The Orange Public Library has many books and pamphlets with information on the City. At the Main Library, there is an excellent Local History collection with materials on the City of Orange and its surrounding area. The Local History collection includes books, maps, artifacts, manuscripts, photographs and clippings about the City of Orange. Microfilm of the local newspapers is also available. To use an item from the Local History collection, please ask a reference librarian at the information desk for help. All items in the collection are for use inside the library only.
Click on the catalog browse button. Type in Orange (Calif.) History and click on the words or phrase button. Click on subject to view the list of titles. Use the scroll bar to move to a title you are interested in. Click details to see the location in the library and whether the book is currently available. Call numbers with a J in front of them are in the children's area.
Reference and Information Resources
Orange: The City 'Round the Plaza 979.496 BRI
A Brief History of the OUSD Communities, Orange CA REF J 979.496 EVA
A New Creation: The Incorporation of the City of Orange 1888 REF J 979.496 BRI
California Cities, Towns and Counties 2002 (ask at the reference desk) REF 307.0979 CAL
Orange, California History: A compilation of various sources (ask at the reference desk) REF 979.496 ORA
Other Resources
Subject headings notebook for Local History Collection at the Reference Desk
Newspaper and magazine articles
Fast Facts about the City of Orange
Incorporated: April 6, 1888
Population: 138,640 (2007 estimate)
Elevation: 187 ft.
Land Area: 25 sq. miles
City Motto: "Orange...a Slice of Old Town Charm"
City Tree: Orange
City Flower: Rose
Mayor: Carolyn V. Cavecche (714) 744-2200 Mayor's Hotline (714) 744-5511
City Council (714) 744-2211
Theresa Smith, Mayor Pro Tem
Denis Bilodeau, Council Member
Jon Dumitru, Council Member
Mark A. Murphy, Council Member
Governor of California
Arnold Schwarzenegger (916) 445-2841
U.S. Senators
Barbara Boxer (202) 224-3553
Diane Feinstein (202) 224-3841
Congressional Representatives
40th District: Ed Royce (202) 225-4111
Brief History of Orange
The earliest inhabitants of the area were Native Americans called Gabrieleños by the Spaniards. The first landholder in the area was Juan Pablo Grijalva, a retired Spanish soldier who built an adobe ranch house around 1801 (the site is located as what is now the southeast corner of Hewes Avenue and Santiago Canyon Road). Later family members sold sections of the rancho to two lawyers, Alfred Beck Chapman and Andrew Glassell. By 1870 they owned approximately 5,400 acres and hired a surveyor to divide the land into tracts, with land set aside in the center for a plaza. William T. Glassell was hired as land agent, and he laid out the downtown area and supervised construction of a canal for water. Orange began as a farming community. Grapes were a major crop until the 1886 blight destroyed most of the grapevines. In 1873 the farmers started growing oranges and other produce which made the city prosperous again. Orange was incorporated as a city in 1888. At that time the city was 3.1 square miles with a population of 866. A lot of people moved to Orange in the 1960s and onward because it was a good place to live. Today, that trend continues - the City of Orange remains a place to grown and prosper.
