Irvine is an incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the 69.7 square mile (180.5 km²) city has a population of about 209,806 (as of January 1, 2008). It has annexed in the past an undeveloped area to the north, and has also annexed the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, most of which is planned to be converted into the Orange County Great Park.

Because of its good schools, jobs and housing, the city was chosen in 2008 by CNNMoney.com as the fourth best place to live in the...

Irvine is an incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the 69.7 square mile (180.5 km²) city has a population of about 209,806 (as of January 1, 2008). It has annexed in the past an undeveloped area to the north, and has also annexed the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, most of which is planned to be converted into the Orange County Great Park.

Because of its good schools, jobs and housing, the city was chosen in 2008 by CNNMoney.com as the fourth best place to live in the United States. In June 2008, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that Irvine had the lowest violent crime rate (four homicides, 17 rapes, 50 robberies and 55 aggravated assaults in 2006) among cities in the United States with populations of more than 100,000, FBI: Irvine Safest Large City In U.S. - News Story - KNBC (UCI), Concordia University, Irvine, the Orange County Center of the University of Southern California, and the Irvine campuses of Alliant International University, California State University Fullerton, and Pepperdine University. Irvine Valley College, a community college, is also located in the city.

Irvine is home to a number of corporations, particularly in the technology sector.

History

Irvine was inhabited by the Gabrielino indigenous group about 2,000 years ago. Gaspar de Portol??, a Spanish explorer, came to the area in 1769. This brought on the establishment of forts, Spanish missions in California and herds of cattle. The King of Spain 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 Ranchos of California made up the land that later became the Irvine Ranch: Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, Rancho San Joaquin and Rancho Lomas de Santiago.