The City of Orange was incorporated in 1888. It began as a real estate venture-Alfred Chapman and Andrew Glassell, both lawyers, acquired the acres of land through purchase and as legal fees, and in 1870 Chapman had the land surveyed and placed on the market as the Richland Farm Tracts. In July of 1871, William T. Glassell, the brother of Andrew Glassell, laid out eight city blocks as a townsite, surrounded by ten-acre farm lots. In the center he set aside eight lots for a public plaza. The need for a post office in 1873 produced the need for a new name, as California already had a town named Richland. Orange was selected, perhaps due to the marketability of the name, or Glassell family connections to Orange County, Virginia.
The center of the original one square mile town site became known as the Plaza, which has become the symbol of the community. Today, the Plaza and the original one square mile town site contain many homes and buildings dating to the early days of the City and the site is registered on the National Historic Register.
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Orange: The City 'Round the Plaza by Phil Brigandi. Heritage Media Corporation, 1997. The first full history written on Orange.
A New Creation: The Incorporation of the City of Orange, 1888 by Phil Brigandi. Early Orange history.
A Tour of Old Towne Orange by Doug and Jackie Westfall, The Paragon Agency, 1999. Walking tour with listings of houses and buildings, historic trees, and artifacts, with historic photos.
Color it Orange, Volumes 1 & 2, edited by Anita Freedman, Orange Community Historical Society, 1993, 1995. Short articles on people, places and events in the community.
Links to information on the city of Orange:
http://www.cityoforange.org -- see the City of Orange site for a brief history, demographics (population, etc.), press releases. At the homepage, select the ABOUT ORANGE button. At the bottom of the demographics page is a link to a three page Adobe Acrobat document with additional information.
http://www.cityoforange.org/localhistory will take you to the Orange Public Library and History Center's local history pages. You can find additional historical information there, including photographs and documents. The HISTORY OF ORANGE button will take you to a few articles, including one written in 1930 by Margaret Gardner (some of the information is fanciful; disregard the account of how the city got its name, it was not in a poker game) and one on an early explorer/settler, Juan Pablo Grijalva.
http://www.oldtowneorange.net is a site maintained by the Downtown Orange Business and Professional Association. Check out their history, City of Orange information, and A Place Called Home (links located at the bottom of the page).
http://www.otpa.org --The Old Towne Preservation Association, a public benefit non-profit organization, was established in February of 1986 to preserve, protect and enhance Old Towne, Orange, California. This one square mile area contains over 1,400 structures built before 1940. In 1997, Old Towne Orange became a national historic district and was placed in the National Register of Historic Places. This makes it the largest residential historic district in the state of California. The OTPA works to maintain the historic integrity and economic viability of the area through education, community involvement, and service projects that support the concerns of Orange residents to maintain this neighborhood for future generations.
http://www.orangechamber.com -- The Orange Chamber of Commerce site; see VISITOR INFORMATION and RELOCATION (located at the left) for information on major employers, demographics, etc.
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Last updated 03/19/2007 01:47 PM |