Don Gaspar de Portola, a Spanish expedition party leader, discovered a picturesque valley and river in Southern California which he christened Santa Ana , in honor of Saint Anne, on July 26, 1769. Antonio Yorba, a youthful expedition soldier and Juan Peralta, his nephew, were given a Spanish land grant for the area. They developed the Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana for cattle grazing and productive farmland. In 1869, William H. Spurgeon purchased 70 acres from the Yorba family and plotted a townsite; the new town
was given the name Santa Ana . In 1886, Santa Ana was incorporated as a city. Orange County was separated from Los Angeles County in 1889 and Santa Ana was made the County seat. Today, Santa Ana has become the financial and governmental center of Orange County.
Location
The City of Santa Ana is located in central Orange County about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 90 miles north of San Diego . Santa Ana's central location and easy access to freeways makes it a great spot from which to see Southern California attractions including Disneyland, Hollywood, Universal Studios, Knott's Berry Farm, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Angel Stadium and the Honda Center.