Any orange groves left in Orange County? (Santa Ana, Anaheim: real estate, apartments)

[SeanAaron]

I googled to see if I could find any pictures and nothing came up I just thought that there would be because I think Orange County would ne named after the fruits, I could be wrong, but is their any orange groves still in Orange County?

[Fontucky]

Yes, a mere ghost of what once was. There are some on both sides of Hwy 241. Also out Hwy 74 near La Pata, and on the west side of I-5 in Northern San Juan Capistrano are some scraggly remnants of my family's once luxuriant groves.

There are more in the North part of the county as well. At least there were the last time I was up there.

[Irvinedebs]

There are still some orange groves in Irvine right by the Irvine Valley College on Jeffrey/Irvine Center Drive, there used to be many groves over there now there are only a few left.

[Bootstrap Bill]

I used to walk through an orange grove to get to my elementary school in Yorba Linda. That was back in 1972. I remember my mother telling me not to pick the oranges because they were sprayed with pesticide.

[IloveOC]

Hey Bootstrap Bill: That is funny - I must be older than you but we went to Adelaide Price Elementary in Anaheim in the late 50's and we walked by an Avacado orchard. We were told not to pick them, but it was because it was stealing. But when the Santa Ana winds blew them off the tree's we thought it was okay to pick them up. We never thought about pesticides back then. After high school, I lived in an apt in Santa Ana that was next to an orange grove. I would go pick a few fresh oranges to put in a bowl on the kitchen table. (Yes they were the nasty apartments on Minnie St between Borchardt and Wilshire - but they were ok places back then - just cheap rent).

I've been gone for many years - but sure miss the orange groves.

[MisterDuke]

Farming was a big industry in OC when land was cheap. By the 1970s most farmers realized they could make more money selling their land to real estate developers than they could as orange growers. There are still a very few little patches of trees here and there.

This is a photo of the last orange grove in Placentia. It has since been removed and some McMansions have been built in its place.

Photograph of Placentia's last commercial orange grove

[SeanAaron]

http://ljames1.home.netcom.com/baldy_groves_js.jpg

That's a nice picture from the 40's, its a shame what Southern California has lost, it truely was one of the most beautiful places on earth.

[slowbill]

Originally Posted by SeanAaron

http://ljames1.home.netcom.com/baldy_groves_js.jpg

That's a nice picture from the 40's, its a shame what Southern California has lost, it truely was one of the most beautiful places on earth.

This verb tense is correct..."was"...the OC today is full of urban sprawl, strip malls, fast food, massage parlors, graffitti, multi-family dwellings, and traffic. It was one of the greatest farming communities until about 1970.

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by IloveOC

Hey Bootstrap Bill: That is funny - I must be older than you but we went to Adelaide Price Elementary in Anaheim in the late 50's and we walked by an Avacado orchard. We were told not to pick them, but it was because it was stealing. But when the Santa Ana winds blew them off the tree's we thought it was okay to pick them up. We never thought about pesticides back then. After high school, I lived in an apt in Santa Ana that was next to an orange grove. I would go pick a few fresh oranges to put in a bowl on the kitchen table. (Yes they were the nasty apartments on Minnie St between Borchardt and Wilshire - but they were ok places back then - just cheap rent).

I've been gone for many years - but sure miss the orange groves.

I went to John Marshall! Early 60's and there was an orange grove right next to the school. Orange groves were everywhere. To this day I can close my eyes and smell the smudge pots.

Orange County was considered very rural. There was a pig farm where Brookhurst Jr. High now sits. And we used to get our milk from Yellis Dairy. Strawberry farm next to Savanna High.

I feel blessed to have grown up there when the problems of today couldn't even be imagined.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by SeanAaron

http://ljames1.home.netcom.com/baldy_groves_js.jpg

That's a nice picture from the 40's, its a shame what Southern California has lost, it truely was one of the most beautiful places on earth.

That view isn't much different today looking north from the Santa Clara Valley, anywhere between Piru and Santa Paula. There are still groves there and in the far background, the snow capped Topa Topa mountains.

Perfect example (though there is no snow on the mountains in the Google Maps street view image):

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...35.45,,0,-1.42