SafekipediaSanta Ana, California
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
Santa Ana is a city in Orange County, California, in the Greater Los Angeles area of Southern California. It is an important place for business and culture.
The city began in 1810 when a Spanish governor gave land called Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana to a person named José Antonio Yorba. Later, a man named William H. Spurgeon bought the land and started the city in 1869.
Today, many people in Santa Ana speak Spanish at home, making it a place where Latino culture is very important. It shows how much Latino influence means in California today.
History
See also: Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Santa Ana, California.
The area now called Santa Ana has been home to the Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño people for many years. They called the area "Hotuuk." The village of Pajbenga was where Santa Ana is today, near the Santa Ana River.
When Spanish explorers came, they named the valley Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). In 1776, a mission was built nearby. Later, when Mexico ruled the area, a big ranch was given out that covered much of what is now Orange County.
In the late 1800s, Santa Ana grew from a small town into a city. It became the county seat in 1889. Railroads helped connect Santa Ana to Los Angeles and San Diego.
During the 1900s, Santa Ana changed a lot. New roads were built, and an airline company started there. After World War II, many families moved to the area.
By the 1970s, Santa Ana was changing as more Latino families moved in. The downtown area became a center for Latino culture and businesses. In recent years, there have been efforts to improve the city while also taking care of the environment, especially for children.
Geography
Santa Ana is built on flat land. The Santa Ana River runs along the west side of the city. This river can flood sometimes, even with dams to help control it.
The city has different areas. Downtown has shops, homes, and important buildings like the Santa Ana Civic Center and the Ronald Reagan Federal Building. North of downtown is Midtown, with places like the Bowers Museum and MainPlace Mall. Near the Santa Ana Freeway is Metro East, planned for more homes and shops. On the east side is the Santa Ana Zoo, known for its monkeys and animals from South and Central America. The southeast part of the city is South Coast Metro, home to South Coast Plaza, a large shopping center.
Santa Ana has a hot, dry climate with mild winters. Summers are hot and dry, and winters are gentle with some rain. The city usually gets about 12.54 inches of rain each year, mostly between November and April.
Demographics
Santa Ana was first counted in the 1880 United States census with 711 people.
The 2020 United States census said Santa Ana had 310,227 people. Their racial groups were 18.5% White, 1.1% African American, 3.7% Native American, 12.3% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 45.1% from other races, and 19.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people were 76.7% of the population.
The 2010 United States census said Santa Ana had 324,528 people. Their racial groups were 45.9% White, 1.5% African American, 1.0% Native American, 10.5% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 37.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people were 78.2% of the population.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 711 | — | |
| 1890 | 3,628 | 410.3% | |
| 1900 | 4,933 | 36.0% | |
| 1910 | 8,429 | 70.9% | |
| 1920 | 15,485 | 83.7% | |
| 1930 | 30,322 | 95.8% | |
| 1940 | 31,921 | 5.3% | |
| 1950 | 45,533 | 42.6% | |
| 1960 | 100,350 | 120.4% | |
| 1970 | 155,710 | 55.2% | |
| 1980 | 204,023 | 31.0% | |
| 1990 | 293,742 | 44.0% | |
| 2000 | 337,977 | 15.1% | |
| 2010 | 324,528 | −4.0% | |
| 2020 | 310,227 | −4.4% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 316,184 |  | 1.9% |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1860–1870 1880–1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 | |||
| Race / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980 | Pop 1990 | Pop. 2000 | Pop. 2010 | Pop. 2020 | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 90,484 | 67,897 | 41,984 | 29,950 | 26,428 | 44.42% | 23.11% | 12.42% | 9.23% | 8.52% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,763 | 6,454 | 4,309 | 3,177 | 2,745 | 3.81% | 2.20% | 1.27% | 0.98% | 0.88% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1,133 | 720 | 886 | 507 | 485 | 0.56% | 0.25% | 0.26% | 0.16% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 13,090 | 26,867 | 29,412 | 33,618 | 37,440 | 6.43% | 9.15% | 8.70% | 10.36% | 12.07% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 993 | 826 | 635 | 0.29% | 0.25% | 0.20% | ||||
| Other race alone (NH) | 591 | 421 | 273 | 375 | 921 | 0.29% | 0.14% | 0.08% | 0.12% | 0.30% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x | x | 3,023 | 2,147 | 3,541 | x | x | 0.89% | 0.66% | 1.14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 90,652 | 191,383 | 257,097 | 253,928 | 238,022 | 44.50% | 65.15% | 76.07% | 78.25% | 76.73% |
| Total | 203,713 | 293,742 | 337,977 | 324,528 | 310,227 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Economy
Santa Ana is home to the main offices of many companies, such as Behr Paint, First American Corporation, Greenwood & Hall, Ingram Micro, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, STEC, TTM Technologies, Kern's, and Wahoo's Fish Taco. Big companies like Xerox, Ultimate Software, and T-Mobile also have important offices here. There are helpful groups like Open Doors that support others.
One famous company from Santa Ana is Rickenbacker, known for making electric guitars and bass guitars used by many rock and roll stars. Long ago, in 1912, the Glenn L. Martin Company started in Santa Ana. It later joined with the Wright Company to become part of what is now Lockheed Martin.
Recently, the nearby city of Irvine has grown a lot for business. To keep up, Santa Ana is building new areas like South Coast Metro and "Metro East" near the Santa Ana Freeway and the Costa Mesa Freeway. The Historic South Main Business District has many older shops and small businesses along Main Street.
Other big workplaces in Santa Ana include Western Medical Center, TTM Technologies, MSC Software Corp, and Sterns Learning Inc.
| # | Employer | # of employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | County of Orange | 19,179 |
| 2 | Santa Ana Unified School District | 5,985 |
| 3 | Santa Ana College (includes Rancho Santiago Community College District) | 4,271 |
| 4 | KPC Healthcare (Integrated Healthcare Holdings Inc) | 1,732 |
| 5 | City of Santa Ana | 1,671 |
| 6 | United States Postal Service | 1,393 |
| 7 | Allied Universal | 1,100 |
| 8 | First American | 980 |
| 9 | Superior Court of CA-County of Orange | 743 |
| 10 | Johnson & Johnson | 522 |
Arts and culture
The Bowers Museum is a place where you can see beautiful art and learn about history from all over the world. It started in the 1930s and has many special shows each year.
Santa Ana has colorful wall paintings and murals that tell stories about the city's past, special events, and the many different cultures living in Orange County.
Just a short drive from Santa Ana are two famous fun places: Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. You can also find sandy beaches, like Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, about 20 minutes away. These beaches are great for swimming, boating, and surfing.
Sites of interest
See also: Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts
- CSUF Grand Central Art Center - in the Artist Village
- 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
- 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 Building - once a famous local store
- Yost Theater
- Lyon Air Museum
- The Kellogg House
- South Coast Metro
- John Wayne Airport
- MainPlace Mall
- Heritage Museum of Orange County
Registered Historic Places
Santa Ana has many special places that help us remember its history. These places are protected so people can learn about the past.
- Builders Exchange Building
- 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
- Orange County Courthouse
- Pacific Electric Sub-Station No.14
- Rankin Building
- Santa Ana City Hall
- 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 Theatre– Ritz Hotel
- Young Men's Christian Association
Sports
Santa Ana has many strong sports teams from its high schools and colleges that play at Santa Ana Stadium and the Santa Ana Unified School District Sports Complex Stadium.
The Dons of Santa Ana College are one of California’s best soccer teams and have won many titles. The college is also famous for its great baseball teams and has produced players for teams like the Los Angeles Angels, including pitcher C. J. Wilson.
Mater Dei High School is known for having one of the best football programs in the country.
Government
Santa Ana is a special type of city called a charter city and uses a council-manager style of government. The city council has six members chosen by the people to serve for four years each. One of these council members is picked to act as the mayor pro tem.
Santa Ana is part of the 34th senatorial district in the California State Legislature, and is split between the 68th Assembly district and the 70th Assembly district. In the United States House of Representatives, the city is in California's 46th congressional district. Santa Ana is also part of the second district on the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
The city has offices for countries like Mexico and El Salvador to help people from those places living there.
Education
Santa Ana has many schools where children can learn and grow. Most of the city is part of the Santa Ana Unified School District. This district has schools for younger children, middle grades, and older students. Some well-known schools are John Adams Elementary School, Manuel Esqueda Elementary School, and Diamond Elementary School.
There are also special schools and a charter school in the district. Other school districts, like Garden Grove, Orange, and Tustin, also serve parts of Santa Ana. The city has Santa Ana College, a two-year public college, and other schools like California Coast University and the Orange County branch of the Art Institute of California.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Some freeways go through Santa Ana, linking it to other places in Orange County, the Greater Los Angeles Area, and more. The Santa Ana Freeway (Interstate 5) goes north to Los Angeles and south to San Diego. The Garden Grove Freeway (State Route 22) runs near Santa Ana’s northern edge, connecting Long Beach to the west and the City of Orange to the east. The Costa Mesa Freeway (State Route 55) goes south to Costa Mesa and north to the Riverside Freeway (State Route 91), linking to Riverside and the Beach Cities. The southern end of the Orange Freeway (State Route 57) is partly in Santa Ana, connecting to Pomona and the San Gabriel Valley.
Amtrak has train service to Santa Ana on weekdays, with less on weekends. Its Pacific Surfliner runs between San Diego and Los Angeles or San Luis Obispo (see Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center). Greyhound Lines is the main bus service, going to many places in the U.S. and Canada. Other buses also go to Mexico.
The Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center also has commuter rail trains from Metrolink: the Orange County Line (Oceanside to Union Station), and Inland Empire–Orange County Line (San Bernardino to Oceanside).
Public buses are run by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), with many bus routes and stops. A 4.15-mile OCTA light rail line between Santa Ana and Garden Grove, the OC Streetcar, is being built and will start in 2024.
John Wayne Airport is in Santa Ana. Its IATA code is SNA.
Some main roads in Santa Ana are McFadden Avenue, Warner Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard, Civic Center Drive, and Santa Ana Boulevard, going east to west. Bristol Street, Fairview Street, and Main Street go north to south.
Utilities
Southern California Edison gives the city electricity. The Southern California Gas Company gives natural gas. AT&T provides phone and cable TV service.[citation needed] Water comes from the Santa Ana Water Resource Division. Most of this water is pumped from underground by 20 wells. More water comes from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which gets water from Lake Havasu and rivers in Northern California.
Emergency services
The Santa Ana Police Department keeps order from three stations in the city. The department has five dogs, an 11-officer equestrian unit and a 37-member SWAT team. The city shares a helicopter with Costa Mesa and Newport Beach through the Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE) program.
In March 2012, the city stopped running its own fire department after 128 years and now uses the Orange County Fire Authority.
Notable people
Main article: List of people from Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana, California, has been home to many famous people. Some of these people have made important contributions in music, sports, and entertainment. The city is still a place where talented people live and grow.
Sister cities
Santa Ana has a special friendship with a city named Sahuayo in Mexico. This means the two cities work together and help each other.
Images
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