Orange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana. According to the 2000 Census, its population was 2,846,289, making it the second most populous county in the state of California, and the fifth most populous in the United States. The state of California estimates its population as of 2007 to be 3,098,121 people, dropping its rank to third, behind San Diego County by 148 people.^[1]Unlike other population centers, Orange County residents take their county name as their label of cultural identity, whereas most population centers in the United States tend to be identified by a major city. There is no defined urban center to Orange County as there generally is in other areas with one dominant municipal entity. Orange County is almost uniformly sub-urban with a few interspersed vestigial patches of agriculture.

Five Orange County cities have populations exceeding 170,000 while none have populations surpassing 360,000.It is also famous as a tourist destination, as the county is home to such attractions as Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, as well as sandy beaches for swimming and surfing, yacht harbors for sailing and pleasure boating, and extensive area devoted to parks and open space for golf, tennis, hiking, kayaking, cycling, skateboarding, and other outdoor recreation. It is portrayed in the media as a relatively conservative, affluent region. It is at the center of Southern California's Tech Coast, with Irvine being the primary business hub.Thirty-four incorporated cities are located in Orange County; the newest is Aliso Viejo. Seven of these cities are among the 200 largest cities in the United States. 

Feature Cities:

	Centrally located within Southern California, Anaheim is the regional hub for economic activity in Orange County and fast becoming a world-class business center. The City is known worldwide as a center for entertainment, tourism and convention activities. This translates into a prestigious, high profile international address that balances business and residential growth.
	Irvine is one of the nation's largest planned urban communities and encompasses more than 55 square miles. We contract for fire and medical services with the County of Orange, and have three independent districts: library, educational and utility services.

Government:Orange County is a chartered county of California; its seat is Santa Ana. Its legislative and executive authority is vested in a five-member Board of Supervisors. Each Supervisor is popularly elected from a regional district, and together the board oversees the activities of the county's agencies and departments and sets policy on development, public improvements, and county services. At the beginning of each year the Supervisors select a Chairman and Vice Chairman, but the administration is headed by a professional municipal manager, the County Executive. The current supervisors are Janet Nguyen, John Moorlach, Bill Campbell, Chris Norby, and Patricia C. Bates.Seven other public officials are elected at-large: the County Assessor, Auditor-Controller, Clerk-Recorder, District Attorney, Sheriff-Coroner, Treasurer-Tax Collector and Public Administrator. Since 1999, the Orange County Sheriff's Department has been led by Sheriff-Coroner Mike Carona. Carona resigned in 2008 to defend himself in a corruption trial. His assistant Jack Anderson became the interim Sheriff.More info: http://www.oc.ca.gov/  

Things to do:The area's warm Mediterranean climate and 42 miles (68 km) of year-round beaches attract millions of tourists annually. Huntington Beach is a hot spot for sunbathing and surfing; nicknamed "Surf City, U.S.A.", it is home to many surfing competitions. "eVocal," on the west side of Costa Mesa is the center of Orange County's underground artistic movement. "The Wedge," at the tip of The Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, is one of the most famous body surfing spots in the world. Other tourist destinations include the theme parks Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim and Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park.

The Anaheim Convention Center is the largest such facility on the West Coast. The old town area in the City of Orange (the traffic circle at the middle of Chapman Ave. at Glassell) still maintains its 1950s image, and appeared in the That Thing You Do! movie. Little Saigon is another notable tourist destination, being home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese people outside of Vietnam. There are also sizable Taiwanese, Chinese, and Korean communities, particularly in western Orange County. This is evident in several Asian-influenced shopping centers in Asian American hubs like the city of Irvine.Other notable structures include the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse in Santa Ana, the largest building in the county; the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, the largest house of worship in California; the historic Balboa Pavilion [3] in Newport Beach; the Huntington Beach Pier; and the restored Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Some of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the U.S. are located here, many along the Orange County Coast, and some in north Orange County. Historical points of interest include Mission San Juan Capistrano (destination of migrating swallows), and the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda. The Nixon Home is a National Historic Landmark, as is the home of a very different character, Madam Helena Modjeska, in Modjeska Canyon on Santiago Creek.

Since the premiere in fall 2003 of the hit FOX series The OC, tourism has increased with travelers from across the globe hoping to see the sights seen in the show. 

Source: wikipedia.org

REPORTS:

2007 Workforce Housing Scorecard -- A first-of-its-kind examination of the past, current and future supply of housing in Orange County.  The product of over a year of research by OCBC Vice President of Research, Dr. Wallace Walrod, the Scorecard is intended to act a starting point to foster dialogue to address the critical shortage of workforce housing throughout Orange County. 

2007 Workforce Indicators Report -- OCBC's 2007 Orange County Workforce Indicators Report -- a product of the research partnership between the Orange County Business Council, County of Orange, and Orange County Workforce Investment Board (OCWIB) -- examines the growth of industry and employment, salary and wage trends, demographic changes and the educational attainment of Orange County students.

Community Indicators Project -- The Community Indicators Project is a research project led by the Orange County Business Council, County of Orange, and Children and Families Commission of Orange County. The annual Orange County Community Indicators Reports provides balanced measurements of the factors that contribute to sustaining Orange County vitality: a healthy economy, education and technology capacity, social and civic engagement, high quality of life, public safety, and environmental well-being.

Information Technology Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy(IT-CEDS) -- The Orange County IT CEDS Report analyzes the current status of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Orange County. To download the IT CEDS Report, please visit http://www.wrjgroup.com/projects. To view the interactive mapping program of Orange County’s ICT infrastructure click here.2006 Orange County Cultural Indicators Report -- This first-ever Cultural Indicators Report for Orange County is an aggregate of a number of independent cultural inquiries featuring integrated findings and recommendations. It provides an snapshot of this distinct moment in Orange County's cultural and offers recommendations for future action.