City of Irvine
2020 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan
government by The Irvine Company. James Irvine, Jr. died in 1947 at the age of 80. Presidency of the company fell to his son Myford, who began opening small sections of the ranch to urban development, until his death in 1959.
In 1959, the University of California asked The Irvine Company for 1,000 acres for a new campus. The Irvine Company agreed, and the State accepted the land and purchased an additional 500 acres. The University's consulting architect, William Pereira, and Irvine Company planners drew up master plans for a city of 50,000 people surrounding the university. The area would include industrial zones, residential and recreational areas, commercial centers, and greenbelts. The Irvine Industrial Complex West (now known as The Irvine Business Complex) opened, and the villages of Turtle Rock, University Park, Culverdale, the Ranch and Walnut were completed by 1970.
An aerial view of UCI in 1967, being transformed from the Irvine Ranch. Photo courtesy of KCET. https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/terraforming- the-irvine-ranch-and-the-construction-of-uc-irvine
On December 28, 1971, the residents of these communities voted to incorporate a substantially larger city than that envisioned by the original Pereira plan in order to control the future of the area and protect its tax base. In May 2015, the City of Irvine had a population of more than 250,000, making it one of the 80 most populous cities in America. Its total area has grown to 66 square miles. By 2035, the City is expected to have approximately 318,000 residents. 2
D EMOGRAPHICS
The data used in this section comes from the most comprehensive American Community Survey (ACS), administered by the United States Census Bureau (US Census) completed in 2017. Based on this dataset, Irvine’s 2017 population was estimated to be 256,877, with a median age of 34, which is three years younger than Orange County. Comparatively, the number of senior residents aged 65 and older is less than the rest of Orange County, while Irvine residents are wealthier. In addition, a high proportion of Irvine residents rent compared to Orange
The City of Irvine has continually been recognized as The Safest City in America for a city of its size. https://legacy.cityofirvine.org/civica/filebank/blobdl oad.asp?BlobID=27043
County. Table 2-1 shows the basic demographics for Irvine and Orange County. It should be noted that more recent population estimates place the City’s population at approximately 282,572 residents, which is an increase of over 33.3% from the last census in 2010, suggesting the City has experienced significant population growth in the last decade. 3
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