
purchased an additional .
William Pereira
William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably pr ...
, the university's consulting architect, and the Irvine Company planners drew up master plans for a city of 50,000 people surrounding the new university. The plan called for industrial, residential and recreational areas, commercial centers and greenbelts. The new community was to be named Irvine; the old agricultural town of Irvine, where the railroad station and post office were located, was renamed
East Irvine
Old Town Irvine was designated a California Historic Landmark (No.1004) on November 11, 1991. Old Town Irvine is in the city of Irvine, California in Orange County A Historic marker is at 14980 Sand Canyon Avenue, Irvine. The marker is to ...
.
The first phases of the villages of Turtle Rock, University Park, Westpark (then called Culverdale), El Camino Real, and Walnut were completed by 1970.
On December 28, 1971, the residents of these communities voted to incorporate a substantially larger city than the one envisioned by the Pereira plan. By January 1999, Irvine had a population of 134,000 and a total area of .
In the 1970s, the mayor was
Bill Vardoulis.
After the
Fall of Saigon
The Fall of Saigon, also known as the Liberation of Saigon by North Vietnamese or Liberation of the South by the Vietnamese government, and known as Black April by anti-communist overseas Vietnamese was the capture of Saigon, the capital of ...
in 1975, a large influx of
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
refugees
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. settled in nearby
Fountain Valley, especially in the late 1970s and throughout the 80s, forming a large percentage of
Asian Americans
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
in the city.
In late 2003, after a ten-year-long legal battle, Irvine annexed the former
El Toro Marine Corps Air Station
Marine Corps Air Station El Toro was a United States Marine Corps Air Station located next to the community of El Toro, near Irvine, California.
Before it was decommissioned in 1999, it was the home of Marine Corps Aviation on the West Coast. ...
. This added of land to the city and blocked an initiative championed by
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
residents to replace
John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport is a commercial and general aviation airport that serves Orange County, California, and the Greater Los Angeles area. The airport is located in an unincorporated area of Orange County, and it is owned and operated by the cou ...
with a new airport at El Toro. Most of this land has become part of the
Orange County Great Park
The Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California, with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts. It is a non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. The Orange County park comprises 28.8 ...
.
Geography
Irvine borders
Tustin
Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated community ...
to the north,
Santa Ana to the northwest,
Lake Forest to the east and southeast,
Laguna Hills
Laguna Hills (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in south Orange County, California, United States. Its name refers to its proximity to Laguna Canyon and the much older Laguna Beach. Other newer cities nearby—Laguna Niguel and Lagun ...
and
Laguna Woods
Laguna Woods (''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The population was 16,192 at the 2010 census, down from 16,507 at the 2000 census, with a median age of 78.
Laguna Woods became Orange Count ...
to the south,
Costa Mesa
Costa may refer to:
Biology
* Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy
* Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus
* Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral
* Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...
to the west, and
Newport Beach
Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...
to the southwest. Irvine also shares a small border with
Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
to the north on open lands by the
SR 261
The following highways are numbered 261:
Asia Japan
* Japan National Route 261
Malaysia
* Malaysia Federal Route 261
Europe Germany
* Bundesautobahn 261
Norway
* Norwegian County Road 261
Poland
* European route E261
North America Canada
* P ...
.
San Diego Creek
San Diego Creek is a urban waterway flowing into Upper Newport Bay in Orange County, California in the United States. Its watershed covers in parts of eight cities, including Irvine, Tustin, and Costa Mesa. From its headwaters in Laguna Woo ...
, which flows northwest into
Upper Newport Bay
The Upper Newport Bay (known locally as "The Back Bay") is a large coastal wetland (an estuary) in Newport Beach, Southern California and a major stopover for birds on the Pacific Flyway. Dozens of species, including endangered ones, can be ob ...
, is the primary watercourse draining the city. Its largest tributary is
Peters Canyon Wash
Peters Canyon Wash is a tributary of San Diego Creek in central Orange County in the U.S. state of California. About long north-south, the wash, now mostly channelized, flows in a relatively straight course southwest from the Peters Canyon Rese ...
. Most of Irvine is in a broad, flat valley between Loma Ridge in the north and San Joaquin Hills in the south. In the extreme northern and southern areas, however, are several hills, plateaus and canyons.
Planned city
![Getting on the 405 at Jamboree](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Getting_on_the_405_at_Jamboree.JPG)
Los Angeles architect
William Pereira
William Leonard Pereira (April 25, 1909 – November 13, 1985) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Remarkably pr ...
and Irvine Company employee
Raymond Watson
Raymond "Ray" L. Watson (October 4, 1926 – October 20, 2012) was the former president of the Irvine Company, and served as chief planner during the 1960s and 1970s. He was also chairman of Walt Disney Productions from 1983 to 1984, and served o ...
designed Irvine's layout beginning in the late 1950s, which is nominally divided into townships called "villages", separated by six-lane streets. Each township contains houses of similar design, along with commercial centers, religious institutions, and schools. Commercial districts are checker-boarded in a periphery around the central townships.
Pereira originally envisioned a circular plan with numerous artificial lakes and the university in the center. When the Irvine Company refused to relinquish valuable farmland in the flat central region of the ranch for this plan, the university site was moved to the base of the
southern coastal hills. The design that ended up being used was based on the shape of a necklace (with the villages strung along two parallel main streets, which terminate at
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
(UCI), the "pendant"). Residential areas are now bordered by two commercial districts, the
Irvine Business Complex to the west (part of the
South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city
The South Coast Metro is a district in Orange County, California within the cities of Santa Ana and Costa Mesa. The area is a dense mix of residential, office, and retail developments that spreads out from the South Coast Plaza mall. It forms p ...
) and
Irvine Spectrum to the east. Traces of the original circular design are still visible in the layout of the UCI campus and the two artificial lakes at the center of Woodbridge, one of the central villages.
![Map of planning areas Irvine CA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Map_of_planning_areas_Irvine_CA.svg)
All streets have
landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following:
# Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal o ...
allowances. Rights-of-way for powerlines also serve as bicycle corridors, parks, and greenbelts to tie together ecological preserves. The city irrigates the greenery with reclaimed water.
The
homeowners' associations
A homeowner association (or homeowners' association, abbreviated HOA, sometimes referred to as a property owners' association or POA), or a homeowner community, is a private association-like entity often formed either ''ipso jure'' in a building ...
which govern some village neighborhoods exercise varying degrees of control on the appearances of homes. In more restrictive areas, houses' roofing, paint colors, and landscaping are regulated. Older parts of the Village of Northwood that were developed beginning in the early 1970s independently of the Irvine Company, have the distinction of being a larger village that is not under the purview of a homeowners' association. As a result, homeowners in the older Northwood areas do not pay a monthly village association fee; its neighborhoods are generally not as uniform in appearance as those in other villages, such as Westpark and Woodbridge. However, the more tightly regulated villages generally offer more amenities, such as members-only swimming pools, tennis courts, and parks.
In addition to association dues, homeowners in villages developed in the 1980s and later may be levied a
Mello-Roos Community Facilities Districts (CFDs), more commonly known as Mello-Roos, are special districts established by local governments in California as a means of obtaining additional public funding. Counties, cities, special districts, joint powers auth ...
special tax, which came about in the post-
Proposition 13
Proposition 13 (officially named the People's Initiative to Limit Property Taxation) is an amendment of the Constitution of California enacted during 1978, by means of the initiative process. The initiative was approved by California voters on J ...
era. For homeowners in these areas, the association dues coupled with the Mello-Roos special tax may add significantly to the cost of living in the city.
Villages
Each of the villages was initially planned to have a distinct architectural theme.
* El Camino Glen
* College Park
* The Colony
* Columbus Grove
* Cypress Village
* Deerfield (mixed styles)
* East Irvine
* El Camino Real (Spanish/Neo-Eclectic)
* Greentree
* Irvine Groves
* Harvard Square
* Heritage Fields
* Laguna Altura
* Lambert Ranch
* Northpark (French Country, Formal French, Italian Country, Formal Italian, Monterey and Spanish Colonial)
* Northpark Square (Spanish Mission)
*
Northwood (Bungalow, Craftsman)
* Oak Creek (mixed styles)
* Old Towne Irvine
* Orangetree
* Orchard Hills (Rural Craftsman/Spanish/Tuscan)
* Park Lane
* Parkcrest
* Parkside
* Pavilion Park
* Portola Springs (Spanish/Tuscan)
* Planning Area 40 (Future Village)
*
Quail Hill
Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy.
Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New W ...
(Spanish/Tuscan)
* Racquet Club
* The Ranch
* Rancho San Joaquin (
Shed style
Shed Style refers to a style of architecture that makes use of single-sloped roofs (commonly called "shed roofs").
The style originated from the designs of architects Charles Willard Moore and Robert Venturi in the 1960s. Their works were infl ...
)
* Rosegate (Spanish/Tuscan)
* San Marino (Spanish/Tuscan)
* Stonegate (Spanish)
* Shady Canyon (Tuscan Ranch)
* Turtle Ridge (Tuscan)
*
Turtle Rock (mixed styles)
*
University Hills University Hills may refer to:
*University Hills, Irvine, California
University Hills is a housing development on the campus of the University of California, Irvine (UCI) in southern Irvine, California, United States, consisting of 1226 for-sale ...
*
University Park (California Modern)
* University Town Center (mixed styles)
* Walnut (Prairie Style)
* West Irvine (California Modern)
* Westpark (Italian Riviera/Mediterranean)
* The Willows
* Windwood
*
Woodbridge (Atlantic Coast)
*
Woodbury Woodbury may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Woodbury Glacier, a glacier on Graham Land, British Antarctic Territory
Australia
* Woodbury, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
England
* Woodbury, Bournemouth, an area in Dorset
*Woodbury, East Devo ...
(Tuscan/Spanish/French)
* Woodbury East (Spanish)
Business and commercial areas
*
Irvine Business Complex
*
Irvine Spectrum (Contemporary/Moroccan)
*
Old Town Irvine
Climate
Late spring and early summer in Irvine is subject to the
June Gloom phenomenon widespread in southern California, with overcast mornings and occasional drizzle.
Late summer and autumn are warm and mostly dry, with occasional bouts of humid weather extending from
Pacific hurricane
A Pacific hurricane is a mature tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regio ...
s off the west coast of Mexico.
Winters are mild, with most winters having no frost, and can be hot and dry when the
Santa Ana winds
The Santa Ana winds (sometimes devil winds) "Scholars who have looked into the name's origins generally agree that it derives from Santa Ana Canyon, the portal where the Santa Ana River -- as well as a congested Riverside (CA-91) Freeway -- leav ...
blow. Irvine has a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
wherein
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
occurs predominantly during the winter months. Because Irvine is close to the coast, different parts of Irvine have different
microclimate
A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...
s; for instance, the June Gloom effect is stronger in the southern parts of Irvine, closer to the Pacific Ocean.
It can occasionally snow in the
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside co ...
to the northeast of Irvine. Snow within the lower-lying parts of Irvine is very rare, but the area received three inches of snow in January 1949. A
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
touched down in Irvine in 1991, an event that happens in Orange County more generally approximately once every five years.
Demographics
In 2016, Irvine became the largest city in the
continental United States
The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
with an
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
plurality, constituting around 45% of the city's population.
[Asian influx sparks Irvine's evolution as a multinational city](_blank)
''Orange County Register'' (September 18, 2016).
2010
The
2010 United States Census
The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
reported that Irvine had a population of 212,375. The population density was . The racial makeup of Irvine was 107,215 (50.5%)
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 3,718 (1.8%)
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 355 (0.2%)
Native American, 83,176 (39.2%)
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 334 (0.2%)
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 5,867 (2.8%) from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 11,710 (5.5%) from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 19,621 persons (9.2%).
Non-Hispanic Whites
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Amer ...
were 45.1% of the population.
The census reported that 205,819 people (96.9% of the population) lived in households, 5,968 (2.8%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 588 (0.3%) were institutionalized.
There were 78,978 households, out of which 26,693 (33.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 40,930 (51.8%) were
opposite-sex married couples living together, 7,545 (9.6%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,978 (3.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 3,218 (4.1%)
unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 463 (0.6%)
same-sex married couples or partnerships. 18,475 households (23.4%) were made up of individuals, and 4,146 (5.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61. There were 51,453
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
(65.1% of all households); the average family size was 3.13.
The age distribution of the population was as follows: 45,675 people (21.5%) under the age of 18, 30,384 people (14.3%) aged 18 to 24, 66,670 people (31.4%) aged 25 to 44, 51,185 people (24.1%) aged 45 to 64, and 18,461 people (8.7%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
There were 83,899 housing units at an average density of , of which 39,646 (50.2%) were owner-occupied, and 39,332 (49.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.2%; the rental vacancy rate was 6.2%. 109,846 people (51.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 95,973 people (45.2%) lived in rental housing units.
During 2009–2013, Irvine had a median household income of $90,585, with 12.2% of the population living below the federal poverty line.
2000
The
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000 found there were 143,072 people, 51,199 households, and 34,354 families in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 3,098.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,196.2/km
2), as of the census. There were 53,711 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 61.1%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 7.4% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race, 1.5%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 29.8%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 1.1%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 2.5% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 4.8% from two or more races.
There were 51,199 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 persons and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the median income for a household in the city was $98,923, and the median income for a family was $111,455; these numbers make Irvine the seventh richest city in the US, among cities with population 65,000 or higher.
9.1% of the population and 5.0% of families were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
. Of the total population, 6.1% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
In 2006, the median gross rent paid for housing was $1,660 a month. This was the highest of any place in the United States of more than 100,000 people.
The skyrocketing high cost of housing is a major issue in Irvine and Orange County, as the city council faces pressure to approve future income-subsidized housing projects to meet the demands of working-class citizens.
Awards and recognition
Irvine was chosen in 2008 by CNNMoney.com as the fourth-best place to live in the United States. In 2012, it was ranked sixth nationally. In September 2011, ''
Businessweek
''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
'' listed Irvine as the fifth-best city in the United States. Irvine consistently ranks as the safest city in America with a population over 100,000. In 2014, Irvine was named the best-run city in the U.S. by ''24/7 Wall Street''. In March 2017, WalletHub listed Irvine as the third happiest place to live in the United States. In June 2017, Irvine was named tenth best City in America by Niche.com.
In 2019, Irvine was named the 2nd happiest city in America by
BusinessInsider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
, and #18 best place to live by ''Money'' magazine.
In the 21st century, Irvine developed a reputation as a haven for
affluent
Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...
professionals. In 2016, Irvine became the largest city in the
continental United States
The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
with an
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...
plurality, constituting around 45% of the city's population.
Economy
![Newport Gateway 19800 & 19900 MacArthur Boulevard Irvine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Newport_Gateway_19800_%26_19900_MacArthur_Boulevard_Irvine.jpg)
Irvine's tourism information is coordinated through the ''Destination Irvine'' program run by the Chamber of Commerce. The program provides information on Irvine as a place to vacation and as a destination for meetings, events and other business initiatives. Irvine has been rated one of the top cities for start-up businesses and its strong, fast-growing economy helped place Orange County as one of the top ten fastest growing job markets.
Irvine is also used as a location for film projects. The city government grants free or low-cost filming permits and offers location information to prospective productions.
Top employers
Business
The following companies are headquartered in Irvine:
*
Allergan, Inc.
Allergan, Inc. was an American global pharmaceutical company focused on eye care, neurosciences, medical dermatology, medical aesthetics, breast enhancement, obesity intervention and urologics. Allergan, Inc. was formed in 1948, incorporated in ...
*
Alteryx
Alteryx is an American computer software company based in Irvine, California, with a development center in Broomfield, Colorado. The company's products are used for data science and analytics. The software is designed to make advanced analytic ...
*
BAX Global
*
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the company was founded on February 8, 1991, under the name Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three graduat ...
*
Broadcom Corporation
Broadcom Corporation is an American fabless semiconductor company that makes products for the wireless and broadband communication industry. It was acquired by Avago Technologies in 2016 and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the merged ...
*
CalAmp
*
CoreLogic
CoreLogic, Inc. is an Irvine, CA-based corporation providing financial, property, and consumer information, analytics, and business intelligence. The company analyzes information assets and data to provide clients with analytics and customized ...
*
CorVel Corporation
*
Cylance
Cylance Inc. Is an American software firm based in Irvine, California that developed antivirus programs and other kinds of computer software that sought to prevent, rather than reactively detect, viruses and malware. Cyber Secure India describ ...
*
eMachines
eMachines was a brand of economical personal computers. In 2004, it was acquired by Gateway, Inc., which was in turn acquired by Acer Inc. in 2007. The eMachines brand was discontinued in 2013.
History
eMachines was founded in September 1998 by ...
*
Edwards Lifesciences
Edwards Lifesciences is an American medical technology company headquartered in Irvine, California, specializing in artificial heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring. It developed the SAPIEN transcatheter aortic heart valve made of cow tissue wi ...
*
Epicor Software Corporation
*
Felt Bicycles
Felt Racing is an American bicycle brand based in Irvine, California. Felt produces road, track, cyclocross, electric bicycles, and cruiser bikes. All design is completed in the United States and the majority of production comes from Asia. T ...
*
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
(West Coast design center)
*
Gateway, Inc.
Gateway, Inc., previously Gateway 2000, is an American computer hardware company. The company developed, manufactured, supported, and marketed a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories. It was acqui ...
*
Golden State Foods
Golden State Foods (GSF) is an Irvine, California-based wholly management-owned and -run business-to-business foodservice company that primarily serves McDonald's. Through a joint venture with Taylor Fresh Foods Inc., GSF is one of the biggest a ...
*
HID
*
Ingram Micro
Ingram Micro is an American distributor of information technology products and services. The company is based in Irvine, California, U.S. and has operations around the world.
History
Ingram Micro's origins trace back to the founding of distrib ...
*
In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger is an American regional chain of fast food restaurants with locations primarily in California and the Southwest. It was founded in Baldwin Park, California, in 1948 by Harry (1913–1976) and Esther Snyder (1920–2006). The ...
*
K2 Network K2 Network, Inc. was an American producer and publisher of video games based in Irvine, California.
It pioneered the use of the free-to-play (or " freemium") business model among North American and European MMO game publishers in 2004.
On July 5, 2 ...
*
Karma Automotive
Karma Automotive is a Chinese-owned American producer of luxury electric vehicles founded in 2014. Headquartered in Irvine, California, United States with an assembly plant located in Moreno Valley, Karma sells vehicles via its dealer networ ...
*
Kelley Blue Book (subsidiary of
Cox Automotive
Cox Enterprises, Inc. is a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately 55,000 employees and $21 billion in total revenue. Its major operating subsidiaries are Cox Communications and Co ...
)
*
Kofax
Kofax Inc. is an Irvine, California-based intelligent automation software provider. Founded in 1985, the company's software allows businesses to automate and improve business workflows by simplifying the handling of data and documents.
Since 20 ...
*
LA Fitness
LA Fitness (doing business as LA Fitness International LLC) is an American gym chain with more than 700 clubs across the United States and Canada. The company was formed in 1984 and is based in Irvine, California.
History
LA Fitness was founde ...
*
Lifted Research Group
Lifted Research Group, commonly known as LRG, is an American, Orange County, California based clothing brand headed by Jonas Bevacqua and Robert Wright. LRG produces clothing and accessories, and also has been known to develop a broad range of ...
*
Maruchan, Inc. (a division of
Toyo Suisan
, best known as , is a Japanese company specializing in ramen noodles, through its Maruchan brand, seafood and frozen and refrigerated
foods. It is the fourth-largest transnational seafood corporation.
History
The company was established in 195 ...
)
*
Meade Instruments
The Meade Instruments (also shortened to Meade) is an American multinational company headquartered in Watsonville, California, that manufactures, imports, and distributes telescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, microscopes, CCD cameras, and te ...
*
Masimo
Masimo Corporation is a global medical technology company that develops, manufactures, and markets a variety of noninvasive patient monitoring technologies, hospital automation solutions, home monitoring devices, ventilation solutions, and consu ...
*
MindFire, Inc
*
NextGen Healthcare
*
Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Par ...
*
Paragon Software Group
Paragon Software Group is a German software company that develops hard drive management software, low-level file system drivers and storage technologies. The Smart Handheld Device Division (SHDD) offers multilingual dictionaries, multilingual ha ...
*
Pacific Premier Bank
Pacific Premier Bancorp, Inc. is a registered holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 headquartered in Irvine, California, US. Its principal business focuses on Pacific Premier Bank, which offers a range of financial services ...
*
Point of View, Inc.
*
Printronix
Printronix is an American supplier of line matrix printers. Printronix is based in Irvine, California, and operates across 14 offices worldwide.
Products
Printronix's printers are primarily used in industrial environments for printing high-volum ...
*
Quicksilver Software Quicksilver Software may refer to:
* Quicksilver Software, Inc. - Irvine, CA based developer of computer and video games and other software
* Quicksilver (software) - Utility software program for Mac OS X
{{Disambig ...
*
Razer Razer may refer to:
* Razer (Canadian TV channel), former name of MTV2, a Canadian digital television specialty service
* Razer Inc., a Singaporean-American computer peripherals manufacturer specializing in PC gaming
* Razer Phone, a smartphone desi ...
*
Ready at Dawn
Ready at Dawn Studios LLC (RAD) is an American video game developer located in Irvine, California and is composed of former members of Naughty Dog and Blizzard Entertainment. Formed in 2003, the company has primarily worked on games for the PlaySt ...
*
Red 5 Studios
*
Red Digital Cinema Camera Company
Red Digital Cinema (''Red Digital Cinema Camera Company'') is an American company that manufactures professional digital cinematography cameras and accessories.
The company's headquarters is in Foothill Ranch, California, with studios in Hollyw ...
*
Rivian
Rivian Automotive, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer and automotive technology company founded in 2009. Rivian is building an electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pickup truck on a "skateboard" platform that can support fut ...
*
Ruby's Diner
Ruby's Diner is a restaurant chain aesthetically designed after American diners of the Swing Era. It first opened on December 7, 1982 by Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides. Ruby's Diner serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a menu that include ...
*
Skyworks Solutions
On October 5, 2015, Skyworks Solutions entered a definitive agreement to acquire PMC-Sierra for $2 billion in cash. However, Skyworks walked away from the deal, having been outbid by Microsemi. On April 22, 2021, Skyworks Solutions entered into ...
*
Spigen
*
St. John
*
Stüssy
Stüssy ( ) is an American privately held fashion house founded in the early 1980s by Shawn Stussy. It benefited from the surfwear trend originating in Orange County, California, but was later adopted by the skateboard and hip hop scenes.
Hist ...
*
Superformance, LLC
*
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includin ...
(a division of
Yum! Brands, Inc.)
*
The Habit Burger Grill
The Habit Burger Grill is an American fast casual restaurant chain that specializes in charbroiled hamburgers. The company also sells other typical fast-casual fare. Its headquarters are in Irvine, California.
In March 2020, Yum! Brands, the p ...
*
Tillys
Tillys (originally known as World of Jeans and Tops and Tilly's) is an American retail clothing company that sells an assortment of branded apparel, accessories, shoes, and more. Tillys is headquartered and operated from Irvine, California.
His ...
*
Ultimate Ears
Ultimate Ears is an American custom in-ear monitor (IEM), Wireless speaker, speaker, and earphone manufacturer based in Irvine, California, Irvine and Newark, California, United States.
The custom in-ear monitor company was founded by Mindy and ...
*
Vizio
Vizio Inc. (stylized as VIZIO) is an American publicly traded company that designs and sells televisions, sound bars, viewer data, and advertising. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Irvine, California.Lawton, Christopher, Iwatani ...
*
Western Mutual Insurance Group
Western Mutual Insurance Group is an American group of Property and Casualty Insurance companies, made up of Western Mutual Insurance Company, its sister company Residence Mutual Insurance Company, and Arizona Home Insurance Company (an Arizona- ...
*
Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG)
*
Xumo
Xumo ( ) is an American over-the-top internet television service owned by Comcast. Founded in 2011, it offers a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD) service that primarily offers a selection of pro ...
*
Yogurtland
Yogurtland is an American international frozen yogurt franchise headquartered in Irvine, California, United States. Yogurtland provides self-serve frozen yogurt with active cultures, as well as other frozen desserts such as ice cream, sorbe ...
The following international companies have their North American headquarters in Irvine:
*
Asics
*
Atlus
is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for video game series such as ''Megami Tensei'', ''Persona'', ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Trau ...
*
Bandai Namco Entertainment
is a Japanese multinational video game video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in ...
(American division)
*
Bandai Namco Holdings
also known as the Bandai Namco Group and generally Bandai Namco, is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, formed from the merger of Bandai and Namco on S ...
(American division)
*
BenQ Corporation
*
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH
*
Dahua Technology
Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., Ltd. is a partly state-owned publicly traded company based in Binjiang District, Hangzhou, which manufactures video surveillance equipment. It was founded and controlled by Fu Liquan. Dahua Technology has been lis ...
*
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited (FPH) is a manufacturer, designer and marketer of products and systems for use in respiratory care, acute care, and the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Based in New Zealand, their products and ...
*
Hitachi Solutions
*
Horiba
is a Japanese manufacturer of precision instruments for measurement and analysis. They make instruments that measure and analyze automobile exhaust gas (80% share of the world market), and environmental, medical and scientific applications.
Ho ...
*
Kia Motors
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
*
KOG Games
KOG Co., better known as KOG Studios, is a South Korean game development company based in Daegu. They specialize in producing online free-to-play games, and currently publish the side-scrolling action MMORPG, ''Elsword'' and the early access acti ...
*
Marukome
is the name of a Japanese miso soup paste producer. Its headquarters are located in the city of Nagano (city), Nagano. Marukome accounts for about 13% of the amount of miso produced in Japan each year which makes them one of the top in production ...
*
Mazda Motor Corporation
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one mi ...
*
Nikken Sekkei
Nikken Sekkei (日建設計) is an architectural, planning and engineering firm from Japan, with headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Today (2019), Nikken Sekkei ranks as the second largest architectural practice in the world.
Staff and Offices
As o ...
*
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of ...
(IT and printing division)
*
Sega
is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
(American division)
*
Shimano
, originally and later , is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company for cycling components, fishing tackles and rowing equipment, who also produced golf supplies until 2005 and snowboarding gear until 2008. Named after founder Shozabu ...
*
Toshiba Corporation
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure syste ...
Arts and culture
The Irvine Global Village Festival
Every October, Irvine hosts the Irvine Global Village Festival to celebrate the diversity among the citizens of Irvine and Orange County. The festival consists of exhibits from local merchants, entertainment from diverse cultures, and sampling of foods from various regions of the world. The event used to be held at Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park but has since then been moved to the
Orange County Great Park
The Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California, with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts. It is a non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. The Orange County park comprises 28.8 ...
.
Irvine Community Television
The Irvine Community Television (ICTV) produces and broadcasts television programs on news, sports, arts, culture, safety for the Irvine community. The motto of ICTV is "For You, About You". ICTV airs on
Cox Communications
Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...
channel 30 and online.
Filming location
According to the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
(IMDb), the following productions were partially or entirely filmed in Irvine:
Libraries
Irvine has three public libraries: Heritage Park Regional Library, University Park Library, and Katie Wheeler Library. The Heritage Library serves as the regional reference library for Central Orange County and has a strong business and art focus while the University Park Library has 95,745 books, including a substantial Chinese collection.
Katie Wheeler was the granddaughter of James Irvine, and the library is a replica of the house owned by Irvine in which she grew up. Additionally, most
UCI Libraries are open to the public.
Points of interest
![Orange Balloon at Orange County Great Park](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Orange_Balloon_at_Orange_County_Great_Park.jpg)
*
Ayn Rand Institute
The Ayn Rand Institute: The Center for the Advancement of Objectivism, commonly known as the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank in Santa Ana, California, that promotes Objectivism, the philosophy developed by Ayn Rand ...
*
Boomers!
Boomers! Parks is a chain of family entertainment centers which feature indoor activities such as carousels, kiddie swings, restaurants, and video game arcades, and outdoor activities such as miniature golf, kiddie rides, bumper boats, batting ...
(formerly Palace Park)
*
California State University Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
, Irvine Campus
*
Concordia University, Irvine
Concordia University Irvine is a private Lutheran university in Irvine, California, United States. It was established in 1976 to provide a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod college to serve the Pacific Southwest and provide training for pastors, ...
*
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising
The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) is a private college in downtown Los Angeles. It offers degree programs in majors including fashion, entertainment, beauty, interior design, and graphic design. The college was founded in ...
, Orange County Campus
*
Heritage Park
*
Irvine Spectrum Center
The Irvine Spectrum Center is an outdoor shopping center developed by the Irvine Company, located in the Irvine Spectrum district on the southeast edge of Irvine, California. The mall features Nordstrom and Target department stores, a ferris whee ...
*
Irvine Valley College
Irvine Valley College (also known as IVC or Irvine Valley) is a public community college in Irvine, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. The college inherited its name from the Irvine family and the Irvine Compa ...
*
Islamic Center of Irvine
*
Mariners Church
Mariners Church is a non-denominational, Christianity, Christian megachurch located in Irvine, California, situated in central Orange County, California, Orange County, and as of 2022 was the 41st largest church in the United States by number of ...
*
Mason Park
*
Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial
The Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial is a memorial in Irvine, California, to American troops who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The names on the memorial come from US DoD casualty records for Operation Enduring Freedom, Operati ...
*
Orange County Great Park
The Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California, with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts. It is a non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. The Orange County park comprises 28.8 ...
*
Pao Fa Temple
*
Saddleback Church
Saddleback Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America ...
, Irvine Campuses
*
The Market Place
*
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
*
University of California, Irvine, Arboretum
The University of California, Irvine Arboretum (UCI Arboretum or UC Irvine Arboretum) is a botanical garden and arboretum, part of the University of California, Irvine in Irvine, California., UC Irvine Arboretum. It is located north of the main ...
Sports
Irvine is home to
USA Water Polo
USA Water Polo is the governing body of the sport of water polo in the United States and is a member of the United States Aquatic Sports. USA Water Polo is responsible for fielding national teams and hosts 20 annual tournaments. The Organization h ...
, the national
governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...
of the sport of
water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
.
Parks and recreation
Irvine has community
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
s and neighborhood parks. The community parks have public facilities located on each site. Neighborhood parks provide open space and some recreational amenities within the various villages of Irvine.
Northwood Community Park
Northwood Community Park is located in the Northwood community on the corner of Bryan and Yale in the city of Irvine in Orange County, California. The park, built in 1980 on the site of a former citrus packing facility, is also known as "Castle ...
in particular has recently made a unique addition: The
Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial
The Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial is a memorial in Irvine, California, to American troops who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The names on the memorial come from US DoD casualty records for Operation Enduring Freedom, Operati ...
is the first memorial in the US ever built before the wars were over. It lists the U.S. military dead from
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, and when dedicated on November 14, 2010, listed over 5,700 names (among the 8,000 available spaces). Also uncommon in the history of war monuments, it will be updated yearly.
Community parks
* Alton Athletic Park
* Colonel Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park
* Deerfield Community Park
* Harvard Athletic Park
* Harvard Skatepark
* Heritage Park
* Hicks Canyon Park
*
Jeffrey Open Space Trail
* Lakeview Senior Center
* Las Lomas Community Park
* David Sills Lower Peters Canyon Park
*
Northwood Community Park
Northwood Community Park is located in the Northwood community on the corner of Bryan and Yale in the city of Irvine in Orange County, California. The park, built in 1980 on the site of a former citrus packing facility, is also known as "Castle ...
* Oak Creek Community Park
* Portola Springs Community Park
* Quail Hill Community Park
* Rancho Senior Center
* Turtle Rock Community Park
* University Community Park
* Windrow Community Park
* Mike Ward Community Park – Woodbridge
* Woodbury Community Park
Neighborhood parks
* Alderwood Park
* Blue Gum Park
*
Brywood Park
Brywood Park is located in the Northwood community in the city of Irvine in Orange County, California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total ...
* Canyon Park
* Carrotwood Park
* Chaparral Park
* Citrusglen Park
* College Park
* Comstock Park
* Coralwood Park
* Creekview Park
* Discovery Park
* Dovecreek Park
* Flagstone Park
* Hoeptner Park
* Homestead Park
* Knollcrest Park
* Lomas Valley Park
* Meadowood Park
* Orchard Park
* Orchard View Park
* Pepperwood Park
* Pinewood Park
* Plaza Park
* Presley Park
* Racquet Club Park
* Ranch Park
* Ridgeview Park
* San Carlo Park
* San Leandro Park
* San Marco Park
* Settler's Park
*
Silkwood Park
* Silverado Park
* Sweet Shade Park
* Sycamore Park
* Tomato Springs Park
* Trailwood Park
* Tree Top Park
* Valencia Park
* Valley Oak Park
* Village Park
* Voyager Park
* Willows Park
* Woodside
Other public spaces within Irvine, not part of the city parks department, include
William R. Mason Regional Park, Aldrich Park in the
UC Irvine campus, and the
San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary
The San Joaquin Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary is a constructed wetland in Irvine, California, in the flood plain of San Diego Creek just above its outlet into the Upper Newport Bay.
History
The site is owned by the Irvine Ranch Water District; it ...
.
Government
Local government
Irvine is a
charter city
In the United States, a charter city is a city in which the governing system is defined by the city's own charter document rather than solely by general law. In states where city charters are allowed by law, a city can adopt or modify its organ ...
, operating under a
Council/Manager form of government.
[
]
City Council
The City Council consists of the Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
and four City Council members. The Mayor serves a two-year term and Council members serve four-year terms. The city has a two-term limit for elected officials. Elections are held every two years, on even-numbered years. During each election, two Council members and the Mayor's seat is up for consideration. The City Council appoints the City Manager, who functions as the chief administrator of the city. The City Council sets the policies for the city, and the City Manager is responsible for implementing the policies. The City Council appoints volunteers that serve on various advisory boards, commissions and committees.
According to the city's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for FY2014–2015, as of June 30, 2015, the city has net assets of $2.59 billion. FY2014–15 revenues totaled $395.2 million, with property tax accounting for $50.7 million and sales tax accounting for $58.8 million. As of June 30, 2015, the city's governmental funds reported combined ending fund balances of $960.9 million.
The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:
City departments
The city of Irvine is served by eight departments. These departments are responsible for managing and performing all of the business of the City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
and its services:
* City Manager
* City Clerk
* Administrative Services
* Community Development
* Community Services
* Public Safety
* Public Works
* Transportation
Services
Services provided by the city include:
* Animal control
* Building and safety regulation and inspection
* General administrative services
* Planning and zoning
* Public facility/capital improvement construction
* Recreation and cultural programs
* Refuse collection and recycling
* Street lighting
* Street maintenance
* Landscape maintenance and transportation management
* Redevelopment and Housing
Support services are provided through other agencies including: Irvine Unified School District, Tustin Unified School District, Southern California Edison, Irvine Ranch Water District, and Orange County Fire Authority.
State and federal
In the California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature, the lower house being the California State Assembly. The State Senate convenes, along with the State Assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Cal ...
, Irvine is in . In the California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
, it is split between , and .
During the 2011 redistricting, Irvine became part of California's 45th congressional district
California's 45th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California currently represented by Republican Michelle Steel. It was one of 18 districts that voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election while ...
. The 45th District is represented by .
Politics
According to the Orange County Registrar of Voters, as of March 8, 2021, Irvine has 150,014 registered voters. Of those, 60,212 (40.14%) were registered Democrats, 37,510 (25.00%) were registered Republicans, and 45,913 (30.61%) have declined to state a political party/are independents.
Irvine voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election from 1976 to 2004. However, starting in 2008, Irvine has voted for the Democratic candidate by a comfortable margin in each presidential election. In 2020, Democratic candidate Joe Biden won 64.3% of the vote in Irvine to Republican Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
's 33.6%.
Emergency services
Irvine contracts with the County of Orange for fire and medical services. Fire protection in Irvine is provided by the Orange County Fire Authority
The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for unincorporated areas of Orange County, California as well as 25 cities within the county that contract OCFA's services. There ...
with ambulance service by Falk Ambulance. Law enforcement is provided by the Irvine Police Department
The Irvine Police Department is the local law enforcement agency of the city of Irvine, California, United States. The department's jurisdiction includes the entire city of Irvine, which covers nearly and a population of over 270,000, as well a ...
(IPD). The IPD operates in a suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...
city rated as having one of the lowest violent crime rates among cities with over 100,000 inhabitants by the FBI every year since 2005. The University of California Police Department
Police departments in the University of California system are charged with providing law enforcement to each of the system's campuses.
History
The University of California was established in 1868, and moved its first campus to Berkeley in 1873 ...
also has jurisdiction – including arrest power – in areas of the city near the UC Irvine
UC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''University Challenge'', a popular British quiz programme airing on BBC Two
** '' University Challenge (New Zealand)'', the New Zealand version of the British programme
* Universal Century, one of the ti ...
campus, while the California State University Police Department has similar jurisdiction in areas of the city near the CSU Fullerton Irvine campus. Irvine Valley College
Irvine Valley College (also known as IVC or Irvine Valley) is a public community college in Irvine, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. The college inherited its name from the Irvine family and the Irvine Compa ...
also maintains its own on campus police department.
Education
Primary and secondary education
Most of Irvine is located in the Irvine Unified School District
Irvine Unified School District is a school district in Irvine, California, United States, that serves the city of Irvine. Established on June 6, 1972, IUSD serves approximately 34,000 K-12 students at twenty-six elementary schools, ten middle ...
(IUSD). The five high schools in IUSD are University High School, Irvine High School, Northwood High School Northwood High School may refer to:
* Northwood High School (Irvine, California)
* Northwood High School (Louisiana)
* Northwood High School (Montgomery County, Maryland)
* NorthWood High School, Nappanee, Indiana
* Northwood High School (North C ...
, Woodbridge High School, and Portola High School. Arnold O. Beckman High School
Arnold O. Beckman High School is a public school in Irvine, California, United States, serving 3,013 students from grades 9 through 12. The original $69 million facility (equivalent to $ million in ) was opened on August 30, 2004. The Wor ...
is located in Irvine but is administered by Tustin Unified School District. The five high schools in IUSD, as well as Beckman High School, have consistently placed in the upper range of Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
's list of the Top 1,300 U.S. Public High Schools. Tarbut V' Torah, a Jewish day school, is also located in Irvine.
Irvine is also home to elementary and middle schools, including two alternative, year round, open enrollment K-8 schools, Plaza Vista and Vista Verde. Parts of the north and west of the city are within the Tustin Unified School District. A very small portion of the city, near Orange County Great Park
The Great Park is a public park located in Irvine, California, with a focus on sports, agriculture, and the arts. It is a non-aviation reuse of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) El Toro. The Orange County park comprises 28.8 ...
, is located within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District
Saddleback Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) is a public school district in South Orange County, California. It includes 23 elementary schools, four intermediate schools, four comprehensive high schools, and four alternative schools. It se ...
.
Colleges and universities
Irvine is home to the University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
, which is the second-newest campus (established 1965) in the UC system after University of California, Merced
The University of California, Merced (UC Merced) is a public land-grant research university and Hispanic-serving institution located in Merced, California, and is the tenth and newest of the University of California (UC) campuses. Established ...
. Other higher education
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...
institutions in Irvine include California Southern University
California Southern University is a private, for-profit, university in Costa Mesa, California. California Southern University is currently a member of the American InterContinental University System. It offers associate's, bachelor's, master's ...
, Concordia University
Concordia University ( French: ''Université Concordia'') is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University, Concordia is one of the t ...
, Westcliff University, Irvine Valley College
Irvine Valley College (also known as IVC or Irvine Valley) is a public community college in Irvine, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. The college inherited its name from the Irvine family and the Irvine Compa ...
, Fuller Theological Seminary, FIDM, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Orange County Campus, Stanbridge University, and a satellite campus of California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
. Chapman University
Chapman University is a private research university in Orange, California. It encompasses ten schools and colleges, including Fowler School of Engineering, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Fowler School of Law, and Schmid College of Scie ...
and Soka University of America
Soka University of America (SUA) is a private liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California. Originally founded in 1987, it was established on its current campus in 2001 by Daisaku Ikeda, the founder of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist ...
are in adjacent cities.
According to the 2000 United States Census
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...
, Irvine is ranked 7th nationwide, among cities with populations of at least 100,000, for having the highest percentage of people who are at least 25 years old with doctoral degrees
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
, with 3,589 residents reporting such educational attainment Educational attainment is a term commonly used by statisticians to refer to the highest degree of education an individual has completed as defined by the US Census Bureau Glossary.
See also
*Academic achievement
*Academic degree
*Bachelor's degree ...
.
Transportation
Automotive
Streets and intersections owned by the city have trademark mahogany
Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
signage and are fiber optically linked to the city's ''Irvine Traffic Research and Control Center'' (ITRAC). Traffic camera
A traffic camera is a video camera which observes vehicular traffic on a road. Typically, traffic cameras are put along major roads such as highways, freeways, expressways and arterial roads, and are connected by optical fibers buried alongside or ...
s and ground sensors monitor the flow of traffic throughout the city and automatically adjust signal timing
Signal timing is the technique which traffic engineers use to distribute right-of-way at a signalized intersection. The process includes selecting appropriate values for timing, which are implemented in specialized traffic signal controllers. Sign ...
to line up traffic, allowing more vehicles to avoid red lights. Several major highways pass through Irvine (Interstate 5
Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...
, and Interstate 405, California State Route 73
State Route 73 (SR 73) is an approximately state highway in Orange County, California. The southernmost of the highway is a toll road operated by the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency named the San Joaquin Hills Transporta ...
, California State Route 133
State Route 133 (SR 133) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, serving as an urban route in Orange County. It connects SR 1 in Laguna Beach through the San Joaquin Hills with several freeways in Irvine, ending at the SR ...
, California State Route 241
State Route 241 (SR 241) is a state highway in Orange County, California that is a toll road for its entire length. Its southern half from near Las Flores to near Irvine is the Foothill Transportation Corridor, while its northern half to SR ...
, and California State Route 261
State Route 261 (SR 261) is a state highway that forms part of the Eastern Transportation Corridor toll road system in Orange County, California. It runs from Walnut Avenue and Jamboree Road in Irvine north to SR 241. North of this ...
). Major arteries through Irvine are built out widely and run in a northeasterly direction with speed limits higher than . As a result of the signal timing, wide streets, and road layout, Irvine's side streets are capable of handling a higher volume of traffic than other cities in Orange County.
In 2015, 5.0 percent of Irvine households lacked a car; this percentage decreased to 4.0 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Irvine averaged 1.83 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.
Mass transit and freight services
Bus and shuttle services
Local bus routes are operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for ...
.
The city of Irvine has operated its own mass-transit bus service called the iShuttle since 2008. Four weekday commuter shuttles serve major employers, residential areas, shopping centers, and transportation facilities. Two lines, Route A and Route B, connect the Tustin Metrolink Station to the Irvine Business Complex area. Route A provides service between the Tustin Metrolink Station and John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport is a commercial and general aviation airport that serves Orange County, California, and the Greater Los Angeles area. The airport is located in an unincorporated area of Orange County, and it is owned and operated by the cou ...
with stops along Von Karman Avenue. Route B heads along Jamboree Road before continuing through Main Street and Michelson Drive. The remaining two lines, Route C and Route D, offer connections between the Irvine Station and the Irvine Spectrum Area, which includes major employers, the Irvine Spectrum Center
The Irvine Spectrum Center is an outdoor shopping center developed by the Irvine Company, located in the Irvine Spectrum district on the southeast edge of Irvine, California. The mall features Nordstrom and Target department stores, a ferris whee ...
, and residential communities The Park and The Village. Route C follows Irvine Center Drive and ends at the Capital Group
Capital Group is an American financial services company. It ranks among the world's oldest and largest investment management organizations, with over $2.6 trillion in assets under management. Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1931, it is p ...
campus, while Route D serves the Irvine Spectrum Center
The Irvine Spectrum Center is an outdoor shopping center developed by the Irvine Company, located in the Irvine Spectrum district on the southeast edge of Irvine, California. The mall features Nordstrom and Target department stores, a ferris whee ...
, Kaiser Permanente – Irvine Medical Center, and Hoag Hospital Irvine.
Passenger rail
Irvine is served by commuter rail to Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties at both the Irvine and Tustin stations of the Metrolink Orange County Line
The Orange County Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink from Los Angeles through Orange County to Oceanside in San Diego County, connecting with the Coaster commuter rail service to San Diego. The Orange County Line carries passenger ...
and the Inland Empire–Orange County Line
The Inland Empire–Orange County (IEOC) Line is a commuter rail line run by Metrolink in Southern California. It runs from San Bernardino through Orange County to Oceanside in northern San Diego County. It is the only Metrolink line not to se ...
. OCTA is currently implementing a major service increase on the Orange County line, with trains approximately every 30 minutes during weekday commuting hours. Amtrak trains run approximately every 60 to 90 minutes all days of the week along the Pacific Surfliner
The ''Pacific Surfliner'' is a passenger train service serving the communities on the coast of Southern California between San Diego and San Luis Obispo.
The service carried 2,924,117 passengers during fiscal year 2016, a 3.4% increase from F ...
route between San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Amtrak trains stop only at Irvine station, unlike Metrolink, which stops at both Irvine and Tustin station. Rail2Rail monthly passes allow commuters to use both Metrolink and Amtrak services, standard tickets are specific to a single operator. A four-story parking structure was recently completed at the Irvine station as part of a station renovation.
At one time Irvine intended to build a tram / guideway, but in February 2009 the city of Irvine canceled the project. Initially plans were underway to connect the Orange County Great Park to the Irvine Spectrum Center
The Irvine Spectrum Center is an outdoor shopping center developed by the Irvine Company, located in the Irvine Spectrum district on the southeast edge of Irvine, California. The mall features Nordstrom and Target department stores, a ferris whee ...
and surrounding businesses with a fixed-route transit system, also stopping at the Irvine Transportation Center
Irvine Transportation Center (also referred to as Irvine station) is a passenger rail and bus terminal in the Irvine Spectrum district of southeastern Irvine, California, United States. Located on the southwest end of the decommissioned Marine Co ...
(Irvine Station). In 2008, two possible routes were selected, but neither will be developed now. The entire $128 million in funding will be returned to the Measure M fund, and be available for other cities in Orange County.
Freight rail
A major contributing factor to the growth of Irvine was by freight rail provided by ATSF (now BNSF
BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
) Transportation. The Venta Spur was Irvine's first spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to ba ...
. Built in the 1920s, it moved citrus from three processing plants in what is now Northwood to the rest of the country. The processing plants were essentially Irvine's first and biggest employers of the time.
The plants started to go out of business in the 1970s and the spur was abandoned in 1985. In 1999, following its donation to the city of Irvine, it was turned into the Venta Spur bike trail.
The Irvine Industrial Spur is the second railroad spur in Irvine. It serves various industries in Irvine's Business Complex. It currently sees little to no movement and the Irvine planning department is considering turning it into a bike path
A bike path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or "Class III bikewa ...
.
Bikeways
Irvine offers a system of bicycle lanes and trails to encourage the use of bikes as a means of transportation. There are of off-road bicycle trails and of on-road bicycle lanes in Irvine.
Notable people
Sister cities
Irvine has four sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
:
* Tsukuba
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 244,528 in 108,669 households and a population density of 862 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 20.3%. The total ar ...
, Ibaraki, Japan
* Taoyuan District
Taoyuan District (), formerly known as Taoyuan City () prior to the establishment of the special municipality of Taoyuan in 2014, is a district of Taoyuan City in northwestern Taiwan. The municipal seat of Taoyuan City is situated within its bo ...
, Taoyuan City
Taoyuan () is a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in northwestern Taiwan, neighboring New Taipei City to the north-east, Yilan County to the south-east, and Hsinchu County to the south-west. Taoyuan Distr ...
, Taiwan
* Hermosillo
Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo Municipality, Her ...
, Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...
, Mexico
* Seocho-gu
Seocho District () is one of the 25 '' gu'' (local government districts) which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Seocho is generally referred to as a part of Greater Gangnam Area, along with Gangnam District. As of 2022, Seocho District ra ...
, Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, South Korea
References
External links
Archival collections
Guide to the East Irvine Historic Resources Documentation Photographs, 1988.
Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Guide to the George Leidal Collection on the City of Irvine.
Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
Other
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Orange County, California
Planned cities in the United States
Populated places established in 1971
Incorporated cities and towns in California
1971 establishments in California