Irvine, California

City of Irvine
—  City  —
Downtown Irvine
Seal
Motto: Innovation. Integrity. Professionalism. Flexibility. Responsiveness.
Location of Irvine within Orange County, California.
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	California
County	Orange
Government
- Type	Council-Manager
- Mayor	Sukhee Kang
- City Council	Beth Krom Larry Agran Steven Choi Christina Shea
- City Manager	Sean Joyce
Area
- Total	69.7 sq mi (180.5 km2)
- Land	69.4 sq mi (179.7 km2)
- Water	0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)
Elevation	45 ft (17 m)
Population (January 1, 2010)
- Total	217,686
- Density	3,137.5/sq mi (1,211.386/km2)
Time zone	PST (UTC-8)
- Summer (DST)	PDT (UTC-7)
ZIP code	92602, 92603, 92604, 92606, 92612, 92614, 92616, 92617, 92618, 92619, 92620, 92623, 92697, 92709, 92710
Area code(s)	714/949
FIPS code	06-36770[1]
GNIS feature ID	1660804[2]
Website	http://www.cityofirvine.org/
Area notes Sphere of Influence 25.6 miles Misc. Information City flower Lily of the Nile City tree Cinnamomum camphora City insect Western Swallowtail Butterfly City vegetable Asparagus

Irvine (pronounced /ˈɜrvaɪn/) 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 45 square mile (115 km²) city^[3] has a population of about 217,686 as of January 1, 2010.^[4] 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.^[5] In June 2009, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that Irvine had the lowest violent crime rate among cities in the United States with populations of more than 100,000,^[6] and in August 2008 the Census Bureau ranked Irvine as having the seventh highest median income among cities in the United States with populations of more than 65,000.^[7]

Irvine is home to the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Concordia University, Irvine Valley College, the Orange County Center of the University of Southern California (USC), and the satellite campuses of Alliant International University, California State University Fullerton (CSUF), University of La Verne and Pepperdine University.

Irvine is home to a number of corporations, particularly in the technology and semiconductor sectors.

History

Irvine was inhabited by the Gabrielino indigenous group about 2,000 years ago. Gaspar de Portolà, a Spanish explorer, came to the area in 1769. This brought on the establishment of forts, missions 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 Spanish/Mexican grants made up the land that later became the Irvine Ranch: Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, Rancho San Joaquin and Rancho Lomas de Santiago.

In 1864, Jose Andres Sepulveda, owner of Rancho San Joaquin sold 50,000 acres (200 km²) 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 47,000-acre (190 km²) Rancho Lomas de Santiago for $7,000. After the Mexican-American war the land of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana fell prey to tangled titles. In 1868, the ranch was divided among four claimants as part of a lawsuit: Flint, Bixby and Irvine. The ranches were devoted to sheep grazing. However, in 1870, tenant farming was permitted.

In 1878, James Irvine acquired his partners' interests for $150,000. His 110,000 acres (450 km²) stretched 23 miles (37 km) from the Pacific Ocean to the Santa Ana River. James Irvine died in 1886. The ranch was inherited by his son, James Irvine, Jr. who incorporated it into The Irvine Company. James, Jr. shifted the ranch operations to field crops, olive and citrus crops.

In 1888, the Santa Fe Railroad extended its line to Fallbrook Junction (north of San Diego) 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 already bore the family name. The town was renamed Irvine in 1914.[1]

The developing urban core in the City of Irvine.

By 1918, 60,000 acres (240 km²) of lima beans were grown on the Irvine Ranch. Two Marine Corps facilities, MCAS El Toro and MCAS Tustin, were built during World War II on ranch land sold to the government.

James Irvine, Jr. 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. Myford Irvine died in 1959. The same year, the University of California asked The Irvine Company for 1,000 acres (4 km²) for a new university campus. The Irvine Company sold the requested land for $1 and later the State purchased an additional 500 acres (2 km²).^[8]

William Pereira, 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.[2] The villages of Turtle Rock, University Park, Culverdale, the Ranch 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 43 square miles (111 km²).^[3]

Government

Local government

Irvine is a charter city, operating under a Council/Manager form of government.

According to the city’s most recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city’s various funds had $403.8 million in Revenues, $261.4 million in expenditures, $2,265.1 million in total assets, $101.9 million in total liabilities, and $755.9 million in cash and investments.^[9]

The structure of the management and coordination of city services is:^[9]

City Council

The City Council consists of the Mayor and four City Council members. The Mayor serves a two year term and Council members serve 4 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.

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 and its services:

• City Manager
• City Clerk
• Administrative Services
• Community Development
• Community Services
• Public Safety
• Public Works
• Redevelopment

Services

Irvine has three independent districts: Educational, Police and Utilities. Other government services are:

• 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

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 with ambulance service by Doctor's Ambulance. Law enforcement is provided by the Irvine Police Department (IPD). The IPD operates in a suburban 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.^[10] The University of California Police Department also has jurisdiction – including arrest power – in areas of the city near the UC Irvine campus, while the California State University Police Department has similar jurisdiction in areas of the city near the CSU Fullerton Irvine campus.

State and federal

In the state legislature Irvine is located in the 33rd and 35th Senate Districts, represented by Republicans Mimi Walters and Tom Harman respectively, and in the 70th Assembly District, represented by Republican Chuck DeVore. Federally, Irvine is located in California's 48th congressional district, which has a Cook PVI of R +8^[11] and is represented by Republican John Campbell.

Geography

Irvine borders Tustin to the north, Santa Ana to the northwest, Lake Forest to the east, Laguna Hills onto the southeast, Costa Mesa to the west, and Newport Beach to the southwest. San Diego Creek, which flows northeast into Upper Newport Bay, is the primary watercourse draining the city. Its largest tributary is Peters Canyon Wash. 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 north and south areas, however, are several hills, plateaus and canyons.

Climate

Irvine, like most of coastal Southern California, generally has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). Summers are warm-to-hot, and winters are cool-to-warm, rarely falling below freezing. Precipitation in Irvine occurs predominantly during the winter months. Although snow is nonexistent, frost occasionally occurs.

Lake Irvine near Irvine Park in typical Irvine spring and summer weather.

A planned city

A view of the Jamboree Center in Irvine, one of the first urban developments in the city.

The layout of Irvine was designed by Los Angeles architect William Pereira and Irvine Company employee Raymond Watson, and is nominally divided into townships called villages. The townships are 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 man-made 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 (UCI), the "pendant") . Traces of the original circular design are visible in the layout of the UCI campus and the two man-made lakes at the center of Woodbridge, one of the central villages.

All streets have landscaping allowances. Rights-of-way for powerlines also serve as bicycle corridors, parks and greenbelts to tie together ecological preserves. The greenery is irrigated with reclaimed water.

The homeowners' associations 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 independent 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; and its neighborhoods are generally not as uniform in appearance as those in other villages such as West Park 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 assessment, which came about in the post-Proposition 13 era. For homeowners in these areas, the association dues coupled with the Mello-Roos assessment may add significantly to the cost of living in the city.

The Irvine Ranch played host to the Boy Scouts of America's 1953 National Scout Jamboree. Jamboree Road, a major street which now stretches from Newport Beach to the City of Orange, was named in honor of this event.

The Villages

Each of the villages was initially planned to have a distinct architectural theme.

El Camino Glen College Park The Colony Deerfield (mixed styles) East Irvine El Camino Real (Spanish/Neo-Eclectic) Greentree Irvine Groves Irvine Spectrum (Contemporary/Moroccan) Harvard Square Heritage Fields Laguna Crossing (under construction) 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) Parkside Portola Springs (Spanish/Tuscan)

Rue Rueda Gigante Square in Irvine Spectrum. Planning Area 40 (Future Village) Quail Hill (Spanish/Tuscan) Racquet Club The Ranch Rancho San Joaquin (Shed style) Rosegate (Spanish/Tuscan) Stonegate (Spanish) Shady Canyon (Tuscan Ranch) Turtle Ridge (Tuscan) Turtle Rock (mixed styles) University Hills [13] University Park (California Modern) A bridge over the man-made North Lake in Woodbridge, an Atlantic-style neighborhood University Town Center (mixed styles) Walnut (Prairie Style) West Irvine (California Modern) Westpark (Italian Riviera/Mediterranean) The Willows Windwood Woodbridge (Atlantic Coast) Woodbury (Tuscan/Spanish/French) Woodbury East (Spanish)

Demographics

The census^[1] of 2000 found there were 143,072 people, 51,199 households, and 34,354 families in the city. The population density is 1,196.2/km² (3,098.0/mi²), as of the census. There are 53,711 housing units at an average density of 449.1/km² (1,163.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 61.06% White, 1.45% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 29.83% Asian American, 1.14% Pacific Islander, 2.54% from other races, and 4.82% from two or more races. 7.37% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 51,199 households out of which 36.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% are married couples living together, 9.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% are non-families. 22.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.70 persons and the average family size is 3.17.

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.0 males.

According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the median income for a household in the city is $98,923, and the median income for a family is $111,455; these numbers make Irvine the seventh richest city in the USA, among cities with population 65,000 or higher.^[7] 9.1% of the population and 5.0% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 6.1% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older are 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.^[15] 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.

Like much of Orange County, more resident voters are registered in the Republican Party than the Democratic Party.^[16] However, the Democratic Party has recently made inroads in Irvine. The 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama received more votes in Irvine than his Republican opponent John McCain, with more than 57% of the vote.^[17]

Education

University High School in Irvine

Most of Irvine is located in the Irvine Unified School District (IUSD). The four high schools in IUSD are University High School, Irvine High School, Northwood High School and Woodbridge High School. Each earned a six-year accreditation in 2006. Arnold O. Beckman High School is located in Irvine but is administered by Tustin Unified School District.

The four high schools in IUSD have consistently made Newsweek's list of Top 1,300 U.S. Public High Schools. In 2003, University High School ranked 58th [3] out of the top 804 high schools in the nation while Northwood High School ranked 404th [4], Irvine High School ranked 505th [5], and Woodbridge High School ranked 803rd [6]. In 2005, University High School ranked 117th [7] out of the top 1000 high schools with Northwood High School ranking 389th [8], Irvine High School ranking 816th [9], and Woodbridge High School ranking 1040th [10]. In 2006, University High School ranks at 156th [11] out of 1,200 top high schools while Northwood High School ranks at 296th [12], Irvine High School ranks at 1044th [13], and Woodbridge High School rank at 1156th [14]. And in 2007, University High School ranked 76th among the top 100 high schools in the nation as listed by US News & World Report.^[18] All of these schools on the Newsweek list were in the top 4 percent in the nation.

Irvine is also home to elementary and middle schools, including two alternative, year round, open enrollment K-8 schools (Plaza Vista and Vista Verde). [15][16] The district recently constructed a new larger high tech campus for Vista Verde School in the village of Turtle Ridge. The district also has a music program starting in the 4th grade.^[19] Parts of the north and west of the city are within the Tustin Unified School District.

Colleges and universities

One of many buildings at the University of California, Irvine.

Irvine is home to University of California, Irvine, which is the second-newest campus (established 1965) in the UC system after University of California, Merced. Other higher education institutions in Irvine include Concordia University, Irvine Valley College, and a satellite campus of California State University, Fullerton. Chapman University and Soka University of America are in adjacent cities.

According to the 2000 United States Census 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, with 3,589 residents reporting such educational attainment.^[20]

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 focus while the University Park Library has 95,745 books including a substantial Chinese collection.^[21] 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.^[22] Additionally, most UCI Libraries are open to the public.^[23]

Economy

Fountain at Irvine Spectrum Center. The center is a big part of Irvine's economy.

The majority of the Irvine's economic development is coordinated through the Destination Irvine program run by the Chamber of Commerce. The program provides information and assistance on business-related incentives, demographics, development standards, various services such as affordable housing and childcare, and schools. 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.^[24]

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.

Business

Taco Bell headquarters in Irvine Towers District.

Broadcom headquarters at UC Irvine's University Research Park

Blizzard Entertainment headquarters is located in Irvine.

The following companies are headquartered in Irvine:

• Allergan, Inc.
• ATEN Technology, Inc. (a division of ATEN International, Inc.)
• BAX Global
• Blizzard Entertainment^[25]
• Broadcom Corporation
• Claim Jumper
• CorVel Corporation
• Edwards Lifesciences LLC
• eMachines
• Epicor Software Corporation
• Felt Bicycles
• Fisker Coachbuild
• GameSpy (a division of IGN Entertainment, Inc.)
• Gateway, Inc.
• iLounge
• K2 Network^[25]
• Kofax
• In-N-Out Burger
• LA Fitness
• Linksys (a division of Cisco Systems)
• Maruchan, Inc. (a division of Toyo Suisan)^[26]
• Meade Instruments Corporation
• Masimo Corporation
• Microsemi Corporation
• O'Neill, Inc.
• Obsidian Entertainment^[25]
• Paragon Software Group
• Point of View, Inc.^[25]
• Printronix
• Quicksilver Software
• Ready at Dawn^[25]
• Red 5 Studios^[25]
• St. John
• Standard Pacific
• Superformance, LLC
• Taco Bell (a division of Yum! Brands, Inc.)
• Ultimate Ears
• Vizio
• Western Digital^[27]

The following international companies have their North American headquarters in Irvine:

• Atlus
• BenQ Corporation
• Kia Motors
• Marukome
• Mazda Motor Corporation
• NHN^[25]
• Shimano
• Toshiba Corporation

At one point Fluor Corporation had its head office in Irvine.^[28] In 2006 Fluor began moving its headquarters to Irving, Texas.^[29]

Top employers

According to the City's 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[9] the top employers in the city are:

Other material employers are:

Source^[30]

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.^[31]

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 can be viewed within the city of Irvine on Cox Communications channel # 30. ICTV is also available to view online at ICTV Live Streaming.^[32]

Parks and recreation

Irvine has Community Parks 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 in particular has recently made a notable addition. The Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial, commemorating the American lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan, is currently under development and is expected to be complete in the Fall of 2010.^[33]

Community Parks

Neighborhood Parks

Transportation

Automotive

The Irvine Spectrum Center with the El Toro Y in the background, one of the busiest freeway junctions in the world

Streets and intersections owned by the city have trademark mahogany signage and are fiber optically linked to the city's Irvine Traffic Research and Control Center (ITRAC).^[34] Traffic cameras and ground sensors monitor the flow of traffic throughout the city and automatically adjust signal timing to line up traffic, allowing more vehicles to pass through fewer red lights.^[35] Several major highways pass through Irvine (Interstate 5, and Interstate 405 (California), California State Route 73, California State Route 133, California State Route 241, and California State Route 261). Major arteries through Irvine are built out widely and run in a northeasterly direction with speed limits higher than 50 mph (80 km/h). 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.

Transit services

Local bus routes are operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority. Additionally, Irvine is served by commuter rail at both the Irvine and Tustin stations of the Metrolink Orange County Line and the IEOC Line. OCTA is currently implementing a major service increase on the Orange County line, with trains running every 30 minutes. A four-story parking structure was recently completed at the Irvine station to coincide with the service increase.

At one time Irvine intended to build a tram / guideway, in February 2009 the city of Irvine canceled the project.[17] Initially plans were underway to connect the Orange County Great Park to the Irvine Spectrum Center and surrounding businesses with a fixed-route transit system, also stopping at the Irvine Transportation Center. In 2008, two possible routes were selected, but neither will be developed now. All of the 128,000,000 dollars in funding will be returned to the Measure M fund, and be available for other cities in Orange County.

The city of Irvine has recently begun operating its own mass-transit bus service called the iShuttle.^[36] This new bus service, which debuted on March 2008, consists of three routes linking the Tustin Metrolink station to the Irvine Business Complex area and John Wayne Airport.^[36] The service will be free to all passengers until January 1, 2009.

Freight Rail

A major contributing factor to the growth of Irvine was by freight rail provided by ATSF (Now BNSF) Transportation. The Venta Spur was Irvine's first spur. 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 went abandoned in 1985 and was turned into the Venta Spur bike trail in 1999 after being donated to the city of Irvine. 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 movements and is being considered by the Irvine planning department to be turned into a bike path.

Bikeways

Irvine offers a system of bicycle lanes and trails to encourage the use of bikes as a means of transportation. There are 44.5 miles (71.6 km) of off-road bicycle trails and 282 miles (454 km) of on-road bicycle lanes in Irvine.^[37]

Notable natives and residents

• Dick Ackerman - politician and California State Senator ^[38]
• Larry Agran - politician and Irvine Council member ^[39]
• Joey Allen - guitarist for glam metal band Warrant^[40]
• Garret Anderson - Major League Baseball player ^[41]
• Ryan Arciero - Baja 1000 Champion
• Garrett Atkins - Major League Baseball player ^[42]
• C. David Baker - commissioner of the Arena Football League and former Irvine Council member ^[43]
• William E. Barber - Medal of Honor United States Marine Corps officer ^[44]
• Amanda Beard - Olympic swimmer ^[45]
• Travis Brody - professional American football player ^[46]
• John B. T. Campbell III - politician and U.S. Congressman ^[47]
• Jeanne Carmen - model, pin-up girl, and actress ^[48]
• Cashis - rapper
• Steven Choi - politician and Irvine Council member ^[49]
• Justin Chon - actor ^[50]
• Austin Daye - National Basketball Association player ^[51]
• Darren Daye - former National Basketball Association player ^[51]
• Lindsay Davenport - professional tennis player ^[41]
• Anthony Davis- former National Football League player ^[52]
• Zack de la Rocha - lead singer for rock band Rage Against the Machine ^[53]
• Jack DeSena - sketch comedy actor on Nickelodeon's All That ^[54]
• Chuck DeVore - politician and California State Assemblyman and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010
• Kevin Drum - political blogger for the Mother Jones magazine web site ^[55]
• Tom Dumont - guitarist for rock band No Doubt ^[56]
• East West - Christian rapcore band ^[57]
• Eric Ebert - professional football (soccer) player ^[58]
• Jim Edmonds - Major League Baseball player ^[41]
• Julie Ertel - Olympic triathlete (2008 Summer Olympics) and water polo player (2000 Summer Olympics)^[59]
• Benny Feilhaber - professional soccer player ^[60]
• Will Ferrell - actor and comedian ^[53]
• Larry C. Ford - Gynecologist found to have stored deadly biological toxins (including the agents of anthrax, botulism, cholera, and typhoid) in his home and office, and C4 and machine guns in his back yard
• Shawn Green - Major League Baseball player ^[41]
• Shane Haboucha - actor ^[61]
• Bob Hamelin former Major League Baseball player ^[62]
• Mishavonna Henson season 8 American Idol contestant^[63]
• Hugh Hewitt - author, radio talk show host, and blogger ^[64]
• Quinton Jackson - professional mixed martial arts fighter and UFC Former Light-Heavyweight Champion ^[65]
• Ross Johnson - politician and former California State Legislator ^[66]
• Sukhee Kang - current Mayor of Irvine and former Irvine Council member^[67]
• Adam Keefe - former National Basketball Association player ^[68]
• Mark Langston - former Major League Baseball player ^[69]
• Dustin Kensrue - vocalist and rhythm guitarist of post-hardcore band Thrice^[70]
• Carnell Lake - Five time NFL Pro Bowl player and UCLA Bruins football coach ^[71]
• Nam Le - professional poker player ^[72]
• Martin Leung - pianist known as the Video Game Pianist ^[73]
• Jason Lezak - Olympic swimmer ^[74]
• Ben Maller - sports radio personality ^[75]
• Chris Mandeville - former National Football League defensive back ^[76]
• Michael McClune - professional tennis player^[77]
• Mark McGwire - former Major League Baseball player ^[78]
• Annalee Newitz - science and technology journalist^[79]
• Beverly Oden - Olympic volleyball player ^[80]
• Elaina Oden - Olympic volleyball player ^[81]
• Kim Oden - Olympic volleyball player ^[81]
• Nicole Parker - comedian actress ^[82]
• Leonard Peikoff - Objectivist philosopher and intellectual heir to novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand ^[83]
• Jason Peoples - winner of the reality television show Average Joe (Season 1) ^[84]
• Aaron Piersol - Olympic swimmer ^[85]
• Chris Pronger - National Hockey League player ^[41]
• Shar Pourdanesh - Former National Football League player. First Iranian born player in NFL. Starting tackle for the Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Jimmy Raye - former National Football League player ^[86]
• Kaysar Ridha - contestant on reality television show Big Brother 6 and 7 ^[87]
• Jim Rome - sports radio personality ^[78]
• Scott Spiezio - former Major League Baseball player ^[88]
• Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh - sociologist and urban ethnographer ^[89]
• Dita Von Teese - burlesque performer ^[90]
• Teppei Teranishi - lead guitarist of post-hardcore band Thrice^[70]
• Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh - sociologist and urban ethnographer ^[91]
• Tim Wallach - former Major League Baseball player ^[53]
• Natasha Watley - Olympic softball player ^[92]
• Irv Weinstein - retired television news anchor and father of mayor Beth Krom ^[93]
• Amy Yao - bassist for Riot grrrl band Emily's Sassy Lime ^[94]
• Caroline Zhang - figure skater ^[95]

See also List of University of California, Irvine people.

Points of interest

Orange County Great Park air balloon ride

• Ayn Rand Institute
• Boomers! (formerly Palace Park)
• California State University Fullerton, Irvine Campus
• Concordia University, Irvine
• Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Orange County Campus
• Heritage Park
• Irvine Spectrum Center
• Islamic Center of Irvine
• Mariners Church
• Mason Park
• Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial (Long War Memorial)
• Orange County Great Park
• Pao Fa Temple
• Tustin Market Place
• University of California, Irvine
• University of California, Irvine, Arboretum
• Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• Wild Rivers

Twinning or sister cities

Irvine is twinned with:

Filming location

According to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB), the following productions have either been partially or entirely filmed in Irvine:^[96][97]

References

External links

• City of Irvine - Homepage
• Orange County Great Park information
• Irvine World News
• Villages of Irvine - Master Planned Communities
• Irvine Wiki

Municipalities and communities of Orange County, California County seat: Santa Ana Cities Aliso Viejo | Anaheim | Brea | Buena Park | Costa Mesa | Cypress | Dana Point | Fountain Valley | Fullerton | Garden Grove | Huntington Beach | Irvine | La Habra | La Palma | Laguna Beach | Laguna Hills | Laguna Niguel | Laguna Woods | Lake Forest | Los Alamitos | Mission Viejo | Newport Beach | Orange | Placentia | Rancho Santa Margarita | San Clemente | San Juan Capistrano | Santa Ana | Seal Beach | Stanton | Tustin | Villa Park | Westminster | Yorba Linda CDPs Coto de Caza | Las Flores | North Tustin | Rossmoor Unincorporated communities Anaheim Island | Ladera Ranch | Midway City | Modjeska Canyon | Orange Park Acres | Santa Ana Heights | Santiago Canyon | Silverado | Sunset Beach | Trabuco Canyon

State of California Sacramento (capital) Topics Climate · Delegations · Deserts · Districts · Ecology · Elections · Geography · Government · History · Protected areas · Sports · Symbols · Transportation · Visitor attractions · Index of California-related articles Society Californians · Culture · Crime · Demographics · Economy · Education · Politics Regions Antelope Valley · Big Sur · Cascade Range · Central Coast · Central Valley · Channel Islands · Coachella Valley · Conejo Valley · Cucamonga Valley · Death Valley · East Bay (SF) · Eastern California · Emerald Triangle · Gold Country · Great Basin · Greater Los Angeles · Inland Empire · Lake Tahoe · Los Angeles Basin · Lost Coast · Mojave · North Bay (SF) · North Coast · Northern California · Owens Valley · Oxnard Plain · San Francisco Peninsula · Pomona Valley · Sacramento Valley · San Bernardino Valley · San Fernando Valley · San Francisco Bay Area · San Gabriel Valley · San Joaquin Valley · Santa Clara Valley · Santa Clara River Valley · Santa Clarita Valley · Shasta Cascade · Sierra Nevada · Silicon Valley · South Bay (LA) · South Bay (SF) · South Bay (SD) · San Diego–Imperial · Southern California · South Coast · Tri-Valley · Upstate California · Victor Valley · Wine Country · Yosemite Metro areas Bakersfield · Chico · El Centro · Fresno · Hanford–Corcoran · Los Angeles–Long Beach–Glendale · Madera · Modesto · Merced · Napa · Oakland–Fremont–Hayward · Oxnard–Thousand Oaks–Ventura · Redding · Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario · Sacramento–Arden Arcade–Roseville · Salinas · San Diego–Carlsbad–San Marcos · San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City · San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara · San Luis Obispo–Paso Robles · Santa Ana–Anaheim–Irvine · Santa Barbara–Santa Maria–Goleta · Santa Cruz–Watsonville· Santa Rosa–Petaluma · Stockton · Vallejo–Fairfield · Visalia–Porterville · Yuba City Micro areas Bishop · Clearlake · Crescent City · Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna · Phoenix Lake-Cedar Ridge · Red Bluff · Susanville · Truckee–Grass Valley · Ukiah Counties Alameda · Alpine · Amador · Butte · Calaveras · Colusa · Contra Costa · Del Norte · El Dorado · Fresno · Glenn · Humboldt · Imperial · Inyo · Kern · Kings · Lake · Lassen · Los Angeles · Madera · Marin · Mariposa · Mendocino · Merced · Modoc · Mono · Monterey · Napa · Nevada · Orange · Placer · Plumas · Riverside · Sacramento · San Benito · San Bernardino · San Diego · San Francisco · San Joaquin · San Luis Obispo · San Mateo · Santa Barbara · Santa Clara · Santa Cruz · Shasta · Sierra · Siskiyou · Solano · Sonoma · Stanislaus · Sutter · Tehama · Trinity · Tulare · Tuolumne · Ventura · Yolo · Yuba

Mayors of cities with populations exceeding 100,000 in California     Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles) Jerry Sanders (San Diego) Chuck Reed (San Jose) Gavin Newsom (San Francisco) Ashley Swearengin (Fresno) Kevin Johnson (Sacramento) Bob Foster (Long Beach) Ron Dellums (Oakland) Miguel A. Pulido (Santa Ana) Tom Tait (Anaheim) Harvey Hall (Bakersfield) Ronald O. Loveridge (Riverside) Ann Johnston (Stockton) Cheryl Cox (Chula Vista) Sukhee Kang (Irvine) Jim Ridenour (Modesto) Bob Wasserman (Fremont) Pat Morris (San Bernardino) John Drayman (Glendale) Cathy Green (Huntington Beach)^ William H. Batey II (Moreno Valley)^ Thomas E. Holden (Oxnard) Frank Scialdone (Fontana) Paul S. Leon (Ontario) Donald Kurth (Rancho Cucamonga) Jim Wood (Oceanside) Bob Kellar (Santa Clarita)^ William Dalton (Garden Grove) Susan Gorin (Santa Rosa)^ Elliot Rothman (Pomona) Stan Skipworth (Corona)^ R. Rex Parris (Lancaster) Dennis Donohue (Salinas) James C. Ledford Jr. (Palmdale) Bill Bogaard (Pasadena) Michael Sweeney (Hayward) Frank Scotto (Torrance) Lori Holt Pfeiler (Escondido) Carolyn Cavecche (Orange) Pat Hume (Elk Grove) Tony Spitaleri (Sunnyvale) Sharon Quirk (Fullerton)^ Jacqui Irwin (Thousand Oaks)^ Ernest Gutierrez (El Monte) William D. Shinn (Concord)^ Jesus Gamboa (Visalia) Paul Miller (Simi Valley) Osby Davis (Vallejo) Eloy Morales (Mayor Pro Tempore) (Inglewood) Gina Garbolino (Roseville) Rudy Cabriales (Victorville) Patricia M. Mahan (Santa Clara) Eric R. Bever (Costa Mesa)^ Rick Trejo (Downey)^ Roger Hernandez (West Covina)^ Christy Weir (Ventura) Harry T. Price (Fairfield) Gordon Stefenhagen (Norwalk) David Golonski (Burbank) Gayle McLaughlin (Richmond) Gonzalo "Sal" Torres (Daly City) Tom Bates (Berkeley) Jim Davis (Antioch) ^Mayor selected from city council