IRVINE, CALIFORNIA

'Irvine' is an incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated in 1971, the 65 square mile (180.5 km²) city has a population of 202,079 (as of 2007). It has annexed in the past an undeveloped area to the north, and has also annexed the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, most of which is to be made into a park called the Orange County Great Park. Currently,Irvine is larger in land area than any other city in Orange County, because when Irvine annexed the southern and eastern unincorporated areas, it surpassed the size of Anaheim and became the county's largest city based on area. In June 2005, it was named The Safest City in the United States ^[1].
Irvine is home to the University of California, Irvine (UCI), the Orange County Center of University of Southern California, Irvine Campus of Alliant International University, Concordia University, and Irvine Valley College.
Irvine is also home to a number of corporations, particularly in the technology sector.

Contents

A planned city

The Villages

Demographics

Emergency services

Education

Sister city controversy

Famous people from or in Irvine

Points of interest

Business

Twinning or Sister cities

References

External links

A planned city

The layout of Irvine was designed by Los Angeles architect William Pereira and Irvine Company employee Raymond Watson, and is nominally divided into townships called ''villages''. The townships are separated by six-lane streets. Each township includes a spectrum of similar types of dwellings, along with shopping, religious institutions and schools. Commercial districts are checker-boarded in a periphery around the central townships.
Pereira originally envisioned an Atlantis-like circular plan with numerous man-made lakes and the university in the center. When the Irvine Company refused to relinquish valuable farmland in the flat central region of the ranch for this plan, the University site was moved to the base of the southern coastal hills. The design that ended up being used was based on the shape of a necklace (with the villages strung along two parallel main streets, which terminate at UCI, the "pendant") . Traces of the original circular design are visible in the layout of the UCI campus and the two man-made lakes at the center of Woodbridge, one of the central villages.
All streets have landscaping allowances. Rights-of-way for powerlines also serve as bicycle corridors, parks and greenbelts to tie together ecological preserves. The greenery is irrigated with reclaimed water.
The homeowners' associations which govern the villages exercise varying degrees of control on the appearances of homes. In more restrictive areas, houses' roofing, paint colors, and landscaping are regulated.
The Irvine Ranch played host to the Boy Scouts of America's 1953 National Scout Jamboree. Jamboree Road, an important street which now stretches from Newport Beach to the City of Orange, was named in honor of this event.

The Villages

Each of the villages was initially planned to have a distinct architectural theme, though many have been clouded by later development. They are listed below, from north to south. Villages currently in development are listed in bold text.

★ Orchard Hills (future village)

★ 'Portola Springs' (2006-present) (Spanish/Tuscan)

★ West Irvine (1995-2002) (California Modern)

★ Northwood (1971-2006) (Bungalow, Craftsman)

★ Northpark/Northpark Square (1998-2007) (Spanish Mission)

★ Stonegate (future village)

★ 'Woodbury' (2005-present) (Tuscan/Spanish/French)

★ College Park

★ Woodbury East (Under construction)

★ Walnut (1970-2004) (Prairie Style)

★ El Camino Real (1971-1979) (Spanish/Neo-Eclectic)

★ Woodbridge (1975-1992) (Atlantic Coast)

★ Westpark (1985-1998) (Italian Riviera/Mediterranean)

★ Oak Creek (1998-2003) (mixed styles)

★ 'Irvine Spectrum' (Contemporary/Moroccan)

★ Rancho San Joaquin (1974-1979) (Shed style)

★ University Park (1965-1975) (California Modern)

★ Quail Hill (2000-2006) (Spanish/Tuscan)

★ Laguna Crossing (future village)

★ Turtle Rock (1968-1985) (mixed styles)

★ 'Turtle Ridge' (1999-present) (Tuscan)

★ 'Shady Canyon' (2000-present) (Tuscan Ranch)

★ University Town Center (1985-1995) (mixed styles)
Note: University Hills is subsidized (20-30% below market pricing) for professors and retired professors. It is the first such community of its kind in the nation.

Demographics

The census of 2000 found there were 143,072 people, 51,199 households, and 34,354 families in the city. The population density is 1,196.2/km² (3,098.0/mi²), as of the census. There are 53,711 housing units at an average density of 449.1/km² (1,163.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 61.06% White, 1.45% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 29.83% Asian American, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 2.54% from other races, and 4.82% from two or more races. 7.37% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 51,199 households out of which 36.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% are married couples living together, 9.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% are non-families. 22.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.70 persons and the average family size is 3.17.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 14.4% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $85,624, and the median income for a family is $97,592. 9.1% of the population and 5.0% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 6.1% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
In 2006, the median gross rent paid for housing was $1,660 a month. This was the highest of any place in the United States of more than 100,000 people.^[2]
The skyrocketing high cost of housing is a major issue in Irvine and Orange County, while the city council is on a frantic pace to approve future income-subsidized housing projects to meet the demands of working-class citizens to live and work in Irvine or elsewhere in Orange County. Like much of Orange County, most resident voters are registered in the Republican Party ^[3].

Emergency services

Fire protection in Irvine is provided by the Orange County Fire Authority with ambulance service by Doctor's Ambulance. Law enforcement is provided by the Irvine Police Department serves a suburban city rated the safest US city in the 2007 FBI crime statistic survey [1].

Education

Most of Irvine is part of the Irvine Unified School District. The four high schools in the city are University High School, Irvine High School, Northwood High School, and Woodbridge High School. All four are recognized as some of the nation's best public high schools. All four schools earned a six-year accreditation in 2006, the best possible.
All the high schools in Irvine have consistently made Newsweek's list of Top High Schools. In 2003, University High School ranked 58th[2]out of the top 804 high schools in the nation while Northwood High School ranked 404th[3], Irvine High School ranked 505th[4], and Woodbridge High School ranked 803rd[5].
In 2005, University High School ranked 117th[6] out of the top 1000 high schools with Northwood High School ranking 389th[7], Irvine High School ranking 816th[8], and Woodbridge High School ranking 1040th[9].
In Newsweek's current 2006 list, University High School ranks at 156th[10] out of 1,200 top high schools while Northwood High School ranks at 296th[11], Irvine High School ranks at 1044th[12], and Woodbridge High School rank at 1156th[13]. All of these schools on the Newsweek's list were in the top 4 percent in the nation.
Also the elementary and middle schools are some of the best in the nation, including two alternative, year round, open enrollment K-8 schools (Plaza Vista and Vista Verde). [14][15] The district recently constructed a new larger high tech campus for Vista Verde School in the village of Turtle Ridge. The district also has a renowned music program starting in the 4th grade. Parts of the north and west of the city are served by the Tustin Unified School District.

Sister city controversy

On May 30, 2006, Irvine signed a sister-city memorandum with Xuhui District of
Shanghai, which disavowed the legitimacy of Taiwan's sovereignty. The contract barred Irvine officials from making official trips to Irvine's sister city Taoyuan, Taiwan.
The memorandum is automatically unenforceable because Irvine is not allowed to enter into international treaties which run counter to the official United States stance on the Taiwan sovereignty issue.
After the memorandum was made public, an uproar arose from the Irvine Taiwanese American community, numbering approximately 10,000. Around 200 protesters arrived at the Irvine council meeting on June 27, 2006, demanding that the memorandum be voided.
Irvine has drafted a new agreement which is almost identical to the original memorandum, with the section renouncing Taiwan's sovereignty removed. Xuhui District has yet to respond to the amended memorandum. If an agreement is not found, Irvine will terminate the memorandum entirely.
^[4]

Famous people from or in Irvine

★ Larry Agran - politician

★ Brady Anderson - Major League Baseball player

★ Garrett Atkins - Major League Baseball player

★ Amanda Beard - Olympic swimmer

★ Steven Choi - politician

★ Tim Commerford - bassist for Rage Against the Machine, former bassist for Audioslave

★ Anthony Davis- Former National Football League player

★ Zack de la Rocha - lead singer for Rage Against the Machine

★ Jack DeSena - sketch comedy actor on Nickelodeon's All That

★ Tom Dumont - Guitarist for No Doubt

★ East West - Christian rapcore band

★ Will Ferrell - Actor and comedian

★ Shane Haboucha - Actor

★ Hugh Hewitt - author and radio talk show host

★ Quinton Jackson - UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion

★ Adam Keefe - National Basketball Association player

★ Martin Leung - pianist

★ Jason Lezak - Olympic swimmer

★ Doug Linton - Major League Baseball pitcher

★ Ben Maller - Sports radio personality

★ Chris Mandeville - former National Football League defensive back

★ Mark McGwire - former Major League Baseball player

★ Beverly Oden - Olympic volleyball player

★ The Offspring - Punk/alternative band

★ Leonard Peikoff - Intellectual heir to novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand

★ Aaron Piersol - Olympic swimmer

★ Chris Pronger - National Hockey League player

★ Jimmy Raye - former National Football League player

★ Jim Rome - Sports radio personality

★ Thrice - Post-hardcore band

★ Dita Von Teese - Burlesque performer

Points of interest

★ Ayn Rand Institute

★ Boomers! (formerly Palace Park)

★ California State University Fullerton, Irvine Campus

★ Concordia University, Irvine

★ Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Orange County Campus

★ Heritage Park

★ Irvine Fine Arts Center

★ Irvine Ranch Land Reserve

★ Irvine Spectrum Center

★ Islamic Center of Irvine

★ John Wayne Airport

★ Mariners Church, 2nd Largest Christian Church in California

★ Marymount-Webster University, Irvine Campus

★ Mason Park

★ Old Town Irvine

★ Orange County Great Park

★ Pao Fa Temple

★ Strawberry Farms Golf Club

★ The Market Place (Tustin and Irvine)

★ University of California, Irvine

★ University of California, Irvine, Arboretum

★ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

★ Wild Rivers

Business

The following companies are headquartered in Irvine:

★ Allergan, Inc.

★ Arbonne International

★ AskMeNow Inc.

★ ATEN Technology, Inc. (a division of ATEN International, Inc.)

★ BAX Global

★ Blizzard Entertainment

★ Broadcom Corporation

★ Conexant Systems

★ Edwards Lifesciences LLC

★ Epicor Software Corporation

★ Fisker Coachbuild

★ GameSpy (a division of IGN Entertainment, Inc.)

★ Gateway, Inc.

★ iLounge

★ In-N-Out Burger

★ LA Fitness

★ Linksys (a division of Cisco Systems)

★ Maruchan, Inc. (a division of Toyo Suisan)

★ Meade Instruments Corporation

★ O'Neill, Inc.

★ Orange County Business Council

★ Printronix

★ Saleen Inc.

★ Superformance, LLC

★ Taco Bell (a division of Yum! Brands, Inc.)

★ Ultimate Ears

★ Verizon Wireless
The following international companies have their North American headquarters in Irvine:

★ Atlus

★ BenQ Corporation

★ Kia Motors

★ Mazda Motor Corporation

★ Samsung Group

★ Shimano

★ Toshiba Corporation

Twinning or Sister cities

Irvine is twinned with:

★ - Hermosillo (Sonora, Mexico) ★ - Tsukuba (Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan) ★ - Taoyuan, (Taoyuan County, Taiwan)

References

1. The Safest City in the United States
2. California Cities Have Highest Rents in Nation, Census 2000 Reveals
3. Report of Registration
4. Irvine apologizes to Taiwanese .

External links

★ City of Irvine - Homepage

★ Orange County Great Park information

★ Photos of Irvine, California