THE
HISTORY
Golf at
the Greens, Irvine
photo courtesy of oc.book.com
Irvine is the country's largest and best-known
planned community. Now a city of over 200,000
people, its housing "villages" and business
developments were sculpted from portions of the
huge Irvine Ranch, purchased by James Irvine in
1864. Cattle and sheep once grazed the flat valley,
but James Irvine began switching from ranching
to farming in the late 1800s.
The
ranch became a leading producer of barley and
lima beans, but other crops, such as asparagus,
avocados, strawberries and orange trees, also
flourished.
In
the early 1900s, a town centered around the agricultural
activity and East Irvine began to grow. It included
a general store and a post office.
That
area - no longer the city's center - has been
redeveloped as Old Town Irvine, using the historical
buildings as restaurants, shops and a hotel.
Irvine's
growth as a residential and employment area was
spurred by the decision to build a local University
of California campus. In
1960, The Irvine Co. donated 1,000 acres and sold
500 acres to the university system for the new
campus.
In
1970, the company announced an ambitious plan
to turn 43 square miles of undeveloped land into
a master-planned community. Rows
of houses rapidly began replacing rows of crops.
From 1970 to 1980, Irvine was California's fastest
growing city.
Threatened
with possible annexations by other cities, Irvine
incorporated in 1971. Irvine
officials tout it as a progressive, trend setting
city that delivers a high level of services to
its residents. It is famed for its highly regulated
residential neighborhoods.
Historical
Sites:
OLD TOWN IRVINE - Sand Canyon Ave and Burt
Rd
Old Town Irvine stands today as a testament to
the rich agricultural past of what has become
one of California's most heavily urban counties.
Founded in 1887 as the distribution and storage
center of the 125,000-acre Irvine ranch, Old Town
Irvine was to develop over the years a bean and
grain storage warehouse (1895) and granary (1947)
known as the Irvine Bean and Grain Grower's Building,
a blacksmith's shop (1916), a hotel (1913), a
general store (1911), and an employees' bungalow
(1915). All of these structures have been rehabilitated
for commercial uses and their exteriors have been
painstakingly maintained.
BARTON MOUND - SE corner of I-405 and State
Hwy 133, 2 mi S of East Irvine
This is the site of a shoot-out between Sheriff
James Barton and notorious area bandit Juan Flores
and his gang in 1857. Flores, who had escaped
from San Quentin, was being sought by Sheriff
Barton with a posse of five men. Near this mound,
Flores surprised Barton and three of his men,
all four were killed. When Los Angeles learned
of the slaughter, posses were formed, and Flores
and his men were captured. |
