More about Irvine California

Irvine is a city in Orange County, and as of 2008 has an estimated population of 212,793. Irvine is a planned community developed mostly by the Irvine Company since the 1960s and was officially incorporated December 28, 1971. The city recently annexed the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station which now houses the Irvine campus of California State University, Fullerton and will soon be completely converted into the Orange County Great Park. The area, which for many year was under the ownership of The Irvine Company, began as part of the Spanish land grant system. In 1864, Jose Andres Sepulveda, owner of the land, sold 50,000 acres to Benjamin and Thomas Flint, James Irvine, and Llewellyn Bixby for $18,000. In 1868, the land the was purchased, was equally separated among the four men and turned into sheep grazing land. In 1878 James Irvine bought out his former partners and his land stretched 23 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Santa Ana River. Irvine dies in 1886 and passed the land on to his son, James Irvine, Jr. who turned it into The Irvine Company. The new Irvine shifted the purpose of the land from sheep grazing to the growing of field and citrus crops and olives. In 1947, James Irvine, Jr. passed away and left The Irvine Company to his son, Mayford Irvine who began to open small areas of the ranch to urban development. After Mayford’s death, the University of California asked to have 1,000 acres of land to build a new university on, and they were granted the land for the grand total of $1. The city is now home to six colleges and/or universities. As of 2000, the city was ranked 7th highest nationwide of cities with a population of at least 100,000 for having a high percentage of people under the age of 25 with doctoral degrees. One of the most notable places in the city is the open air shopping and entertainment center, the Irvine Spectrum. The Spectrum is home to a large, IMAX movie theatre, several clothing and other shops, and many restaurants and bars. The massive structure was started in 1995 and went through five phases, finally completed in 2006. Besides the shops and movie theatre, the center houses a giant ferris wheel, a merry-go-round and during the winter seasons a ice-skating rink.