Approximately four-fifths Hispanic or Latino, Santa Ana has been characterized byThe New York Times as the "face of a new California, a state where Latinos have more influence in everyday life—electorally, culturally and demographically—than almost anywhere else in the country."[8]
Members of theTongva andJuaneño/Luiseño are indigenous to the area. The Tongva called the Santa Ana area "Hotuuk".[9][10] The village ofPajbenga was located at modern day Santa Ana along theSanta Ana River.[11][12] The Santa Ana river was a source for many of the Tongva villages and the Spanish Portola Expedition stayed and named this river.[13]
Santa Ana was listed as a township of Los Angeles County in the 1860 and 1870 census, with an area encompassing most of what is now northern and central Orange County. It had a population of 756 in 1860 and 880 in 1870. The Anaheim district was enumerated separately from Santa Ana in 1870.[15][16]
Claimed in 1869 byKentuckianWilliam H. Spurgeon on land obtained from the descendants ofJose Antonio Yorba, Santa Ana was incorporated as a city in 1886 with a population of 2000 and in 1889 became the seat of the newly formedOrange County.
In 1877, theSouthern Pacific Railroad built a branch line fromLos Angeles to Santa Ana, which offered free right of way, land for a depot, and $10,000 in cash to the railroad in exchange for terminating the line in Santa Ana and not neighboringTustin. In 1887, theCalifornia Central Railway (which became a subsidiary of theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway the following year) broke the Southern Pacific's local monopoly on rail travel, offering service between Los Angeles andSan Diego by way of Santa Ana as a major intermediate station.
In 1890, whites made up 71 percent of the city's population, most of whom migrated to Santa Ana fromconfederate states following theAmerican Civil War in search of real estate ventures and other economic opportunities.[17]
By 1905, the Los Angeles Interurban Railway, a predecessor to thePacific Electric Railway, extended from Los Angeles to Santa Ana, running along Fourth Street downtown.[18]Firestone Boulevard, the first direct automobile route between Los Angeles and Santa Ana, opened in 1935; it was enlarged into theSanta Ana Freeway in 1953.[19] The Pacific ElectricSanta Ana Line ran from 1905 to 1958.
Although there was a significant wave of Mexican migration to the city following the 1910Mexican Revolution, the city remained majority white in 1939.[17]
DuringWorld War II, theSanta Ana Army Air Base was built as a training center for theUnited States Army Air Forces. The base was responsible for continued population growth in Santa Ana and the rest of Orange County as many veterans moved to the area to raise families after the end of the war.[21][22]
Santa Ana was at the center of Orange County's economic boom in the 1950s with its agricultural and defense industries. However, most of this prosperity was only experienced by the city's white residents, while Latinos did not similarly benefit. Instead,economic inequality between the two groups rapidly increased during this time.[17]
By the 1970s, Santa Ana was becoming an increasinglyLatino city, withwhite flight to surrounding suburbs coinciding with the city's downtown becoming increasingly frequented by Latinos. This changed perceptions of the city and its economic value, with property values dropping significantly by 1974, while surrounding cities ofLaguna Beach,Newport Beach, andVilla Park increased in value.[17]
Santa Ana entered the 1980s as a city of equal numbers of whites and Latinos. What had been the white commercial center of the city, Fourth Street, was now a street of Latino businesses and character. Latino immigrant and working-class families could now be found in every neighborhood of the city, rather than in just a fewethnic enclaves, as they were previously.Santa Ana became more often referred to asSantana andFourth Street asLa Cuatro.[17]
Having been acharter city since November 11, 1952, the citizens of Santa Ana amended the charter in November 1988 to provide for the direct election of the Mayor who until that point had been appointed from the council membership.Miguel A. Pulido was the first mayor of Latino descent in the city's history and the first Mayor directly elected by the voters.[23]
Since the 1980s, Santa Ana has been characterized by an effort to revitalize thedowntown area which had declined in influence, even as it had become a dynamic commercial and entertainment center for working-class Latinos. The Santa Ana Artist's Village was created aroundCal State Fullerton'sGrand Central Art Center to attract artists and young professionals to live-work lofts and new businesses. The process continued into 2009 with the reopening of the historicYost Theater.[24]
In the 2010s,gentrification became a larger concern of Santa Ana residents, with its roots starting in the 1990s. Despite strong Latino political representation, gentrification efforts have increasingly displaced the Mexican immigrant presence in the downtown area of the city in favor of outsiders. PrimarilySpanish-speaking businesses that served immigrant populations have been demolished in favor of arts projects to draw in outside investment, which bring clientele who further question why Spanish-speaking businesses are present, leading to a cycle of displacement.[25]
Residents formed a social movement to addresslead concentrations in lower-income areas of the city. A 2020 study found that areas of Santa Ana with a median income below $50,000 had five times higher lead concentrations than higher-income areas of the city, which is particularly a concern for children.[26] Residents continue to advocate forenvironmental justice in the city.[27]
Santa Ana is nested on flat, low-lying plains with little land elevation change. Running through the west end of the city is the mostlychannelizedSanta Ana River, which is also largely seasonal due to the construction of thePrado Dam andSeven Oaks Dam. The river caused several severe floods in the 20th century, and is a continued threat despite the existence of the dams.
Now fully developed, Santa Ana has several distinct districts. The core of the city is the downtown area, which contains both retail and housing, as well as theSanta Ana Civic Center, which is a dense campus of administrative buildings for both the city and the county of Orange. The civic center is also home to theRonald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse. Several historic homes dating from the late 1800s can be found as well, and their preservation is a key issue as development of the downtown area continues.[28]
View of the skyline of theSouth Coast Metro district within Santa Ana
Near the intersection of the Santa Ana Freeway and theCosta Mesa Freeway is the newly designated "Metro East" area, which the city council has envisioned as a secondarymixed-use development district.[29] Currently the area is occupied by several office towers, but little retail or housing. Also on the east side of the city is theSanta Ana Zoo, notable for its collection ofmonkeys and species fromSouth andCentral America.
The southeast end of the city is part of theSouth Coast Metro area, which is shared with the city ofCosta Mesa.South Coast Plaza, a major shopping center, is the primary destination of this area, which also contains several high-rise office and apartment buildings. Yokohama Tire Corporation's United States headquarters are located at 1 MacArthur Place in the South Coast Metro area of Santa Ana, andBanc of California's headquarters relocated from the neighboring city of Irvine.[30][31]
Santa Ana experiences ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh), with hot, dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall.[33] Rainfall averages about 12.54 in (318.5 mm) per year, most of which falls from November through April. There are an average of 35 days with measurable precipitation annually.[34]
The record high temperature for Santa Ana was 112 °F (44 °C) on June 14, 1917.[35] The record low temperature was 16 °F (−9 °C) on January 12, 1989.[35] There are an average of 30.1 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher.[34]
The wettest "rain year" in Santa Ana was from July 1940 to June 1941 with 34.34 inches (872.2 mm), and the driest was from July 2017 to June 2018 with a mere 2.73 inches (69.3 mm).[35] The most rainfall in one month was 13.99 inches (355.3 mm) in February 1998.[35] The most rainfall in 24 hours was 4.69 inches (119.1 mm) on February 16, 1927.[35]
Santa Ana first appeared in the1880 United States census with a population of 711 as part of Santa Ana Township (pop 3,024 in 1880).[40]
Santa Ana, California – racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
The census reported that 98.3% of the population lived in households, 0.5% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1.2% were institutionalized.[56]
There were 76,622 households, out of which 46.4% included children under the age of 18, 50.8% were married-couple households, 8.1% werecohabiting couple households, 24.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 16.6% had a male householder with no partner present. 13.4% of households were one person, and 5.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.98.[56] There were 61,388families (80.1% of all households).[57]
The age distribution was 24.8% under the age of 18, 11.2% aged 18 to 24, 30.0% aged 25 to 44, 23.8% aged 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 33.5years. For every 100 females, there were 102.4 males.[56]
There were 79,181 housing units at an average density of 2,896.3 units per square mile (1,118.3 units/km2), of which 76,622 (96.8%) were occupied. Of these, 45.6% were owner-occupied, and 54.4% were occupied by renters.[56]
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $88,354, and theper capita income was $28,859. About 8.8% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line.[58]
The most common Hispanic ancestries in Santa Ana are Mexican, Salvadorian and Guatemalan. The most common European ancestries are German, Irish, English and Italian.[59] By the late 1970s,African-American families began to move out of Santa Ana.[21]
The census reported that 319,870 people (98.6% of the population) lived in households, 1,415 (0.4%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 3,243 (1.0%) were institutionalized.
There were 73,174 households, out of which 41,181 (56.3%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 41,389 (56.6%) wereopposite-sex married couples living together, 11,808 (16.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 6,451 (8.8%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 4,933 (6.7%)unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 556 (0.8%)same-sex married couples or partnerships. 9,254 households (12.6%) were made up of individuals, and 3,378 (4.6%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.37. There were 59,648families (81.5% of all households); the average family size was 4.54.
The age distribution of the population was as follows: 99,678 people (30.7%) under the age of 18, 39,165 people (12.1%) aged 18 to 24, 102,399 people (31.6%) aged 25 to 44, 61,375 people (18.9%) aged 45 to 64, and 21,911 people (6.8%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.6 males.
There were 76,896 dwelling units at an average density of 2,794.4 per square mile (1,078.9/km2), of which 34,756 (47.5%) were owner-occupied, and 38,418 (52.5%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.9%. 154,045 people (47.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied dwelling units and 165,825 people (51.1%) lived in rental dwelling units.
During 2009–2013, Santa Ana had a median household income of $53,335, with 21.5% of the population living below the federal poverty line.[61]
In recent years, the nearby city ofIrvine has outpaced Santa Ana in commercial growth, with the Irvine Business District located nearJohn Wayne Airport. To compete with this, Santa Ana has approved commercial projects in theSouth Coast Metro area, as well as the "Metro East" development, located at the confluence of theSanta Ana Freeway and theCosta Mesa Freeway.
The Historic South Main Business District contains many older retail shops and other small businesses. It extends from downtown Santa Ana southwards on Main Street to the South Coast Metro area.
There was arecession in the 2000s, and the expected year for return to peak employment for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana area was 2015. The pre-recession peak year was 2007. Due to the recession, 519,300 jobs were lost, a 9% decrease.[62] According to the Employment Development Department, the unemployment rate for 2015 was 5 percent.
TheBowers Museum is art and history museum started in the 1930s with a large collection of fine art and artifacts from around the world and several traveling exhibits each year.
Santa Ana has several wall paintings andmurals depicting local history, community events and cultural diversity in Orange County.
TheChiarini Fountain, designed and carved by Chiarini Marble & Stone, was donated by the Chiarini family in honor of George C. Chiarini and to recognize the artists who have helped make Downtown Santa Ana a creative center in Orange County.
Greenville, a former rural part of Santa Ana, has buildings over a century old, but industrial complexes have replaced the agricultural fields once surrounding the town.
TheDisneyland andKnott's Berry Farm amusement parks are located northwest of Santa Ana, several kilometers away. Beaches are located around 20 minutes to the south, accessible by the55 freeway.Huntington Beach andNewport Beach as well as other coastal communities offer shopping, dining, boating, swimming and surfing.[65]
Santa Ana has highly competitive high school and collegiate sports teams playing atSanta Ana Stadium and the Santa Ana Unified School District Sports Complex Stadium.
TheDons of Santa Ana College are one of the most successful soccer teams in the state of California, and is a frequent top finisher, statewide.[67] In 2008, the Dons clinched their fifteenth consecutiveOrange Empire Conference title.[67] The college is also known for its historically successful baseball teams,[68] and for producing former Texas Rangers andLos Angeles Angels pitcherC. J. Wilson.
Mater Dei High School has one of the most successful and reputable football programs in the country.[69]
Santa Ana is acharter city and utilizes acouncil-manager form of government. The council consists of six members who are elected by the populace of the city. Each member serves for four years and can serve a total of three terms. Amayor pro tem is elected by the council members from within the council.[70]
Like most majority-minority cities in the United States, Santa Ana is a stronghold of the Democratic Party. Despite the city's high percentage of Democrats, the city tends to vote conservatively on social issues, much like the rest of northern Orange County. It voted in favor ofProposition 8—California's amendment defining marriage in the state as a legal union between a man and a woman—by 61.9%, above the county's average of 57.7%. OnProposition 4, which would have amended theCalifornia Constitution to require minors to notify their parents before having an abortion, Santa Ana voted in favor of the measure by 62.0%, much higher than the county as a whole, which voted in favor of the measure by only 54.3%.[71]
The majority of the city is served by theSanta Ana Unified School District, which includes 37 K–5 elementary schools, nine 6–8 intermediate schools, eight 9–12 high schools, five special schools, and one charter school. Some elementary schools are John Adams Elementary School, Manuel Esqueda Elementary School, Diamond Elementary School.
The school district provides an online accountability report card.[74]Other school districts that serve Santa Ana are theGarden Grove,Orange andTustin Unified School Districts.[75]
The Roman Catholic Diocese operatesMater Dei High School. The Diocese also operates several K–8 schools in Santa Ana, including School of Our Lady, Saint Anne, Saint Barbara, and Saint Joseph. Immaculate Heart of Mary and Our Lady of the Pillar schools were closed in 2005 and merged into the School of Our Lady, which is located at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.[77] (SeeRoman Catholic Diocesan Schools in Santa Ana, California). In September 2005 the Orange County Campus ofInternational School of Los Angeles (LILA) moved to Santa Ana.[78] In July 2015 it moved back toOrange.[79]
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Santa Ana several times on weekdays with less frequent service on weekends. It operates itsPacific Surfliner betweenSan Diego to the south and eitherLos Angeles orSan Luis Obispo to the north (seeSanta Ana Regional Transportation Center).Greyhound Lines is the largest bus transportation service in Santa Ana, and serves the continental United States and Canada. The bus lines Crucero, Intercalifornias, and others serve all points into Mexico.
Public transit bus service is available via theOrange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and is mainly focused on busses and freeways. 24 bus routes run through the city crossing 659 different bus stops.[80] A 4.15-mile OCTAlight rail line running between Santa Ana and Garden Grove, theOC Streetcar, is currently under construction and planned to enter service in 2024.
John Wayne Airport is located at 18601 Airport Way Santa Ana, CA 92707. TheIATA code for the airport is SNA.
Some main roads that run through Santa Ana include McFadden Avenue, Warner Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard, Civic Center Drive, and Santa Ana Boulevard, running east to west. Bristol Street, Fairview Street, and Main Street are all important streets running from north to south.
Electricity for the city is provided bySouthern California Edison. TheSouthern California Gas Company provides natural gas service. Phone and cable television service is provided byAT&T.[citation needed] Water in Santa Ana is supplied by the Santa Ana Water Resource Division. A majority of this water is groundwater, which is pumped by 20 wells tapped into the Orange County Groundwater Basin. Additional water is imported through theMetropolitan Water District of Southern California, which sources water from Lake Havasu via the Colorado River Aqueduct and the State Water Project from Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers in Northern California.[81]
Law enforcement is provided by the Santa Ana Police Department from three stations throughout the city.[82] The department includes five canine units,[83] an 11-officerequestrian unit and a 37-memberSWAT team.[84] The city shares a helicopter with the cities ofCosta Mesa andNewport Beach via the Airborne Law Enforcement (ABLE) program.[85]
In March 2012, the city disbanded its municipal fire department, which had provided fire protection for 128 years,[86] and contracted with theOrange County Fire Authority.
^Catalysts to complexity : late Holocene societies of the California coast. Jon Erlandson, Terry L. Jones, Jeanne E. Arnold, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. 2002. pp. 64, 66.ISBN978-1-938770-67-8.OCLC745176510.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^abcdeGonzález, Erualdo R. (2017).Latino city : urban planning, politics, and the grassroots. Abingdon, Oxon. pp. 17–19.ISBN978-1-317-59023-1.OCLC971613305.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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