City of Irvine
2020 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
C HAPTER 2 - C OMMUNITY P ROFILE The Community Profile section of the LHMP is a summary of Irvine, including information about the community’s physical setting, history, economy and demographics, current and future land uses, and key infrastructure. The Community Profile helps to establish the baseline conditions in Irvine, which inform the development of the hazard mitigation actions in Chapter 5.
S ETTING AND L OCATION
The City of Irvine is located in southern Orange County, adjacent to the cities of Newport Beach, Lake Forest, Tustin, Santa Ana, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, and Laguna Beach. Situated at the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains to the east, the San Joaquin Hills to the west and south, and the low-lying flatlands of central Orange County to the north, the City has a diverse geographic setting. Located approximately five miles south of the City of Santa Ana (Orange County Seat), the City is in a key job center for both Orange County and southern California. 1
H ISTORY
Southern California and the land that Irvine is situated upon has been inhabited by humans for thousands of years, though sources differ on the earliest presence of humans. Most archaeological evidence establishes prehistoric man in the Irvine area at least 12,000 years ago, possibly even 18,000 years ago. Gabrielino Indians moved into the Irvine area 2,000 years ago, establishing dozens of villages. One village was located near the present San Joaquin marsh and another near the San Joaquin golf course. Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish explorer, entered the San Joaquin Valley in 1769, abruptly ending the tranquil life of the Gabrielinos. With the Spanish came forts, missions, and herds of cattle. The King of Spain began to parcel out lands for missions and for a few large, private land grants. In 1831, after gaining independence from Spain, the Mexican government secularized the missions, assumed control of land holdings, and began distributing ranchos to Mexican citizens who applied for grants. In 1837, San Juan Capistrano mission lands were granted to Don Jose Sepulveda, later becoming Rancho San Joaquin. Rancho Lomas de Santiago was granted to Teodosio Yorba in 1846. In that year, the Mexican army was defeated in the final battle of the Mexican American War. The Treaty of Guadalupe was signed, and California was annexed to the United States. During the mid-1800s, when landholders were forced to reapply to gain valid titles for their ranchos, Rancho de Santa Ana ran into troubles but was eventually divided among sheep rancher claimants, which included James Irvine. By 1878, Irvine eventually acquired his partners’ interests stretching his 110,000- acre ranch 23 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Santa Ana River. In 1886, James Irvine died leaving the ranch in flux until 1893 when his son, James Irvine, Jr., came into full possession of the ranch. A year later, this ranch was incorporated into The Irvine Company. After that, James Irvine, Jr. began shifting ranch operations to field crops, olive, and citrus orchards. During WorldWar I, agriculture had intensified, and by 1918, some 60,000 acres of lima beans were grown on the Irvine Ranch. During World War II, two Marine Corps air facilities were built on land sold to the
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