Orange, California

The City of Orange (often referred to as "Plaza City") is located in Orange County, California. It is approximately 3 miles (6 km) north of the County seat in Santa Ana, California, and approximately 32 miles (52 km) southeast of Los Angeles.

Transportation

Automobile

Like most cities in Southern California, the primary means of transportation is the automobile. Orange is situated near many state freeways as well as Interstate 5, also known as the Santa Ana Freeway. The junction of "the 5" with two state highways (SR-57 "Orange Freeway" and SR-22 "Garden Grove Freeway"), commonly called the "Orange Crush," is one of the busiest interchanges in Orange County and is located on the southwestern edge of the City. The eastern areas of Orange are served by the Eastern and Foothill Toll Roads, two of California's first toll highways, which connect the city with the cities of Irvine and Rancho Santa Margarita.

Related Topics:
Southern California - Automobile - Interstate 5 - Santa Ana Freeway - SR-57 - SR-22 - Toll Roads - Irvine - Rancho Santa Margarita

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Rail

The town's first rail service, the Santa Ana, Orange & Tustin Street Railway, was a 4.04 mile (6.5 km) long horse car line that ran between Santa Ana and Orange, beginning in 1886. One year later the Santa Ana & Orange Motor Road Company purchased the line, using a steam "dummy" car and a single gasoline motorcar as its means of conveyance. In 1906 Henry E. Huntington acquired the company under the auspices of the Los Angeles Inter-Urban Railway and electrified the line.

Related Topics:
1886 - 1906 - Henry E. Huntington

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Passenger service over the new line operated by Huntington's Pacific Electric Railway began on June 8, 1914, originating at the PE's depot on Lemon Street. The route provided freight service to the local citrus growers in direct competition with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Pacific Electric sold out to the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1961, who ultimately abandoned the line in 1964.

Related Topics:
Pacific Electric Railway - June 8 - 1914 - Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway - Southern Pacific Railroad - 1961 - 1964

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The Santa Fe, under its affiliate the Southern California Railway, laid its first tracks through Orange in 1886 and established its first depot the following year. The route would become part of the railroad's famous "Surf Line" and by 1925 sixteen daily passenger trains (the Santa Fe's San Diegan) made stops in Orange. During peak growing seasons, as many as 48 carloads of citrus fruits, olives, and walnuts were shipped daily from the Orange depot as well.

Related Topics:
Southern California Railway - 1886 - Surf Line - 1925 - San Diegan - Citrus - Fruits - Olives - Walnuts

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Rail connections to Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, and Northern San Diego County by the Metrolink regional commuter rail network. The Metrolink platform is situated adjacent to the former Santa Fe depot in the downtown Historic District, which is also home to an Orange County Transit District (OCTD) bus station. The former Santa Fe mainline links the cities of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego via a junction north of the station.

Related Topics:
Inland Empire - Northern San Diego County - Metrolink - Orange County Transit District - Bus - Los Angeles - Riverside - San Diego

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Air

John Wayne Airport (SNA) in nearby Santa Ana, California provides daily scheduled airline service for the area.

Related Topics:
John Wayne Airport - Santa Ana, California

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