Santa
Ana is the largest city and the county seat of Orange County,
California. It lies approximately 10 miles inland from the
Pacific Ocean, on the largely seasonal Santa Ana River.
The Santa Ana Freeway runs through the city, and the Costa
Mesa Freeway and Garden Grove Freeway travel along its edges.
It is today best-known for its enormous Mexican-American
population, now comprising over 75% of what was once a virtually
all-white city.
Founded
in 1869 by Kentuckian William H. Spurgeon on land purchased
from the Yorba family, Santa Ana was incorporated as a city
in 1886 with a population of 2000 and in 1889 became the
seat of the newly formed Orange County.
One
of Santa Ana's most notable businesses is the Rickenbacker
musical instrument company, whose electric guitars and bass
guitars earned fame in the hands of rock and roll legends
such as: John Lennon,George Harrison, and Paul McCartney
of The Beatles; Roger McGuinn of The Byrds; Pete Townshend
of The Who; Tom Petty; Geddy Lee of Rush; Chris Squire of
Yes; and Peter Buck of R.E.M.. |
