Santa Ana (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

for ) is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

, United States. Located in the

Greater Los Angeles Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the eas ...

region of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census. As of 2023, Santa Ana is the third most populous city in Orange County (after

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

and

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier * Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia * Irvine Island * Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada * Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut Scotland *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotlan ...

), the 14th-most populous city in California, and the 65th most populous city in the United States. Santa Ana is a major regional economic and cultural hub for the

Orange Coast The Orange Coast is the string of cities and neighborhoods fronting the Pacific Coast in Orange County, California. From northwest to southeast, these cities are Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point and San ...

. In 1810, the Spanish governor of California granted

Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was a Spanish land concession in present-day Orange County, California, given by Spanish Alta California governor José Joaquín de Arrillaga in 1810 to Jose Antonio Yorba and his nephew Pablo Peralta. The grant ex ...

José Antonio Yorba José Antonio Yorba (July 20, 1743 – January 16, 1825), also known as Don José Antonio Yorba I, was a Spanish Californios, Californio soldier and an early settler of Spanish California. Spanish soldier Born in Sant Sadurní d'Anoia (San Sat ...

. Following the

Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence (, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire. It was not a single, coherent event, but local and regional ...

, the Yorba family

rancho Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California ** List of California Ranchos * Ranchos, Buenos ...

was enlarged, becoming one of the largest and most valuable in the region and home to a diverse

Californio Californios (singular Californio) are Californians of Spaniards, Spanish descent, especially those descended from settlers of the 17th through 19th centuries before California was annexed by the United States. California's Spanish language in C ...

community. Following the American

Conquest of California The Conquest of California, also known as the Conquest of Alta California or the California Campaign, was a military campaign during the Mexican–American War carried out by the United States in Alta California (modern-day California), then part ...

, the rancho was sold to the Sepúlveda family, who subsequently lost their

land claim A land claim is "the pursuit of recognized territorial ownership by a group or individual". The phrase is usually only used with respect to disputed or unresolved land claims. Some types of land claims include Aboriginal title, aboriginal land cla ...

. In 1869, William H. Spurgeon then purchased the rancho and formally founded the modern city of Santa Ana. Approximately four-fifths Hispanic or Latino, Santa Ana has been characterized by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' as the "face of a new California, a state where Latinos have more influence in everyday life—electorally, culturally and demographically—than almost anywhere else in the country."

History

Members of the

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...

and

Juaneño The Acjachemen () are an Indigenous people of California. Published maps often identify their ancestral lands as extending from the beach to the mountains, south from what is now known as Aliso Creek in Orange County to Las Pulgas Canyon in t ...

Luiseño The Luiseño or Payómkawichum are an Indigenous people of California who, at the time of the first contacts with the Spanish in the 16th century, inhabited the coastal area of southern California, ranging from the present-day southern part of ...

are indigenous to the area. The Tongva called the Santa Ana area "Hotuuk". The village of

Pajbenga Pajbenga, alternative spelling Pagbigna and Pasbengna, was a Tongva village located at Santa Ana, California, near the El Refugio Adobe, which was the home of José Sepulveda (now located near the intersection of Raitt Street and Myrtle Street). ...

was located at modern day Santa Ana along 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 County, California, San Bernardino and Riversid ...

. The Santa Ana river was a source for many of the Tongva villages and the Spanish Portola Expedition stayed and named this river.

Spanish and Mexican eras

After the 1769 expedition of

Gaspar de Portolá Captain Gaspar de Portolá y Rovira (January 1, 1716 – October 10, 1786) was a Spanish Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the first List of governors of California before 1850, governor of the Californias from 1767 to 1770 ...

out of

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, then capital of

New Spain New Spain, officially the Viceroyalty of New Spain ( ; Nahuatl: ''Yankwik Kaxtillan Birreiyotl''), originally the Kingdom of New Spain, was an integral territorial entity of the Spanish Empire, established by Habsburg Spain. It was one of several ...

, Friar

Junípero Serra Saint Junípero Serra Ferrer (; ; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784), popularly known simply as Junipero Serra, was a Spanish Roman Catholic, Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order. He is credited with establishing the Francis ...

named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of

Saint Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...

, or Santa Ana Valley). On November 1, 1776,

Mission San Juan Capistrano Mission San Juan Capistrano () is a Spanish missions in California, Spanish mission in San Juan Capistrano, California, San Juan Capistrano, Orange County, California, Orange County, California. Founded November 1, 1776 in colonial ''The Califo ...

was established within this valley. In 1810, the first year of the

, Jose Antonio Yorba, a sergeant of the Spanish army, was granted land that he called

. Yorba's rancho included the lands where the cities of

Olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

Yorba Linda Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and had a population of 68,336 at the 2020 census. Yorb ...

Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...

, Santa Ana,

Tustin Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, United States, within the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city does not include the unincorporated community of North Tustin. History Pres ...

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 o ...

and unincorporated

El Modena El Modena is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) surrounding El Modena High School and within the city of Orange, California and the surrounding unincorporated county area. It is located near and east of the inters ...

, and Santa Ana Heights, are today. This rancho was the only land grant in Orange County granted under Spanish Rule. Surrounding land grants in Orange County were granted after Mexican Independence by the new government. After the

Mexican-American War Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...

ended in 1848,

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

became part of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and American settlers arrived in this area.

Post-Conquest era

Santa Ana was listed as a township of Los Angeles County in the 1860 and 1870 census, with an area encompassing most of what is now northern and central Orange County. It had a population of 756 in 1860 and 880 in 1870. The Anaheim district was enumerated separately from Santa Ana in 1870. Claimed in 1869 by

Kentuckian Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

William H. Spurgeon on land obtained from the descendants of Jose Antonio Yorba, Santa Ana was incorporated as a city in 1886 with a population of 2000 and in 1889 became the seat of the newly formed Orange County. In 1877, the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

built a branch line from

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to Santa Ana, which offered free right of way, land for a depot, and $10,000 in cash to the railroad in exchange for terminating the line in Santa Ana and not neighboring

. In 1887, the

California Central Railway The California Central Railway was incorporated on April 23, 1887, with headquarters in San Bernardino, California. George O. Manchester was the President of the corporation. At its peak it operated of rail line with 14 steam locomotives, 14 ...

(which became a subsidiary of the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

the following year) broke the Southern Pacific's local monopoly on rail travel, offering service between Los Angeles and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

by way of Santa Ana as a major intermediate station. In 1890, whites made up 71 percent of the city's population, most of whom migrated to Santa Ana from

confederate states The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States from 1861 to 1865. It comprised eleven U.S. states th ...

following the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

in search of real estate ventures and other economic opportunities.

20th century

By 1905, the Los Angeles Interurban Railway, a predecessor to the

Pacific Electric Railway The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...

, extended from Los Angeles to Santa Ana, running along Fourth Street downtown. Firestone Boulevard, the first direct automobile route between Los Angeles and Santa Ana, opened in 1935; it was enlarged into the

Santa Ana Freeway The Santa Ana Freeway is one of the principal freeways in Southern California, connecting Los Angeles and its southeastern suburbs including the freeway's namesake, the city of Santa Ana. The freeway begins at its junction with the San Diego F ...

in 1953. The Pacific Electric

Santa Ana Line The Santa Ana Line was an interurban route connecting Los Angeles and Santa Ana in Orange County, California, Orange County. It ran between 1905 and 1958 (with the southern end truncated to Bellflower in 1950) and was predominantly operated by th ...

ran from 1905 to 1958. Santa Ana was the home of the original Glenn L. Martin aviation company, founded in 1912 before merging with the

Wright Company The Wright Company was the commercial aviation business venture of the Wright brothers, established by them on November 22, 1909, in conjunction with several prominent industrialists from New York and Detroit with the intention of capitalizing on ...

in 1916. Later, Glenn Luther Martin created a second company of the same name in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

which eventually merged with the

Lockheed Corporation The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer. Lockheed was founded in 1926 and merged in 1995 with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin. Its founder, Allan Lockheed, had earlier founded the similarly named but otherwise-u ...

to form the largest defense contractor in the world,

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

.Featuring Historical Information of Santa Ana
. Santa Ana History. Retrieved on September 6, 2013. Although there was a significant wave of Mexican migration to the city following the 1910

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

, the city remained majority white in 1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Santa Ana Army Air Base Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB) was a World War II-era air base located near Santa Ana, California. The air base was decommissioned in 1946, and part of the land was annexed by Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa in 1953. The air base was used f ...

was built as a training center for the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. The base was responsible for continued population growth in Santa Ana and the rest of Orange County as many veterans moved to the area to raise families after the end of the war. Santa Ana was at the center of Orange County's economic boom in the 1950s with its agricultural and defense industries. However, most of this prosperity was only experienced by the city's white residents, while Latinos did not similarly benefit. Instead, economic inequality between the two groups rapidly increased during this time. In 1958, the

Honer Plaza Honer Plaza, now the Bristol Marketplace, at 17th and Bristol streets in northwestern Santa Ana, California, was one of the first shopping centers in Orange County, California and one of the busiest in the county in its early days. Plans were ann ...

and

Bullock's Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire specialt ...

Fashion Square malls opened and would supplant Downtown Santa Ana, with its department stores such as Rankin's,

Ward's Ward's is an American organization that has covered the automotive industry for over a century. The organization is responsible for several publications including, '' Ward's AutoWorld'', and '' Ward's Dealer Business''. Ward's also publish the ...

, Penney's and

Buffums Buffums, originally written as Buffums with an apostrophe, was a chain of upscale department stores, headquartered in Long Beach, California. The Buffums chain began in 1904, when two brothers from Illinois, Charles and Edwin Buffum, together wit ...

. Fashion Square was completely renovated and became MainPlace Mall in 1987.

''Latino'' city

By the 1970s, Santa Ana was becoming an increasingly Latino city, with

white flight The white flight, also known as white exodus, is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the Racism ...

to surrounding suburbs coinciding with the city's downtown becoming increasingly frequented by Latinos. This changed perceptions of the city and its economic value, with property values dropping significantly by 1974, while surrounding cities of

Laguna Beach Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, and environ ...

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

, and

increased in value. Santa Ana entered the 1980s as a city of equal numbers of whites and Latinos. What had been the white commercial center of the city, Fourth Street, was now a street of Latino businesses and character. Latino immigrant and working-class families could now be found in every neighborhood of the city, rather than in just a few

ethnic enclave In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

s, as they were previously. ''Santa Ana'' became more often referred to as ''Santana'' and ''Fourth Street'' as ''La Cuatro.'' Having been a

charter city Home rule in the United States relates to the authority of a constituent part of a U.S. state to exercise powers of governance (i.e., whether such powers must be specifically delegated to it by the state—typically by legislative action—or a ...

since November 11, 1952, the citizens of Santa Ana amended the charter in November 1988 to provide for the direct election of the Mayor who until that point had been appointed from the council membership. Miguel A. Pulido was the first mayor of Latino descent in the city's history and the first Mayor directly elected by the voters. Since the 1980s, Santa Ana has been characterized by an effort to revitalize the downtown area which had declined in influence, even as it had become a dynamic commercial and entertainment center for working-class Latinos. The Santa Ana Artist's Village was created around

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public research university in Fullerton, California, United States. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the California State ...

's Grand Central Art Center to attract artists and young professionals to live-work lofts and new businesses. The process continued into 2009 with the reopening of the historic

Yost Theater The Yost Theater is a concert and events venue in Santa Ana, California. It is a National Register of Historic Places-listed building located in Santa Ana's Downtown Historic District. Under the ownership of the Olivos Family it became a mov ...

In the 2010s,

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

became a larger concern of Santa Ana residents, with its roots starting in the 1990s. Despite strong Latino political representation, gentrification efforts have increasingly displaced the Mexican immigrant presence in the downtown area of the city in favor of outsiders. Primarily

Spanish-speaking Hispanophone refers to anything related to the Spanish language. In a cultural, rather than merely linguistic sense, the notion of "Hispanophone" goes further than the above definition. The Hispanic culture is the legacy of the vast and prolonge ...

businesses that served immigrant populations have been demolished in favor of arts projects to draw in outside investment, which bring clientele who further question why Spanish-speaking businesses are present, leading to a cycle of displacement. Residents formed a social movement to address lead concentrations in lower-income areas of the city. A 2020 study found that areas of Santa Ana with a median income below $50,000 had five times higher lead concentrations than higher-income areas of the city, which is particularly a concern for children. Residents continue to advocate for

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

in the city.

Geography

Santa Ana is nested on flat, low-lying plains with little land elevation change. Running through the west end of the city is the mostly channelized

, which is also largely seasonal due to the construction of the

Prado Dam Prado Dam is an Embankment dam, earth-fill dry dam across the Santa Ana River at the Chino Hills near Corona, California in Riverside County, California, Riverside County with the resulting impounded water creating Prado Flood Control Basin reser ...

and Seven Oaks Dam. The river caused several severe floods in the 20th century, and is a continued threat despite the existence of the dams.

Cityscape

Now fully developed, Santa Ana has several distinct districts. The core of the city is the downtown area, which contains both retail and housing, as well as the Santa Ana Civic Center, which is a dense campus of administrative buildings for both the city and the county of Orange. The civic center is also home to the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse. Several historic homes dating from the late 1800s can be found as well, and their preservation is a key issue as development of the downtown area continues. North of downtown is the "Midtown" district along Main St., home to entertainment destinations such as the

Bowers Museum The Bowers Museum is an art museum located in Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana, California. The museum's permanent collection includes more than 100,000 objects, and features notable strengths in the areas of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, Native Ame ...

, MainPlace Mall, and the

Discovery Science Center The Discovery Cube Orange County, formerly known as the Discovery Science Center, Taco Bell Discovery Science Center, or simply The Cube, is a science museum in Santa Ana, California, with more than 100 hands-on science exhibits designed to spar ...

. Near the intersection of the Santa Ana Freeway and the

Costa Mesa Freeway 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 o ...

is the newly designated "Metro East" area, which the city council has envisioned as a secondary

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

district. Currently the area is occupied by several office towers, but little retail or housing. Also on the east side of the city is the Santa Ana Zoo, notable for its collection of

monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...

s and species from

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. The southeast end of the city is part of the

South Coast Metro 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 form ...

area, which is shared with the city of

South Coast Plaza South Coast Plaza is a regional shopping mall in Costa Mesa, California. The largest shopping center on the West Coast of the United States, its pre-COVID sales of over $1.5 billion annually were the highest in the United States. Its 275 retai ...

, a major shopping center, is the primary destination of this area, which also contains several high-rise office and apartment buildings. Yokohama Tire Corporation's United States headquarters are located at 1 MacArthur Place in the South Coast Metro area of Santa Ana, and

Banc of California Banc of California, Inc. is an American bank serving the state of California with over 80 branches in Southern California, extending from San Diego to Santa Barbara as well as locations in Denver, Colorado, and Durham, North Carolina. The bank ...

's headquarters relocated from the neighboring city of Irvine.

Biogeography

The most common native species: Hairy Sand Verbena, Red Sand Verbena, and Pink Sand Verbena.

Climate

Santa Ana experiences a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: BSh), with hot, dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall. Rainfall averages about per year, most of which falls from November through April. There are an average of 35 days with measurable precipitation annually. The record high temperature for Santa Ana was on June 14, 1917. The record low temperature was on January 12, 1989. There are an average of 30.1 days with highs of or higher. The wettest "rain year" in Santa Ana was from July 1940 to June 1941 with , and the driest was from July 2017 to June 2018 with a mere . The most rainfall in one month was in February 1998. The most rainfall in 24 hours was on February 16, 1927.

Demographics

Santa Ana first appeared in the 1880 U.S. Census with a population of 711 as part of Santa Ana Township (pop 3,024 in 1880).

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Santa Ana had a population of 310,227. The racial makeup of Santa Ana was 8.5%

Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

, 1.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.7% Native American, 12.3% Asian, 0.3% Pacific islander, 45.1% Other, 19.1% two or more races, and 76.7% Hispanic or Latino.

Ethnicity

The most common Hispanic ancestries in Santa Ana are Mexican, Salvadorian and Guatemalan. The most common European ancestries are German, Irish, English and Italian. By the late 1970s,

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

families began to move out of Santa Ana.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Santa Ana had a population of 324,528. The population density was . The racial makeup of Santa Ana was 148,838 (45.9%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

(9.2%

), 4,856 (1.5%)

, 3,260 (1.0%) Native American, 34,138 (10.5%) Asian, 976 (0.3%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 120,789 (37.2%) from other races, and 11,671 (3.6%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 253,928 (78.2%). The census reported that 319,870 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 1,415 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 3,243 (1.0%) were institutionalized. There were 73,174 households, out of which 41,181 (56.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41,389 (56.6%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 11,808 (16.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 6,451 (8.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4,933 (6.7%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 556 (0.8%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,254 households (12.6%) were made up of individuals, and 3,378 (4.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.37. There were 59,648

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(81.5% of all households); the average family size was 4.54. The age distribution of the population was as follows: 99,678 people (30.7%) under the age of 18, 39,165 people (12.1%) aged 18 to 24, 102,399 people (31.6%) aged 25 to 44, 61,375 people (18.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 21,911 people (6.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.6 males. There were 76,896 dwelling units at an average density of , of which 34,756 (47.5%) were owner-occupied, and 38,418 (52.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 154,045 people (47.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied dwelling units and 165,825 people (51.1%) lived in rental dwelling units. During 20092013, Santa Ana had a median household income of $53,335, with 21.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 337,977 people, 73,002 households, and 59,788 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 74,588 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 42.73%

, 1.70%

, 1.19% Native American, 8.81% Asian, 0.34%

, 40.64% from other races, and 4.58% from two or more races. 76.07% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 73,002 households, out of which 53.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.1% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.55 and the average family size was 4.72. In the city, the population was spread out, with 34.2% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 13.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.7 males. The median income for a household from 2005 to 2009 was $54,521. The median income for a household in the city was $43,412, and the median income for a family was $41,050. Males had a median income of $23,342 versus $21,637 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $12,152. 19.8% of the population and 16.1% 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 24.1% of those under the age of 18 and 10.4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy

Santa Ana is the corporate headquarters of several companies, including

Behr Paint Behr Paint Company (stylized as BEHR) is a supplier of architectural paint and exterior wood care products to the American and Canadian do-it-yourself markets. BEHR manufactures interior and exterior house paints, decorative finishes, primers, s ...

First American Corporation First American Financial Corporation is an American financial services company which provides title insurance and settlement services to the real estate and mortgage industries. The First American Family of Companies’ core business lines incl ...

, Greenwood & Hall,

Ingram Micro Ingram Micro Holding Corporation 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. Founded as Micro D, Inc in 1979 in California by ...

, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, STEC,

TTM Technologies TTM Technologies, Inc. is an American printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer headquartered in Santa Ana, California. Founded in 1998, the company is one of the top five PCB manufacturers in the world and the largest in North America, and the la ...

, Kern's, and

Wahoo's Fish Taco Wahoo's Fish Taco is a U.S.-based restaurant chain that offers Mexican food mixed with Brazilian and Asian flavors. Categorized as a "fast casual restaurant", the quality and preparation time of its food is between that of a fast-food restau ...

. It also houses major regional headquarters for the

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (, ) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox was the pioneer of the photocopier market, beginning with the introduc ...

corporation, Ultimate Software, and

T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand of telecommunications by Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom AG (, ; often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a partially state-owned German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and the largest telec ...

. Nonprofits based in Santa Ana include

Open Doors Open Doors is a non-denominational mission supporting persecuted Christians around the world. They work with local partners to distribute Bibles and Christian literature, give discipleship training and provide practical support, such as emer ...

. One of Santa Ana's most notable businesses is the

Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars, with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces a range of electric guitars and bass ...

musical instrument company, whose electric guitars and bass guitars earned fame in the hands of many rock and roll legends. Then Glenn L. Martin Company, a precursor to

, was founded in Santa Ana in 1912 before merging with the

in 1916. In recent years, the nearby city of

has outpaced Santa Ana in commercial growth, with the Irvine Business District located near John Wayne Airport. To compete with this, Santa Ana has approved commercial projects in the

area, as well as the "Metro East" development, located at the confluence of the Interstate 5 in California, Santa Ana Freeway and the

. The Historic South Main Business District contains many older retail shops and other small businesses. It extends from downtown Santa Ana southwards on Main Street to the South Coast Metro area. There was a recession in the 2000s, and the expected year for return to peak employment for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana area was 2015. The pre-recession peak year was 2007. Due to the recession, 519,300 jobs were lost, a 9% decrease. According to the Employment Development Department, the unemployment rate for 2015 was 5 percent.

Top employers

According to the city's 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: Other large employers include Western Medical Center,

, MSC Software Corp, and Sterns Learning Inc.

Arts and culture

The

is art and history museum started in the 1930s with a large collection of fine art and artifacts from around the world and several traveling exhibits each year. Santa Ana has several wall paintings and murals depicting local history, community events and cultural diversity in Orange County. The Chiarini Fountain, designed and carved by Chiarini Marble & Stone, was donated by the Chiarini family in honor of George C. Chiarini and to recognize the artists who have helped make Downtown Santa Ana a creative center in Orange County. Greenville, a former rural part of Santa Ana, has buildings over a century old, but industrial complexes have replaced the agricultural fields once surrounding the town. The Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm amusement parks are located northwest of Santa Ana, several kilometers away. Beaches are located around 20 minutes to the south, accessible by the 55 freeway. Huntington Beach and Newport Beach as well as other coastal communities offer shopping, dining, boating, swimming and surfing.

Sites of interest

*CSUF Grand Central Art Center - at the heart of the Artist Village in Santa Ana *Discovery Cube Orange County *Downtown National Register District *Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts *El Centro Cultural de México *Main Place Mall - opened in 1987 *Old Orange County Courthouse (California), Old Orange County Courthouse * Santa Ana Civic Center *Santa Ana College, part of the Rancho Santiago Community College District * Santa Ana Zoo, built in 1960 *Pacific Electric Sub-Station No. 14 *Rankin's, Rankin Building - once Santa Ana's iconic local department store *

*Lyon Air Museum *The Kellogg House *

*John Wayne Airport *MainPlace Mall *Heritage Museum of Orange County

Registered Historic Places

* Builders Exchange Building (Santa Ana, California), Builders Exchange Building * Downtown Santa Ana, Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts * Ebell Society of Santa Ana Valley * French Park Historic District * Harmon-McNeil House * Howe-Waffle House and Carriage House * Lighter-than-air Ship Hangars * George L. Wright House * George W. Minter House * Odd Fellows Hall (Santa Ana, California), Odd Fellows Hall * Old Orange County Courthouse (California), Orange County Courthouse * Pacific Electric Sub-Station No. 14, Pacific Electric Sub-Station No.14 * Rankin's, Rankin Building * Santa Ana City Hall * Santa Ana Fire Station Headquarters No. 1, Santa Ana Fire Station Headquarters No 1 * Santora Building * Smith-Tuthill Funeral Parlors * Southern Counties Gas Co. * Spurgeon Block * Us Post Office Station * Walkers Orange County Theatre * Yost Theater, Yost Theatre– Ritz Hotel * Young Men’s Christian Association

Sports

Santa Ana has highly competitive high school and collegiate sports teams playing at Santa Ana Stadium and the Santa Ana Unified School District Sports Complex Stadium. The Santa Ana College, Dons of Santa Ana College are one of the most successful soccer teams in the state of California, and is a frequent top finisher, statewide. In 2008, the Dons clinched their fifteenth consecutive Orange Empire Conference title. The college is also known for its historically successful baseball teams, and for producing former Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels pitcher C. J. Wilson. Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California), Mater Dei High School has one of the most successful and reputable football programs in the country.

Government

Santa Ana utilizes a Council-Manager government, council-manager form of government. The council consists of six members who are elected by the populace of the city. Each member serves for four years and can serve a total of three terms. A Pro tempore#Mayor pro tem, mayor pro tem is elected by the council members from within the council. In the California State Legislature, Santa Ana is in and is split between , and . In the United States House of Representatives, Santa Ana is in . Additionally, in the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Santa Ana is in the second district represented by Vicente Sarmiento since 2023. Like most majority-minority cities in the United States, Santa Ana is a stronghold of the Democratic Party. Despite the city's high percentage of Democrats, the city tends to vote conservatively on social issues, much like the rest of northern Orange County. It voted in favor of California Proposition 8, Proposition 8—California's amendment defining marriage in the state as a legal union between a man and a woman—by 61.9%, above the county's average of 57.7%. On California Proposition 4 (2008), Proposition 4, which would have amended the California Constitution to require minors to notify their parents before having an abortion, Santa Ana voted in favor of the measure by 62.0%, much higher than the county as a whole, which voted in favor of the measure by only 54.3%. The Diplomatic missions of Mexico, Consulate-General of Mexico in Santa Ana is located on 828 North Broadway Street. The Diplomatic missions of El Salvador, Consulate-General of El Salvador in Santa Ana is located in Suite 103 at 840 North Grand Avenue.

Education

The majority of the city is served by the Santa Ana Unified School District, which includes 37 K–5 elementary schools, nine 6–8 intermediate schools, eight 9–12 high schools, five special schools, and one charter school. Some elementary schools are John Adams Elementary School, Manuel Esqueda Elementary School, Diamond Elementary School. The school district provides an online accountability report card. Other school districts that serve Santa Ana are the Garden Grove Unified School District, Garden Grove, Orange Unified School District, Orange and Tustin Unified School District, Tustin Unified School Districts. Santa Ana Unified School District's public high schools include Valley High School (Santa Ana), Middle College High School (Santa Ana), Middle College High School, Santa Ana High School, Saddleback High School, Century High School (Santa Ana, California), Century High School, newly opened Segerstrom Fundamental High School and Godinez Fundamental High School, and other public schools in the area, along with the Orange County School of the Arts in the midtown district.

The Roman Catholic Diocese operates Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California), Mater Dei High School. The Diocese also operates several K–8 schools in Santa Ana, including School of Our Lady, Saint Anne, Saint Barbara, and Saint Joseph. Immaculate Heart of Mary and Our Lady of the Pillar schools were closed in 2005 and merged into the School of Our Lady, which is located at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. (See Roman Catholic Diocesan Schools in Santa Ana, California). In September 2005 the Orange County Campus of International School of Los Angeles (LILA) moved to Santa Ana. In July 2015 it moved back to

. The city is also home to Santa Ana College, a two-year public Community colleges in the United States, community college, as well as California Coast University, and the Orange County branch of the Art Institute of California - Orange County, Art Institute of California. Taft Law School, a correspondence law school, is also based in Santa Ana. Trinity Law School is a Christian, CBE-accredited law school that is the only California campus of the Trinity International University system of schools. Detective Training Institute is a correspondence/distance learning institution that offers private investigator diplomas and is approved to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education. Career Networks Institute College, a post-secondary occupational learning center for allied health, is also based in the city.

Infrastructure

Transportation

A few freeways run through Santa Ana, connecting it to other areas in Orange County, the Greater Los Angeles Area, and beyond. The

(Interstate 5) heads north to

, and south towards Southern Orange County and

. The California State Route 22, Garden Grove Freeway (State Route 22) runs along near Santa Ana's northern border, connecting Long Beach to the west and the Orange, California, City of Orange to the east. The California State Route 55, Costa Mesa Freeway (State Route 55) travels south to

; and then north to the California State Route 91, Riverside Freeway (State Route 91), providing connections to Riverside, California, Riverside to the east and Beach Cities to the west. The southern terminus of the California State Route 57, Orange Freeway (State Route 57) (where the freeway intersects with I-5 and SR 22 at the Orange Crush interchange) is partially within the city limits of Santa Ana and provides a connection to Pomona, California, Pomona and the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County. Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Santa Ana several times on weekdays with less frequent service on weekends. It operates its ''Pacific Surfliner'' between

to the south and either

or San Luis Obispo to the north (see Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center). Greyhound Lines is the largest bus transportation service in Santa Ana, and serves the continental United States and Canada. The bus lines Crucero, Intercalifornias, and others serve all points into Mexico. The Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center is also served by commuter rail, commuter rail trains of Metrolink (California), Metrolink: the Orange County Line (Oceanside, California, Oceanside to Union Station (Los Angeles), Union Station), and Inland Empire–Orange County Line (San Bernardino to Oceanside, California, Oceanside). Public transit bus service is available via the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and is mainly focused on busses and freeways. 24 bus routes run through the city crossing 659 different bus stops. A 4.15-mile OCTA light rail line running between Santa Ana and Garden Grove, the OC Streetcar, is currently under construction and planned to enter service in 2024. John Wayne Airport is located at 18601 Airport Way Santa Ana, CA 92707. The IATA code for the airport is SNA. Some main roads that run through Santa Ana include McFadden Avenue, Warner Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard, Civic Center Drive, and Santa Ana Boulevard, running east to west. Bristol Street, Fairview Street, and Main Street are all important streets running from north to south.

Utilities

Electricity for the city is provided by Southern California Edison. The Southern California Gas Company provides natural gas service. Phone and cable television service is provided by AT&T Inc., AT&T. Water in Santa Ana is supplied by the Santa Ana Water Resource Division. A majority of this water is groundwater, which is pumped by 20 wells tapped into the Orange County Groundwater Basin. Additional water is imported through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which sources water from Lake Havasu via the Colorado River Aqueduct and the State Water Project from Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in Northern California.

Emergency services

Law enforcement is provided by the Santa Ana Police Department from three stations throughout the city. The department includes five canine units, an 11-officer Mounted police, equestrian unit and a 37-member SWAT team. The city shares a helicopter with the cities of Costa Mesa, California, Costa Mesa and

via the Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE) program. In March 2012, the city disbanded its municipal fire department, which had provided fire protection for 128 years, and contracted with the Orange County Fire Authority.

Crime

Notable people

References

External links

* {{Authority control Santa Ana, California, 1869 establishments in California 1886 establishments in California Chicano and Mexican neighborhoods in California Cities in Orange County, California County seats in California Incorporated cities and towns in California Populated places established in 1869 Populated places established in 1886 Populated places on the Santa Ana River